Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst, husband divorcing

DES MOINES - U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst and her husband, Gail, are divorcing, a spokeswoman in Ernst's office said Monday.

Ernst is Iowa's junior U.S. Senator. She was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2014 after previously serving in the Iowa Senate.

Joni and Gail Ernst were married in 1992 and live in Red Oak. They have one daughter together. Gail Ernst has two daughters from a previous marriage.

'Sen. Ernst and her husband, Gail, are in the process of divorcing. They remain committed to their children and their family, and ask for respect for their privacy during this difficult time,” Ernst spokesperson Liz Bowman said in a statement emailed to reporters.

Gail Ernst, a former U.S. Army Ranger, faced criticism during Joni Ernst's 2014 campaign for the U.S. Senate over comments he made on social media about a former significant other and then-federal human services secretary Janet Napolitano.