# Joni Ernst ## Summary U.S. Senator from Iowa since 2015; first female combat veteran elected to the Senate. Announced retirement in 2025, part of the 2025–2026 GOP retirement cluster. Army Reserve lieutenant colonel; served in Iraq. Former Iowa State Senator (2011–2014) and Montgomery County auditor. Rose to national prominence with the 2014 "Squeal" campaign ad (hog-castration childhood metaphor). ## Senate career - Two terms (2015–2027); re-elected 2020 with 51.7% - [[Senate Armed Services Committee]]; Small Business chair (2023–2025) - [[Joint Chiefs of Staff]] Commission member - Member of the "Gang of 10" moderate negotiators on various bipartisan deals - Generally reliable institutional Republican; occasional Trump-era friction ## 2026: retirement Announced she would not seek a third term in 2025. No definitive public explanation beyond "time for a new chapter." Iowa's 2026 Senate race is now an open-seat file: [[IA-Sen-2026]]. Has not publicly endorsed a successor in the Republican primary. ## Related KB entities - [[IA-Sen-2026]] — her open seat - TBD: 2025–2026 GOP retirement cluster (Concepts/ entry) ## Sources - [Wikipedia — Joni Ernst](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joni_Ernst)