Joni Ernst | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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.jpg) Official portrait, 2020 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chair of theSenate Small Business Committee | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office January 3, 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Jeanne Shaheen | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| United States Senator fromIowa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office January 3, 2015 Serving with Chuck Grassley | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Tom Harkin | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Member of theIowa Senate from the12th district | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office January 5, 2011 – November 28, 2014 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Kim Reynolds | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Mark Costello | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Joni Kay Culver (1970-07-01)July 1, 1970 (age 55) Red Oak, Iowa, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Party | Republican | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Children | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Education | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Signature |  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | Senate website Campaign website | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Rank | Lieutenant Colonel | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Wars | Iraq War | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Joni Kay Ernst (néeCulver; born July 1, 1970)[1] is an American politician and retired military officer serving since 2015 as the juniorUnited States senator fromIowa. She is a member of theRepublican Party.
After graduating fromIowa State University, Ernst joined theUnited States Army Reserve.[2] She served in theIowa Army National Guard from 1993 to 2015, retiring as alieutenant colonel.[3] During theIraq War, she served as commanding officer of the 1168th Transportation Company in Kuwait and later commanded the 185th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion atCamp Dodge.[4][5]
Ernst served in theIowa State Senate from 2011 to 2014 and as auditor ofMontgomery County from January 2005 to January 5, 2011.[6][7] She was elected to the U.S. Senate in2014 and reelected in2020. As chair of theSenate Republican Policy Committee from 2023 to 2025, Ernst was the fourth-ranking Republican in the Senate. During her Senate tenure, she has called for reforms toMedicare,Medicaid, andSocial Security. During theTrump administration, she expressed concern about Trump'strade war with China, and as awar hawk, criticized some of his foreign policy. While supporting both of Trump's nominees forEPA administrator, she expressed concern over their commitment to theRenewable Fuel Standard.
On September 2, 2025, Ernst announced that she would not seek reelection in2026.[8]
Ernst was born Joni Kay Culver inMontgomery County, Iowa, the daughter of Marilyn and Richard Culver. She wasvaledictorian of her class atStanton Community School District High School.[9] She earned aBachelor of Arts degree inpsychology fromIowa State University in 1992,[10] and aMaster of Public Administration degree fromColumbus State University in 1995.[11][9] In college, she took part in an agricultural exchange to theSoviet Union.[12]
Ernst joined Iowa State University'sReserve Officers' Training Corps program when she was 20, and theUnited States Army Reserve after graduating.[2] She served as alogistics officer and attained the rank oflieutenant colonel in theIowa National Guard. In 2003–2004, she spent 12 months inKuwait as commander of the 1168th Transportation Company, during theIraq War.[11][13][14] Near the end of her military career, she served as the commanding officer of the 185th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion atCamp Dodge, theIowa Army National Guard's largest battalion.[15][5] Upon her retirement from the military in 2015, Ernst had served 23 years in theArmy Reserve and theArmy National Guard.[3] Her awards included theMeritorious Service Medal,Army Commendation Medal,Army Achievement Medal,Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, andGlobal War on Terrorism Service Medal.[16]
In an interview withTime magazine in 2014, Ernst said she was sexually harassed in the military, saying, "I had comments, passes, things like that" that she was able to stop, and said she would support removing the chain of command from the investigation and prosecution of sexual assault cases.[17]
Ernst was electedMontgomery County Auditor in 2004, defeating the incumbent, Connie Magneson.[6] She ran unopposed in 2008 and was reelected with 4,569 votes.[11][18][19] She was elected to theIowa State Senate in a special election in 2011 and reelected in 2012. She represented District 12, in southwestern Iowa.[20][21]
Upon her election to the U.S. Senate, Ernst resigned from the Iowa State Senate, effective November 28, 2014.[22]
In July 2013, Ernst announced that she would seek the Senate seat held by retiring Democratic SenatorTom Harkin.Iowa Lieutenant GovernorKim Reynolds endorsed her in October 2013.[23] In March 2014, Ernst was endorsed by formerMassachusetts GovernorMitt Romney and formerAlaska GovernorSarah Palin,[24][25] to whom she has drawn comparisons.[26][27] In May 2014, theU.S. Chamber of Commerce, a lobbying group, endorsed her.[28][29][30]
Little known at the start of her campaign, Ernst was boosted in the Republican primary bythe Koch brothers with "hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of television ads [...] and tens of thousands of dollars in direct campaign contributions".[31][32][33] A Koch-backed group launched an "advertising blitz", including a $257,000 campaign against Ernst's biggest Republican rival, oil executive Mark Jacobs, who had supported a proposal to limitcarbon emissions thatKoch Industries opposed.[31] Ernst privately credited the Kochs and their allies for having "really started my trajectory" after her primary victory.[31][32]
Ernst received widespread attention for a campaign advertisement she released in March 2014, in which she made atongue-in-cheek comparison between her experiencecastrating pigs and her ability to "cut pork" in Congress.[34][35] Many found the ad humorous,[34][36] and it was spoofed by late-night comedians, includingJimmy Fallon andStephen Colbert.[37][38] Before the ad aired, Ernst had struggled to raise money,[39][40] and two polls of the Republican primary taken in February 2014 had shown her in second place, several points behind Mark Jacobs.[41][42] After it aired, aSuffolk University poll in early April showed her with a narrow lead and aLoras College poll showed her essentially tied with Jacobs.[37][43] By May, she was being described in the media as the "strong front-runner".[28]
During the primary, Ernst promoted aconspiracy theory that aUnited Nationssustainable development plan,Agenda 21, could lead to farmers being forced off their land and made to live in cities, but a few months later she said she did not consider the plan a "threat".[44][45]
In a May 2014Des Moines Register interview, Ernst said she was "extremely offended" by comments Jacobs made characterizing her asAWOL due to missing over 100 votes in the legislative session.[46] Previously, inThe Gazette, Ernst cited her National Guard duty to rebuff criticism about her missing votes,[47] butThe Gazette found that only 12 of the 117 missed votes came on days when she was on duty. The other 105 missed votes represented 57% of the Iowa Senate votes that session. Ernst's spokesman said she had a better than 90% voting record during her Senate career and that she had never claimed Guard service was the only reason she had missed votes.[47][48]
In July, Ernst delivered the Republican Party's weekly address, criticizing a health care scandal at theDepartment of Veterans Affairs and calling for a balanced budget and reform of Social Security and Medicare.[12] Later that month, she suspended her campaign while participating in two weeks of National Guard duty.[49]
In endorsing her for the Republican primary nomination, theDes Moines Register wrote: "Ernst is a smart, well-prepared candidate who can wrestle with the details of public policy from a conservative perspective without seeming inflexible."[50] On October 23, Ernst canceled a scheduled meeting with theDes Moines Register's editorial board, citing the paper's negative editorials about her.[51] The editorial board ultimately endorsed Braley, citing Ernst's calls to abolish theEPA, theDepartment of Education, and thefederal minimum wage, as well as her support for partially privatizingSocial Security and overturning theAffordable Care Act.[52][53]
In the 2014 election, Ernst received $17,552,085 in "dark money", which constituted 74% of non-party outside spending in her support;[54] she had a $14 million outside spending advantage over her opponent.[32] In an October 2014 debate, Ernst said she “believe[s] in political free speech” and did not see a need to change campaign finance laws.[55]
Ernst won the election by 94,205 votes.[56] She is the first woman elected to represent Iowa in either house of Congress.[57]
Ernst ran for reelection in 2020. She was unopposed in the Republican primary and faced Democratic nomineeTheresa Greenfield, a businesswoman and former congressional candidate, in the general election. Ernst was seen as the strong favorite and eventually defeated her opponent, by 110,138 votes.[58][59][60]
In December 2019, theAssociated Press reported that Ernst's campaign had closely coordinated with a political nonprofit founded by a longtime consultant; such groups are tax-exempt and not required to disclose donors, but cannot make political campaigning their primary purpose and must separate their activities from candidates they support.[61] An Ernst campaign adviser said that any implication they had acted outside the "spirit of the law" was "fake news". After the article's publication, the nonpartisanCampaign Legal Center filed a complaint with theFederal Election Commission.[62][63]
On September 2, 2025, Ernst announced that she would not seek reelection in 2026.[64]
Ernst was sworn into the United States Senate on January 3, 2015, and thus became Iowa's first new U.S. senator since Tom Harkin in 1985.[65] She delivered the official Republican response to theState of the Union on January 20.[65][66][67]
In May 2016,Chris Cillizza put Ernst on his short list of possiblevice presidentialrunning mates forDonald Trump to become the45th President of the United States.[68][69] Other media outlets also mentioned her as a possible benefit to Trump's campaign.[70][71][72] On June 16, Ernst said no one had "reached out" to her about a vice-presidential nomination.[73] On July 4, she and Trump met privately.[74] Trump selectedGovernorMike Pence ofIndiana on July 15.[75]
In 2016, Ernst and other Republican senators introduced "Sarah's Law" in honor of Sarah Root, a 21-year-old student in Omaha who was killed in a street racing crash earlier that year.[76]
In 2017, Ernst askedSecretary of Defense nomineeJames Mattis whether he would pledge to cut wasteful spending and stopsexual assault in the military, to which Mattis agreed.[77]
In March, after photographs of nude female soldiers were posted onFacebook, Ernst said that this "type of activity creates a culture that leads to sexual assault."[78] At a press conference two weeks later, she asked Congress to pass a law requiring people to immediately report suspected sexual assault at government facilities.[79]
Ernst was elected vice chair of theSenate Republican Conference in November 2018.[80]
On the initiation of the116th United States Congress in 2019, Ernst became the first female Republican to be appointed to theSenate Judiciary Committee, along withMarsha Blackburn.[81]
In March 2019, after theSpecial Counsel Investigation concluded and Attorney GeneralWilliam Barr released anabridged summary of Special CounselRobert Mueller's report, Ernst called for a release ofthe report's full findings, saying, "as much of the report that can be made public should be".[82]
In August 2020, when Iowa had the most newCOVID-19 infections per capita of any state in the preceding seven days, Ernst repeated a debunked conspiracy theory that the case numbers were greatly inflated and that health care providers might be falsifying them.[83] She later walked back her statements.[84]
After JusticeRuth Bader Ginsburg's death in September 2020, Ernst said she supported Trump nominating a new justice before the November presidential election.[85] Eight months before the2016 presidential election, Ernst opposed Senate consideration ofBarack Obama's Supreme Court nomineeMerrick Garland, saying "the American people deserve to have a say" on a decision that would "impact the course of our country for years to come".[86][87] In 2018, Ernst reiterated that Supreme Court nominees should not be heard during presidential election years, telling theDes Moines Register, "It's precedent set. ... So come 2020, if there's an opening, I'm sure you'll remind me of that."[88]
Ernst was participating in the certification of the2021 United States Electoral College vote count when Trump supportersstormed the U.S. Capitol. She called the storming "a protest turned anarchy" and, citing that she served in the military to defend the right to peacefully protest, "a complete betrayal of those sacred ideals."[89] When Congress returned to the certification process, Ernst voted to support certification.[90] She opposedimpeaching Trump for the attack on the Capitol, choosing to support a peaceful transfer of power and "healing our nation."[91] In response,The Gazette editorial board wrote that Ernst and Grassley "must reckon with why they did the wrong thing for so long" regarding their support of Trump during his presidency.[90]
In a September 2021Fox News interview, Ernst accused PresidentJoe Biden of overstepping presidential powers and "leading by coercion"[92] with the newly announced "Path Out of the Pandemic"[93] initiative,[92] aimed at mitigating the rising threat of theCOVID-19 Delta variant.[94] "Forcing these federal mandates was one way to divert us", she said. "This is a diversion away from9/11, away from the 20th anniversary and away from the debacle that was hisAfghanistan withdrawal".[92] The previous week, Biden had signed anexecutive order declassifying 9/11 documents that the victims' families had requested for many years; his agenda on September 11, 2021, included visits to three9/11 crash sites inNew York,Pennsylvania, andVirginia.[94]
In March 2024, Ernst announced that she would run forSenate Republican Conference chair in 2025, a position that SenatorTom Cotton was also seeking.[95] Cotton was elected conference chair.
In 2019,Politico called Ernst "a reliable vote for most of Trump's agenda",[99] and as of October 2020, she had voted in line withDonald Trump's positions 91.1% of the time.[100]
Ernst opposes legalizedabortion.[101] In 2013, she voted for afetal personhood amendment in the Iowa Senate and has said that she would support a federal personhood bill.[102] Critics, such as theAmerican College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, have expressed concern that such an amendment could restrict abortion even in cases of rape or incest, as well as certain forms of birth control, although Ernst has said she supports access to birth control.[102][103] In January 2020, she petitioned theU.S. Supreme Court to reconsiderRoe v. Wade, the landmark ruling that found abortion bans are unconstitutional.[104]
In 2017, Ernst introduced legislation allowing states to blockPlanned Parenthood from receivingTitle X grants or reimbursements for treatingMedicaid patients, although Planned Parenthood clinics provide multiplefamily planning services and the funding does not go to abortions except in rare circumstances.[105][106] Ernst supported the 2022 Supreme Court decisionDobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization that overturnedRoe v. Wade, calling it a science-based decision.[107]
In 2025, Ernst introduced the Food Security and Farm Protection Act, an updated version of theKing Amendment and Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression (EATS) Act that seeks to prohibit state and local governments from imposing production standards on agricultural goods sold in interstate commerce.[108] The bill was introduced in response toCalifornia's Proposition 12, which established minimum space requirements for livestock producers selling pork, veal, and egg products in California. Ernst argued that such regulations impose unfair burdens on out-of-state producers.[109] Opponents warned the legislation would undermine efforts to regulate food safety, animal welfare, and public health.[110] The proposal is expected to be a significant issue in the 2025farm bill negotiations.[111]
In 2014, when asked about PresidentBarack Obama's recess appointments, Ernst called Obama a "dictator" who should be "removed from office" or face "impeachment".[112] She said, "He is running amok. He is not following our Constitution."[112][113] Later in 2014, Ernst criticized Obama's handling of theEbola outbreak.[114]
During thefirst Donald Trump administration, Ernst expressed concern about Trump'strade war with China, and as awar hawk, criticized some of his foreign policy.[115]
In February 2020, Ernst voted to acquit Trump on botharticles of impeachment (abuse of power and obstruction of Congress).[116] She argued that Trump had learned his lesson, and that he would not ask a foreign leader to investigate his rivals again without going through the proper channels.[117][118] At the same time, she suggested thatJoe Biden could be impeached if he becomes president over his actions in Ukraine.[119][120]
In May 2020, Ernst praised Trump's response to theCOVID-19 pandemic, saying, "he was right on it from day one".[121] On May 28, 2021, she voted against creating an independent commission to investigate the2021 United States Capitol attack.[122]
After Trump took office as president for the second time in January 2025, theDepartment of Government Efficiency (DOGE) sought access to the sensitive systems of several U.S. government bodies, prompting multiple legal challenges. In February 2025, Ernst expressed her support for DOGE's actions, saying, "There’s a lot of disruption, but I would argue that that disruption was needed to be able to go in and scrutinize the record, scrutinize expenditures to fully understand what’s going on."[123]
Ernst opposes afederal minimum wage and has said that states should have sole authority to set their minimum wages.[124][125][126] She voted against a minimum wage increase in the state Senate.[126] In response to aCongressional Budget Office report projecting that increasing the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour would lift 900,000 people out of poverty but cost 500,000 people their jobs, Ernst said, "government-mandated wage increases are not the solution."[127]
Ernst has proposed eliminating theInternal Revenue Service.[128][129] In the state Senate, she worked on legislation that reducedproperty taxes.[130] In 2014, she said she supports a "fairer, flatter, and simpler" federal tax code, a reduction in discretionary spending and spending onsocial programs, and a constitutional amendment requiring abalanced federal budget.[46] In 2017, she voted for theTax Cuts and Jobs Act.[99][131]
Ernst has expressed support for thepartial privatization ofSocial Security accounts for young workers while making clear that "we have to keep our promises to seniors".[28][132][133]
In May 2018, Ernst was one of nine Republican senators to introduce arescission package meant to fulfill Trump's wish to curb previously approved spending by $15.4 billion as part of an attempt to roll out the legislation to ensure it reached the Senate floor within a 45-day window.[134]
Ernst supports eliminating theU.S. Department of Education, saying she "believe[s] our children are better educated when it's coming from the state."[46][128][129] While states handle almost all education policy decisions, the Department of Education conducts nationwide research, monitors fordiscrimination, and distributesstudent financial aid through loans and grants.[128] In 2014, Ernst claimed, inaccurately, that 94% of employees at the Department of Education had been deemed “nonessential” and argued funding would be better spent at the state and local level.PolitiFact calculated that hypothetically reassigning all employees to non-federal positions would increase state and local education staffing by “4/100ths of 1 percent”.[135] In February 2017, Ernst voted to confirmBetsy DeVos asEducation Secretary, saying they shared a belief that those "closest" to students know what is best for them.[136][137][138]
Ernst rejects thescientific consensus onclimate change and has said that any governmental regulation to address it should be "very small."[33][46] In a 2014 debate, she said, "I don't know the science behind climate change. I can't say one way or another what is the direct impact from whether it's manmade or not."[139][140] In 2018, after the release of theFourth National Climate Assessment, detailing theimpact of climate change, Ernst said that "our climate always changes and we see those ebb and flows through time".[33][141]
In her 2014 Senate campaign, Ernst won support from theKoch brothers and affiliated groups, who helped propel her ahead of a primary opponent who backed a proposal to limitcarbon emissions.[31][32] In 2014, she said she is "adamantly opposed" tocap-and-trade, a market-based approach to reducing carbon emissions.[46] She supported Trump's 2017 decision to withdraw from theParis climate accords.[33][142]
Ernst has called for eliminating theEnvironmental Protection Agency.[128] In 2014, she criticized the impact of theClean Water Act on farms and businesses and said she would have voted against the2014 U.S. Farm Bill.[28][143]
After voting to confirm Trump nomineeScott Pruitt asAdministrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, Ernst said in 2018 that he had lied to her about upholding theRenewable Fuel Standard, which mandates a minimum proportion ofethanol that must be mixed with fuel, while calling Pruitt "about asswampy as you get".[33][144][145] In February 2019, Ernst voted to confirm Trump's new nominee for EPA administrator,Andrew Wheeler.[33] In June 2019, she said she had asked Trump and Wheeler to limit the issuing of RFS waivers, saying they were being handed out "like candy" without congressional oversight.[146]
In October 2015, Ernst said that Obama lacked "a clear coherent strategy in Afghanistan" amid the rise ofTaliban forces andISIS.[147] In August 2021, she called theU.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan "rapid and haphazard" and "shameful", chiding theBiden administration for removing troops before guaranteeing the safety of the U.S. embassy.[148]
Ernst opposed theIran deal negotiated by the Obama administration.[130] In January 2020, she expressed support for the US military'sassassination of Iranian major general Qasem Soleimani bydrone strike atBaghdad International Airport.[149]
Of theIraq War andweapons of mass destruction, she said, "We don't know that there were weapons on the ground when we went in. However, I do have reason to believe there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. That was the intelligence that was operated on. I have reason to believe there was weapons of mass destruction. My husband served in Saudi Arabia as an Army Central Command sergeant major for a year and that's a hot-button topic in that area."[46] After criticism from Iowa Democrats and some commentators,[37][150][151] Ernst then issued a statement that she had not meant to suggest that Iraq had WMD at the time of invasion, but rather that Iraq had used WMDs in the past, and that her point was that "we don't know exactly what happened to those weapons."[152]
When asked whether she supports the limited airstrikes conducted in Iraq in August 2014, Ernst said, "What I can say is what I would have supported is leaving additional troops in Iraq longer and perhaps we wouldn't have this situation today."[153]
In October 2023, days after the beginning of theGaza war, Ernst led a congressional delegation to meetings withPrime Minister of IsraelBenjamin Netanyahu, other Israeli leaders, and American civilians in Israel. She said the meetings were meant to "reassure the leadership in Israel as well as a number of American families that were there that we stand shoulder to shoulder with Israel".[154]
In July 2024, beforeNetanyahu gave a speech to Congress, Ernst led a Republican press conference "demanding action from this waffling White House" and called for U.S. sanctions and weapons to help Israel defeat Hamas.[155] She also criticized Vice PresidentKamala Harris for not attending the speech, calling her absence "a disgrace" and asking what duties Harris would neglect if elected president.[156]
In June 2018, Ernst questioned Trump's decision to suspend joint military exercises withSouth Korea.[157] In July, she advocated that the United States continue the exercises in case talks between the US andNorth Korea did not continue.[158]
In 2017, Ernst called Russia's behavior, including itsannexation of Crimea andinterference in U.S. elections, "totally unacceptable" and said Trump should "show strength againstVladimir Putin".[159] The next year, she urged caution if the U.S. worked with Russia to "put a lid on Iran", saying that Russia would never be "a true friend or ally" to the U.S. She cited North Korea as another case where caution should be maintained when cooperating to make the world "a safer place".[160] After the2018 Russia-United States summit later that month, Ernst expressed hope that Trump had "delivered a strong message" that Russia would be punished for its annexation of Ukraine, support ofBashar al-Assad, and "aggressive actions in U.S. domestic policy", and that Trump had discussed Russia's actions in the Balkans.[161]
In February 2024, Ernst and Grassley broke with most Senate Republicans to vote for a $95 billion foreign aid bill that included $60 billion to support Ukraine. Ernst said that Congress was "equipping America to push back against our adversaries' aggression" and that the bill was "critical to reversing President Biden's weakness on the world stage that has abandoned our partners, emboldened authoritarians, and put American lives at risk."[162]
In 2015, Ernst said the U.S. should halt theadmission ofSyrian refugees, saying the United States needs a "thorough vetting process".[163]
In 2018, aftermissile strikes against Syria, Ernst said that she would be "uncomfortable" if Trump wanted to commit more American troops there, saying it was secondary to fightingISIS.[164] After Trump announced the withdrawal oftroops from Syria, Ernst was one of six senators to sign a letter expressing concern, calling the move a "premature and costly mistake" that would "embolden ISIS, Bashar al Assad, Iran, and Russia."[165]
In 2019, Ernst was one of six senators to sign a bipartisan letter to Trump calling on him to "urge Turkey to end their offensive and find a way to a peaceful resolution while supporting our Kurdish partners to ensure regional stability" and arguing that leaving Syria without installing protections for American allies endangered both them and the US.[166]
In March 2018, Ernst voted to table a resolution spearheaded byBernie Sanders,Chris Murphy, andMike Lee that would have required Trump to withdraw American troops either in or influencingYemen within the next 30 days unless they were combatingAl-Qaeda.[167]
In November 2018, following the murder of Saudi journalistJamal Khashoggi, Ernst said that Saudi Arabia was a "great strategic partner" but that Congress should consider a legislative response due to the United States' commitment to human rights and the rule of law. She added that Trump should become involved "if there are indicators coming from those intelligence agencies".[168] In December, Ernst warned that a resolution withdrawing U.S. support for the Saudi Arabia-led intervention in Yemen could complicate peace talks in Yemen and that, although Saudi Arabia should be punished for Khashoggi's death, "those consequences are I see as right now are separate from the discussion of the Saudis and their actions in Yemen engaging the Houthis".[169]
Ernst supportsopen carry legislation, which allows guns to be carried openly in public.[46] In 2019, she was one of 31 Republican cosponsors of a bill to grant those withconcealed carry privileges in their home state the right to carry concealed weapons in other states with concealed carry laws.[170]
In a 2014 debate, speaking about theSanta Barbara shooting, Ernst said, "Just because of a horrible, horrible tragedy, I don't believe we should be infringing upon people's Second Amendment rights."[126] After the 2018Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, she said that mental illness was the "root cause" of many mass shootings.[171] She later cosponsored a bill to require federal authorities to inform states within a day if a person failing abackground check attempted to buy a firearm.[172][173]
In 2017, amid bipartisan momentum forbump stock restrictions, Ernst was one of 10 Republican senators to sign a letter requesting that theBureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives review a decision that bump stocks fall outside the purview of existing gun regulations.[174]
According to data fromOpenSecrets, the NRA spent $3,124,273 in support of Ernst between 2014 and 2018, mostly attacking candidates running against her.[175]
Ernst opposes theAffordable Care Act.[46] TheCampaign for Liberty reported that in 2012 Ernst had answered "Yes" to a survey question asking whether she would support legislation that would "nullify ObamaCare and authorize state and local law enforcement to arrest federal officials attempting to implement [it]."[176][177][178] She voted for all three versions of a bill to repeal the ACA in 2017.[179][180] In 2018, Ernst was one of 10 Republican senators to cosponsor a bill intended to guarantee coverage for people withpreexisting conditions, though it would have allowed insurers to exclude coverage for the conditions themselves.[181][182]
Ernst has expressed support for reformingMedicare andMedicaid and endorsed a partial privatization of both programs in a 2011 Iowa Senate vote. ACBO report found that the plan would increase medical costs for Medicare beneficiaries 61% by 2022, compared with 27% under the existing structure.[183] In 2013, she said there was a "generation of people that rely on the government to provide absolutely everything for them" and that removing them from government programs such as the Affordable Care Act "is going to be very painful".[184]
Ernst has questioned the legitimacy of how hospitals are reportingCOVID-19 deaths.[185]
In August 2022, Ernst voted against capping the price ofinsulin at $35.[186] She has said that she has two diabetic family members.[187]
On May 30, 2025, in response to a constituent at atown hall meeting who told her people would die as a result of Medicaid and SNAP cuts in the2025 budget reconciliation bill, Ernst said: "Well, we are all going to die. For heaven's sakes, folks".[188][189] In response to subsequent backlash, she posted anInstagramapology video wherein she walked around agraveyard[190][191] and said, "I made an incorrect assumption that everyone in the auditorium understood that yes, we are all going to perish from this Earth. So I apologize. And I'm really, really glad that I did not have to bring up the subject of thetooth fairy as well". She added, "For those that would like to seeeternal and everlasting life, I encourage you to embrace my lord and savior,Jesus Christ".[192][193] Senate Minority LeaderChuck Schumer mockingly called theOne Big Beautiful Bill Act the "We're All Going to Die Act",[194] alluding to these comments.[195]
In June 2018, Ernst and Democratic senatorsKirsten Gillibrand andPatrick Leahy wroteDefense SecretaryJames Mattis a letter saying they were "deeply troubled" by the decision to send 21Judge Advocate General's Corps to prosecute immigration cases on the southern border, calling it an "inappropriate misapplication of military personnel" and urging Mattis to retain the military lawyers within the military justice system.[196]
In July 2018, Ernst was one of 31 Republican senators to submit a resolution endorsingImmigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), saying itsabolition would allow "dangerous criminal aliens" and members of theMS-13 gang to remain in the U.S.[197]
Amid the2018–19 United States federal government shutdown that resulted after Trump demanded $5.7 billion for aborder wall, Ernst said she would "tend to agree that not all areas of our border need a physical barrier" if they are monitored by technology or Border Patrol agents and it was possible to respond in a "timely manner".[198]
Ernst opposesnet neutrality, which preventsinternet service providers from blocking or slowing down certain content, and voted against reinstating it after anFCC ruling in 2018.[199][200]
In May 2020, Ernst voted for an amendment co-sponsored by SenatorsSteve Daines andRon Wyden that would have required federal intelligence and law enforcement agencies to obtain federal court warrants when collectingweb search engine data from American citizens, nationals, or residents under theForeign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).[201][202]
In a 2014 debate, Ernst said she believes thatsame-sex marriage is a state's rights issue, but that she would support a federal ban were one proposed.[203][126] In the Iowa Senate, she co-sponsored a bill to amend the state constitution to define marriage as between one man and one woman.[28]
In 2017, she announced her opposition to Trump'sban ontransgender people serving in the armed forces.[204] At the same time, she announced her opposition to government funding ofgender-reassignment surgeries.[205]
Ernst was one of 12 Republican senators to vote for theRespect for Marriage Act, which passed theSenate on November 29, 2022.[206]
As a state senator, Ernst co-sponsored a resolution urging the "nullification" ofEPA rules onemissions standards and another expressing theIowa General Assembly's "refusal to recognize" federal laws "which conflict with the Second Amendment".[207][208] In 2012, she answered "Yes" to a survey asking whether she would support legislation "nullify[ing]Obamacare and authoriz[ing] state and local law enforcement to arrest federal officials attempting to implement [it]."[176][177][178]
In 2013, Ernst said Congress should not pass laws "that the states would consider nullifying", referring to what she called "200-plus years of federal legislators going against the Tenth Amendment's states' rights."[209] Courts have consistently ruled that nullification is unconstitutional.[209] During her 2014 Senate campaign, Ernst's spokespeople argued that she did not support nullification, and that "her comments on it were about encouraging Iowans to send her to Washington to pass good laws."[210]
Ernst's relationship withSteve King, a Republican House Representative known for his racist rhetoric and support forfar-right politicians, has been criticized. In 2016, when King faced a primary challenge for his House seat, Ernst endorsed him, saying he "stands strong for life and liberty."[211][212] In 2017, when King attracted criticism for saying "we can't restore our civilization with somebody else's babies" and for supporting European far-right politicians, Ernst said she did not condone King's behavior but would not ask for his resignation.[213][214] In 2017,The Des Moines Register wrote a scathing editorial against King, which criticized Ernst for endorsing him in the past and not condemning him.[215][216] In 2018, Ernst appeared with King at a rally in his district after King had endorsed a Canadian politician withneo-Nazi ties.[217]
In 2019, amid extensive criticism of King by Republican politicians after King made controversial remarks aboutwhite supremacy, Ernst rebuked him.[218]The New York Times wrote that Ernst's belated distancing from King might harm her 2020 reelection effort, as she previously "had spent years embracing Mr. King."[219] Art Cullen, editor ofThe Storm Lake Times, criticized the timing of Ernst's response, which came after it started to look possible that King would lose his seat, writing "the hypocrisy is epic and comic."[220]The Des Moines Register's editorial board questioned why it took national condemnation for Ernst to rebuke King.[221] Ernst did not make an endorsement in King's 2020 Republican primary race, which he lost.[222]
In 2018, as Trump imposedtariffs as part of his trade policy and other countries responded in kind, Ernst said she was willing to give him some leeway but worried about the impact on farmers.[223] In May 2019, amid atrade war between the United States and China, Ernst said she did not like tariffs but that the "president's way of negotiating ... brings people to the table."[224] She said that Iowa farmers are "disappointed" but that they recognize "that China is the one that is forcing this."[225]
In January 2018, Ernst was one of 36 Republican senators to sign a letter to Trump requesting he preserve and modernize theNorth American Free Trade Agreement.[226] In August 2018, she warned that failure to finish trade deals would "reflect negatively upon our Republican candidates" and advocated completing NAFTA and continuing to work with theEuropean Union.[227] In 2019, Ernst accusedHouse SpeakerNancy Pelosi of "slow-walking" the passage of theUSMCA trade agreement but believed there was enough support to ratify it.[228]
In 1992, Ernst (then Joni Culver) married Gail Ernst.[229] The Ernsts have one child.[230][2] On August 27, 2018, Ernst announced that she and her husband were in the process of obtaining a divorce.[231] In a sworn affidavit, Ernst said she had declined Trump's offer to be his vice-presidential running mate because "it wasn't the right thing for me or my family."[232] The divorce was finalized in January 2019, with Joni Ernst alleging that Gail had verbally and mentally abused her and on one occasion physically assaulted her. The Ernsts accused each other of infidelity; both denied the respective accusations.[57]
In her first interview after her divorce, Ernst revealed that she had been raped in college.[233]
Ernst is a lifetime member of the Montgomery County Republican Women,Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2265, Montgomery County Court of Honor,Altrusa,PEO and Chapter HB, theNational Rifle Association of America.[234] Her church is Mamrelund Lutheran Church in Stanton, Iowa, of theEvangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) denomination.[11]
On June 13, 2018, federal judgeLinda Reade sentenced Joseph Dierks, ofWaterloo, Iowa, to six years in prison for threatening "to kill or otherwise harm" Ernst onTwitter. The sentence, which exceeds sentencing guidelines, was imposed on Dierks for disparaging comments he made about Reade and threats against the case prosecutor and his children, and against black corrections officers while awaiting trial.[235]
In May 2020, she published her memoir,Daughter of the Heartland: My Ode to the Country That Raised Me.[236]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Joni Ernst | 3,661 | 68.55% | |
| Independent | Connie Magneson (incumbent) | 1,680 | 31.45% | |
| Total votes | 5,341 | 100% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Joni Ernst | 4,990 | 67.45% | |
| Democratic | Ruby Smith | 2,407 | 32.53% | |
| Total votes | 7,398 | 100% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Joni Ernst | 5,611 | 99.68% | |
| Write-in | 18 | 0.32% | ||
| Total votes | 5,629 | 100% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Joni Ernst | 22,205 | 99.06% | |
| Write-in | 210 | 0.93% | ||
| Total votes | 22,415 | 100% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Joni Ernst | 88,535 | 56.12% | |
| Republican | Sam Clovis | 28,418 | 18.01% | |
| Republican | Mark Jacobs | 26,523 | 16.81% | |
| Republican | Matt Whitaker | 11,884 | 7.53% | |
| Republican | Scott Schaben | 2,233 | 1.42% | |
| Write-in | 155 | 0.10% | ||
| Total votes | 157,748 | 100% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Joni Ernst | 588,575 | 52.10% | |
| Democratic | Bruce Braley | 494,370 | 43.76% | |
| independent (politician) | Rick Stewart | 26,815 | 2.37% | |
| Libertarian | Douglas Butzier | 8,232 | 0.73% | |
| Term Limits | Bob Quast | 5,873 | 0.52% | |
| independent (politician) | Ruth Smith | 4,724 | 0.41% | |
| Write-in | 1,111 | 0.10% | ||
| Total votes | 1,129,700 | 100% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Joni Ernst (incumbent) | 226,589 | 98.63% | |
| Write-in | 3,132 | 1.36% | ||
| Total votes | 229,721 | 100% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Joni Ernst (incumbent) | 864,997 | 51.74% | |
| Democratic | Theresa Greenfield | 754,859 | 45.15% | |
| Libertarian | Rick Stewart | 36,961 | 2.21% | |
| independent (politician) | Suzanne Herzog | 13,800 | 0.83% | |
| Write-in | 1,211 | 0.07% | ||
| Total votes | 1,671,828 | 100% | ||
Senator Joni Ernst, the newly elected Republican from Iowa, gave the official G.O.P. response to President Obama's State of the Union address on Tuesday.
ERNST: Well, I don't know that strategy. We lack, from the administration, a clear coherent strategy in Afghanistan. We see the rise of Taliban forces. We see the rise of ISIS, which is something that General John Campbell had mentioned today in the Senate Armed Services Committee. There is no strategy.
U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst posted a video to her Instagram story addressing viral comments she made about Medicaid when she said "we all are going to die."
If her constituents don't want to die when Republicans cut Medicaid, Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst suggests they should simply embrace Jesus Christ
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)...when public sentiment hears about this 'We're All Going to Die Act,' they're going to hate it, and they're going to tell their senators they hate it.
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forU.S. Senator fromIowa (Class 2) 2014,2020 | Most recent |
| Preceded by | Response to the State of the Union address 2015 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Keynote Speaker of theRepublican National Convention 2016 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Vice Chair of theSenate Republican Conference 2019–2023 | Succeeded by |
| Chair of theSenate Republican Policy Committee 2023–2025 | ||
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by | U.S. Senator (Class 2) from Iowa 2015–present Served alongside:Chuck Grassley | Incumbent |
| Preceded by | Ranking Member of theSenate Small Business Committee 2023–2025 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of the Senate Small Business Committee 2025–present | Incumbent |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded by | Order of precedence of the United States as United States Senator | Succeeded by Shelley Moore Capito |
| Preceded by | United States senators by seniority 55th | Succeeded by |
Statewide political officials ofIowa | ||
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| State government | ||
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| State House |
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| Supreme Court (appointed, retained by election) |
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| Select Committee (1950–1981) | | |
|---|---|---|
| Full Committee (1981–) | ||
| Class 2 | | |
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| Class 3 | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
