Joni Ernst won't seek reelection to Senate in 2026, sources say

Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa has told confidantes she plans to reveal next week that she won't seek reelection in 2026, multiple sources familiar with the matter told CBS News.

Ernst's announcement is scheduled for Thursday, the sources said. Ernst, 55, has served in the U.S. Senate since 2015.

Spokespeople for Ernst did not reply to requests for comment.

Some Iowa Democrats have already jumped into the race, including state Sen. Zach Wahls, state Rep. Josh Turek, and Des Moines School Board chairwoman Jackie Norris.

Ernst has been evasive about whether she would run for a third term in 2026, but in public remarks earlier this month, predicted continued GOP control of Iowa.

"Every day we get a new Democratic member of the House or Senate that decides to run for this Senate seat — bring it on," she said at a meeting of the Westside Conservative Club. "Bring it on, folks. Because I tell you, at the end of the day, Iowa is going to be red."

White House officials had hoped Ernst would run again, instead of joining other Republicans who are leaving the Senate, including North Carolina's Thom Tillis, Alabama's Tommy Tuberville and Kentucky's Mitch McConnell.

GOP Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee announced a run for governor but her Senate term does not expire until 2030.

Ernst has told people close to her that she intended to serve only two terms, she has accomplished what she set out to do, and intends to head to the private sector, one of the sources said.

She grew up in rural southwestern Iowa and graduated from Iowa State University. She joined the Army reserves, retiring as a lieutenant colonel in the Iowa Army National Guard, after tours in Kuwait and Iraq.

Ernst served in local and Iowa state government before running for an open U.S. Senate seat in 2014. She rose to the No. 3 leadership position in the Republican conference and has been a reliable vote for President Trump's agenda. She was interviewed by Trump as a potential vice presidential pick in 2016, but ultimately withdrew from consideration.

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