Republican Iowa Rep. Ashley Hinson announced Tuesday that she will run for Iowa’s open Senate seat in 2026 following Republican Sen. Joni Ernst’s decision not to run for reelection.
Hinson, a former TV news anchor who is serving in her third House term, is the first Republican to jump in the race after Ernst announced Tuesday that she would retire in early 2027. The Iowa congresswoman is viewed as a rising star and will likely mount a strong campaign to secure the Republican nomination for a seat that Republicans are expected to hold onto during the midterms.
“From securing our border and deporting illegal aliens, to keeping men out of girl’s sports and cutting taxes for working families, I will fight every day for Iowans and our conservative values,” Hinson said in a statement announcing her candidacy. “As Iowa’s next Senator, I will stop at nothing to Make America Great!”
Hinson raised roughly $850,000 during 2025’s second fundraising quarter and has nearly $3 million in the bank to mount a Senate bid. The Iowa Republican recently hosted Republican Missouri Sen. Eric Schmitt and Republican commentator Scott Jennings at a fundraiser over the August district work period.
Republican Indiana Sen. Jim Banks and Alabama Sen. Katie Britt, two close Trump allies, endorsed Hinson’s Senate bid on Tuesday.
“There is no doubt she is the conservative fighter we need in the Senate to advance President Trump’s agenda and keep America on the right path,” Banks said in a statement Hinson posted to X.
Though Hinson has the potential to clear the primary field, Matt Whitaker, the U.S. ambassador to NATO, has been floated as a potential contender. He previously ran for a seat in the upper chamber in 2014.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), Senate Republicans’ campaign arm, voiced confidence Tuesday that Republicans would protect the open Iowa seat red during the midterms, according to a statement emailed to the Daily Caller News Foundation. The Cook Political Report kept its “likely Republican” rating for the 2026 contest following Ernst’s decision not to seek reelection.
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