The Republican senator from Iowa faces some criticism from Iowa activists. Her Senate seat is up in the 2026 election.

Sen. Joni Ernst signaled Monday that she is warming to Defense Secretary designee Pete Hegseth after days of being reticent over the accusations leveled against him. The 54-year-old Ernst ...

Iowa's senators must recognize how dangerous a Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth would be, write Henry Scott Wallace and June ...

You’re marked safe from a primary. You go up against Pete Hegseth, the president repeatedly, then don’t be surprised, Joni Ernst, if all of a sudden you have a primary challenge in Iowa." ...

Ernst, the first female combat veteran in the Senate, has been threatened with a primary challenge over her reticence - so ...

After a second meeting with Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's embattled pick to lead the U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst said in a statement Monday she will "support ...

After a second meeting with Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's embattled pick to lead the U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst said in a statement Monday she will "support ...

A good decade ago I spent a few days riding around Iowa in Joni Ernst’s RV ... rest of us as we evaluate the fitness of Pete Hegseth. In 2019, Ernst publicly shared that she had in fact been ...

Senator Ernst has a chance to buttress a reputation for taking seriously allegations of abuse against women, writes Rekha ...

When Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa told a mostly Republican audience Dec. 7 that she needed to hear more from Pete Hegseth to support him for defense secretary, she prominently added: “I am a survivor ...

Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), a leader in the fight against sexual assault in the military who has been hesitant to support Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary ...