Hinson’s readiness made Senate retirement decision easier, Ernst says while endorsing

ADEL — Knowing that Ashley Hinson was waiting in the wings made it easier for her to retire from the U.S. Senate, Joni Ernst said Saturday.

Ernst, Iowa’s Republican U.S. Senator who announced last year that she will not seek a third, six-year term in this fall’s elections, on Saturday endorsed Hinson, a three-term Republican Congresswoman from Eastern Iowa, as her potential successor.

Ernst made the widely expected endorsement official during a Hinson campaign event at a manufacturing business in this small town just west of Des Moines.

Jim Carlin, a lawyer and former state lawmaker from Sioux City, also is running as a Republican in Iowa’s 2026 U.S. Senate election.

“As I went through my decision-making process, whether I was to run again or not, I just knew that if I stepped aside, Ashley would be ready to take on that mantle, that challenge,” Ernst told a crowd of roughly 150 people. “Going through that decision-making process, looking at the talent, the skills and ability that Ashley brings to the table, the decision — while it was personally difficult for me, professionally it was actually much easier to be able to step aside and take care of my own family and then look to her for her leadership in the United States Senate.”

Ernst previously indicated her plan to endorse Hinson at her annual “Roast and Ride” fundraiser last fall.

Ernst was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2014 and was reelected in 2020.

Hinson, a former state lawmaker and Cedar Rapids TV news anchor, was first elected to the U.S. House in 2020 and was reelected in 2022 and 2024. Last year, she announced her candidacy for the U.S. Senate on the same day Ernst announced her retirement.

Hinson thanked Ernst and then invited the crowd to imagine how Iowa would have been different if Ernst had not run in 2014 and if Democrats had won that U.S. Senate election. She warned that Iowa could look more like Democrat-led states like Illinois, California or Minnesota.

Four Democrats are seeking their party’s nomination to run in Iowa’s 2026 U.S. Senate election: state legislators Zach Wahls of Coralville and Josh Turek of Council Bluffs, former chamber of commerce leader Nathan Sage of Indianola, and veterans advocate Bob Krause of Burlington. Greene County Attorney Thomas Laehn is running as a Libertarian.

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At Saturday’s event, Hinson said her federal legislative priorities are preserving girls sports, cutting taxes, standing up for Iowa farmers and agriculture, protecting Social Security and Medicare, lowering health insurance premiums, and pushing back against insurance and pharmaceutical companies.

Hinson also warned against the prospect of Democratic leadership at the federal level, pointing to federal investigations into alleged taxpayer fraud in Minnesota state assistance programs.

Investigations into Minnesota’s taxpayer-funded assistance programs for child care, food and housing date as far back as 2019, according to a timeline compiled by Minnesota Public Radio. The state’s programs came under scrutiny again recently when a conservative content creator posted a video claiming he discovered up to $100 million in fraud at Minnesota child care centers owned by Somali Americans. The Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families has since conducted compliance checks and found the nine child care centers were “operating as expected,” Minnesota Public Radio reported. Multiple federal agencies in the Trump administration have said they will investigate the state program.

“Look at the story that’s coming out of our neighbors in Minnesota right now. Billions of dollars in fraud. Does that just make your blood boil watching that happen? Absolutely, mine, too,” Hinson said to the crowd. “It’s fraud that’s been hiding in plain sight. And I think we’ve only just started to scratch the surface of what we’re seeing around the country.”

Iowa’s primary election is June 2 and the general election is Nov. 3.

Hinson on ICE officer shooting Minnesota woman

Hinson also spoke about Minnesota on Friday during her regular conference call with Iowa reporters — about the fatal shooting of a Minnesota woman by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer.

Asked whether Congress should reexamine ICE training, rules of engagement or leadership accountability following the fatal shooting, Hinson on the call forcefully defended the agency and the agent involved. Hinson condemned what she called “shameful rhetoric” from Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, both Democrats.

Federal authorities alleged that the victim, 37-year-old Renee Good, was attempting to run over law enforcement officers when an ICE officer fatally shot her Wednesday morning in self-defense — a claim that local officials have disputed.

Hinson said criticism of ICE had “incited violence against law enforcement,” and that attacks on ICE agents have reached “unprecedented heights.” Hinson asserted that Good “interfered with an ICE agent who was doing his job” and “was accelerating her vehicle toward him,” describing that account as “clear.”

Hinson rejected calls for broader congressional oversight, saying existing criticism — much of it “fueled by the media,” she said — has encouraged people to ignore immigration laws.

“So we’ve seen this unhinged rhetoric against our law enforcement, much of it fueled by the media, and it has encouraged Americans to ignore the laws that we have on the books,” Hinson said. “If you don’t get in the way of ICE agents, it won’t be a problem for you. And I always stand with and support our law enforcement.”

Her comments echo statements from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who described the incident as an act of “domestic terrorism,” a characterization disputed by Minneapolis officials and questioned by video of the shooting circulating online.

The shooting has prompted protests and vigils around the country, including in several Iowa cities.

Gazette Deputy Bureau Chief Tom Barton contributed to this report.

Comments: (515) 355-1300, erin.murphy@thegazette.com

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