Joni Ernst (Republican Party) is a member of the U.S. Senate from Iowa. She assumed office on January 3, 2015. Her current term ends on January 3, 2027.
Ernst (Republican Party) ran for re-election to the U.S. Senate to represent Iowa. She won in the general election on November 3, 2020.
She ran for the open 2014 United States Senate seat in Iowa after incumbent Tom Harkin (D) announced his retirement. She defeated Bruce Braley (D), Douglas Butzier (L), and independent candidates in the general election on November 4, 2014. Ernst won her party's nomination to run for U.S. Senate in the June 3, 2014, primary. Ernst became the first woman from Iowa elected to either chamber of Congress.
In the Iowa State Senate, she represented District 48, a position to which she was elected in a January 2011 special election. She then won election to District 12 in 2012 due to redistricting. She also served as the assistant minority leader of the Iowa State Senate.
Ernst is an Iraq War veteran. She served in the Iowa Army National Guard for 23 years and retired at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
In the 115th Congress, Ernst sponsored the EDU Act of 2018.
