Iowa’s Ernst has holiday meeting with Trump

DES MOINES - Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst put some sizzle in her Fourth of July holiday Monday by meeting with Republican presumptive presidential nominee Donald Trump.

Ernst, a first-term U.S. senator who has been part of the running-mate buzz leading up to the GOP National Convention in Cleveland this month, issued a brief statement saying she had a 'good conversation” with Trump after he tweeted he planned to have a Monday meeting with her in New Jersey.

'Iowans are frustrated by the current direction of our country - and we simply cannot afford to continue these failed policies under Hillary Clinton,” Ernst said in a statement issued by her office.

'I had a good conversation with Donald Trump today and we discussed what I am hearing from Iowans as I travel around the state on my 99 county tour, and the best path forward for our country,” she added. 'I will continue to share my insights with Donald about the need to strengthen our economy, keep our nation safe, and ensure America is always a strong, stabilizing force around the globe.”

Earlier in the weekend, on Saturday, Trump met with Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, also mentioned as a potential running mate.

Republican sources have told Reuters that former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie top Trump's vice presidential short list.

Other names to watch included U.S. Sens. Bob Corker of Tennessee and Jeff Sessions of Alabama and Gov. Mary Fallin of Oklahoma, the sources said.

Ernst, a former officer in the Iowa National Guard, has seen her political stock rise since she rose from the ranks of the unknown as a county treasurer and state senator to upset four-term U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley in 2014. Her campaign drew national attention with a TV ad that highlighted her experience castrating pigs growing up on her southwest Iowa farm in promising to 'make ‘em squeal” when she arrived in Washington, D.C., to cut government spending.

Ernst, who gave the Republican response to the president's State of the Union address in January 2015, brushed aside the vice presidential speculation in June by telling Iowa reporters she planned to support Trump, but not as his running mate.

'Nobody has reached out to me, so I'm doubtful of that,” she told reporters when asked whether she is being vetted for the job during her regular media teleconference.

Ernst's 23-year military career and her attention-getting ad campaign contributed to the 45-year-old freshman Republican being mentioned as someone who could help Trump among women voters and those concerned with military and national security issues. Iowa's junior senator said she plans to attend the Republican National Convention in Cleveland later this month to meet with Iowans who will be participating.

Reuters contributed to this report.