Republican Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst will reportedly not seek reelection for a third Senate term.
Ernst, who began serving in the upper chamber in 2015, will announce next Thursday that she will not run for reelection in 2026, CBS News first reported. Ernst’s decision to pass on running for reelection comes after the White House and Senate GOP leadership lobbied her to seek a third Senate term.
Ernst’s reported choice to bow out of a reelection bid could further stretch Senate Republicans’ efforts to grow their 53-seat majority during the midterms.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), Senate Republicans’ campaign arm, is already working to hold onto an open North Carolina Senate seat following Sen. Thom Tillis’ retirement announcement and is expected to aggressively defend Republican Maine Sen. Susan Collins from a Democratic challenger. Senate Republicans are also aiming to flip an open Michigan Senate seat and defeat Democratic Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff in 2026.
Several Iowa Democrats have lined up to challenge Ernst in the 2026 Senate race, including state Rep. Josh Turek, state Sen. Zach Wahls and Des Moines School Board chairwoman Jackie Norris.
Senate Republicans are likely to keep Ernst’s seat given the state’s Republican leanings. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rated the contest as “likely Republican” before Ernst’s reported decision to not seek reelection.
Ernst would become the fourth Senate Republican to announce their departure from the upper chamber this cycle. Tillis and former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky will not run for reelection in 2026. Republican Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville has launched a bid for the state’s 2026 governor race.
Ernst’s reported retirement decision comes after the Iowa Republican was booted from Senate GOP leadership after losing to Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton for Senate Republican conference chair last November. Ernst has taken ownership of the Senate DOGE Caucus and has touted the $9 billion in cuts to foreign aid and public broadcasting the upper chamber has approved thus far.
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