House Republican Launches Senate Campaign

Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA) announced she will run for the U.S. Senate in 2026 after Sen. Joni Ernst publicly stated she wouldn’t seek re-election.

“My priorities have been Iowans’ priorities,” Hinson said in a radio interview, according to The Des Moines Register.

“I continue to hear those every single day as I’m out in my congressional district and soon to be the entire state. And I’m running to be President Trump’s top ally in the United States Senate, because we have to be working on continuing to deliver that America First agenda that is working for Iowans every single day,” she continued.

More from The Des Moines Register:

Hinson said she plans to travel to each of Iowa’s 99 counties as part of her campaign, starting this week.

“I look forward to getting out and having those conversations about how we can continue to put Iowa first and put America first, and I will make sure that we are delivering on that America First agenda in the United States Senate,” she said.

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The news came just hours after Sen. Ernst announced that, “after a tremendous amount of prayer and reflection,” she would not seek a third term.

Watch Ernst’s message to Iowans:

“Thank you to @SenJoniErnst for your incredible service to our state and nation & for your friendship over the years. Iowa is better off thanks to your selfless service,” Hinson said.

Iowa Capital Dispatch shared further info:

There are two other Republicans who are also campaigning to become the GOP Senate nominee — former state lawmaker Jim Carlin and Joshua Smith, who previously ran as a Libertarian candidate for the state Senate.

Multiple Republican U.S. Senators, including Katie Britt of Alabama, Jim Banks of Indiana and Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma endorsed Hinson as she entered the race.

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“She’s proudly pro-life, pro-Second Amendment, and is working hard to cut the long-unchecked waste, fraud, and abuse that’s run rampant in Washington,” Banks said in a statement. “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.”

Hinson has represented northeast Iowa in the U.S. House for three terms since she defeated incumbent U.S. Rep. Abby Finkenauer, a Democrat, in the 2020 election. Before her time in Congress, Hinson worked as a TV news anchor for Cedar Rapids’ KCRG, in addition to serving in the Iowa House.

Her move to run for Senate means the 2nd Congressional District will be without a Republican incumbent. Multiple Democrats — state Rep. Lindsay James, D-Dubuque, Clint Twedt-Ball, the founder of the nonprofit Matthew 25 and Kathy Dolter, the former dean of nursing at Kirkwood Community College — have announced their campaigns, but there are currently no Republicans who have entered the field.

Though the 2nd Congressional District is rated as a “solid Republican” seat by the Cook Political Report heading into 2026, Katie Smith, a spokesperson for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said Hinson shifted to the U.S. Senate race as “her re-election prospects are doomed because Northeast Iowans see that she is more focused on serving billionaires than working for them.”