Republican rising star Ashley Hinson announces Senate bid in race to succeed Iowa’s Ernst

Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson announced bids for the U.S. Senate to successfully retire Republicans Senator Joni Ernst.

“I’m running for the U.S. Senate,” Hinson said during a popular afternoon talk radio show in Iowa.

Hinson is a former TV news anchor who represents Iowa’s second congressional district in her third term, which covers areas northeastern the state – showing her support for the president Donald Trump.

“I was a top ally of President Trump in the U.S. Senate,” she said. “I’m honored to fight with him.”

Republican Joni Ernst announces she won’t seek re-election in the Senate next year

Her news comes a few hours after Ernst officially announced in a social media video that she would not seek reelection in the middle of next year.

“Growing up in a family that has provided me with so much love and support, now our family is ageing and growing, it’s time for me to come back to them. After a tremendous prayer and reflection, I won’t seek to be re-elected in 2026,” Ernst, 55, who was first elected for social media in 2014 and was elected to the Senate in 2014.

Trump is not in the voting, but the frontcourt and center of the 2025 election

Ernst, a retired Army Reserve and Iowa National Guard, served in the Iraq War and has been running for re-election for several months. In her video, she said: “It’s not an easy decision.”

Ernst attracted national attention when she won high-profile Senate elections with her “Make’em Scream” ad 11 years ago In Iowa In the match of long-time Democratic Senator Tom Harkin, who has successfully retired.

Ernst highlighted in her video “Iowans was elected 11 years ago as the first female combat veteran in the U.S. Senate and they did it to make Washington scream. I’m proud to say we’ve delivered. We’ve cut waste, fraud and abuse across the federal government.”

Hinson, Social Media Poststhank Ernst for her “incredible service to our country and our country” and for her friendship. “Iowa is better because of your selfless service,” she said.

In her radio interview, she told host Simon Conway that her priorities were “safety borders, movement to get men out of girls, tax cuts for our working families, stand up for Iowa’s agriculture and help us try to buy homes and build families.”

Hinson also promises that the campaign will begin in all 99 Iowa counties, starting with Friday’s kickoff.

When she played, Hinson was recognized by Jim Banks, the Republican of Indiana, Katie Britt of Alabama and Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Majority Whip Rep. Tom Emmer, House Republican Leader, Rep. Elise Stefanik, and Iowa House Majority Leader Bobby Kaufmann, also support Hinson.

Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) communications director Maeve Coyle, following Hinson’s announcement, argued that “Republicans failed to convince Joni Ernst to run for reelection, and now they may be stuck with Ashley Hinson, who has repeatedly voted to raise costs and make life harder for Iowans by voting to slash Medicaid, cheering on the chaos tariffs that threaten Iowa’s economy, voting Measures against measures to reduce insulin costs and threaten social security.”

Four major Republican Senate seats aim to flip in next year’s midterm elections

Iowa was once the top battlefield for former presidents Barack Obama In his 2008 and 2012 White House won. But the state has moved to the right in the most recent election cycle, with President Donald Trump hitting a nine-point shooting percentage in 2016 and eight in 2020, and last November 13.

Republicans currently own seats in the state’s Senate – Ernst and longtime Senator Chuck Grassley, as well as all four congressional districts in Iowa, as well as all statewide offices, except for the state auditor held by Democrat Rob Sand, who runs for governor next year.

But Iowa Democrats are full of energy after flipping two Republican Senate seats in special elections so far this year.

Four Democrats are already running for the Senate in Iowa. The field includes state Rep. Josh Turek, Paralympic wheelchair basketball player, state Sen. Zach Wahls, Knoxville Chamber Executive Director Nathan Sage and Des Moines School Board Chairman Jackie Norris.

“The open seat in Iowa is just the latest example of the Democrats’ expanded Senate map,” Lauren French, Lauren French, a spokesman for the Senate majority PAC, said in a statement.

But, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, chairman of the National Republican Senate Committee, said in a statement: “The NRSC is confident that Iowaians will elect Republicans to continue fighting for them and advocate for President Trump’s agenda in 2026.”

Senate Democrats recruit top candidates to win majority

Republicans’ goal is not only to defend the current 53-47 Senate majority in next year’s election.

Senate Republicans In the 2024 cycle, they enjoyed a favorable map as they flipped four seats from blue to red to win most seats.

But those in power – Republicans have traditionally faced political headwinds in midterm elections. However, the current reading of the 2026 map suggests that the Republicans may attack in certain critical states.

In the battlefield in Georgia that Trump almost carried in last year’s White House game, Republicans believe that the first Senator Jon Ossoff is the most vulnerable Democrat next year and there will be another election next year.

They also target the battlefield in Michigan, where Democratic Sen. Gary Peters will retire at the end of next year, while Swing State New Hampshire is where long-time Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen decided not to seek a fourth six-year term in the Senate.

The NRSC’s target list is also Minnesota Blue Minnesota, where Democratic Sen. Tina Smith is not running for reelection.

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But Republicans are defending an open seat on the North Carolina battlefield, with Republican Senator Thom Tills not seeking reelection. Republicans may be forced to spend resources to defend Ohio Sen. Jon Husted, who was appointed former senator and current vice president, JD Vance, who faces former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown next year.

Meanwhile, Democrats are targeting moderate Sen. Susan Collins, who has yet to announce her expected reelection in 2026 in Blue Maine.