116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Who’s running for U.S. Senate in Iowa?
Sen. Joni Ernst is not running for re-election in 2026
The Gazette offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
Sen. Joni Ernst’s announcement this month that she won’t seek re-election to the seat she’s held since 2014 opened the door for more candidates — both Republicans and Democrats — to announce campaigns.
It can be difficult for voters to keep up.
Here’s what we know about who’s running for Iowa’s U.S. Senate seat, who’s not running, and who’s dropped out of the race.
Iowa’s primary election is June 2, 2026, and the general election is Nov. 3, 2026.
Here’s who’s running for U.S. Senate
The field of candidates who’ve announced they’re seeking their party’s nomination stands at seven.
Democrats:
- Bob Krause, of Burlington, a former state legislator and president of the Veterans National Recovery Center, announced Sept. 1 that he was dropping his bid for Iowa’s 1st Congressional District and instead running for U.S. Senate.
- Jackie Norris, of Des Moines, a member of the Des Moines school board and former chief of staff to Michelle Obama, announced her candidacy Aug. 5.
- Nathan Sage, of Indianola, was the first Democrat to announce his candidacy for U.S. Senate. The Army and Marine Corps veteran and former chamber of commerce director, launched his campaign April 16.
- Josh Turek, a state representative from Council Bluffs, announced his candidacy Aug. 12.
- Zach Wahls, a state senator from Coralville, announced his run for office on June 11.
Republicans:
- Jim Carlin, a former state lawmaker from Sioux City, launched his campaign June 6, before Ernst announced she would not run again.
- Ashley Hinson, of Marion, the congresswoman representing Iowa’s 2nd District, who on Aug. 23 said she would run for a third term in Congress, announced her campaign for U.S. Senate hours after Ernst confirmed on Sept. 2 that she would not seek re-election.
Here’s who’s not running for U.S. Senate
Republican:
- Joni Ernst, who was first elected to one of Iowa’s two U.S. Senate seats in 2014, announced Sept. 2 she will not seek re-election to the office.
Here’s who has dropped out of the race for U.S. Senate
Democrat:
- J.D. Scholten, a state lawmaker from Sioux City who launched his campaign for U.S. Senate on June 2, announced Aug. 18 he was dropping out of the U.S. Senate race, and endorsing fellow Democratic state legislator Josh Turek.
Here’s who may run for U.S. Senate
Republicans:
- Joshua Smith, a former Libertarian, announced early this year he planned to run as a Republican to challenge Ernst in the 2026 Iowa GOP primary. Smith released a campaign ad, but has not yet filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to register a campaign to run for the seat. He created a skeleton campaign website with a brief bio and a “donate now” button that states: “Full website coming soon.” Smith did not immediately return a message seeking comment.
- Matt Whitaker: National reports have indicated the U.S. ambassador to NATO and former Iowa Hawkeye football player, who also was an acting U.S. Attorney General from 2018 to 2019 and a former U.S. Attorney, is contemplating a Senate campaign.
Daily Newsletters