Trump Endorses Candidate To Replace Retiring Sen. Joni Ernst
President Donald Trump endorsed Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa) in her bid to succeed retiring Sen. Joni Ernst.
Hinson, a former TV news anchor now in her third term representing Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District, highlighted her support for Trump as she launched her Senate campaign earlier this week.
“I’m running to be President Trump’s top ally in the United States Senate,” she said.
In a Fox News interview last week, Hinson also declared that she is “proud to stand” with the president.
“I know Ashley well, and she is a WINNER!” Trump noted in a social media post. “A Loving Wife and Proud Mother of two sons, Ashley is a wonderful person, has ALWAYS delivered for Iowa, and will continue doing so in the United States Senate.”
He added: “Ashley Hinson will be an outstanding Senator, and has my Complete and Total Endorsement – SHE WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN!”
Trump’s backing comes on the heels of endorsements from Senate Majority Leader John Thune and the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the GOP’s Senate campaign arm.
“We need conservative fighters in the Senate — and that’s exactly what we’ll get with Ashley Hinson,” Thune noted on Friday, lending is endorsement as well.
NRSC chair Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina noted: “Having traveled Iowa with Ashley, I know she is the fighter the Hawkeye State needs to deliver President Trump’s agenda in 2026 and beyond.”
Hinson faces competition in the GOP primary from former state Sen. Jim Carlin and veteran Joshua Smith, who entered the race before Ernst’s retirement announcement.
But endorsements from Trump, Thune, and the NRSC solidify her status as the frontrunner and could discourage additional challengers. Trump’s sway over Republican primaries remains considerable, making his backing especially significant.
Hinson launched her campaign just hours after Ernst confirmed in a social media video that she will not seek re-election in next year’s midterms.
“After a tremendous amount of prayer and reflection, I will not be seeking re-election in 2026,” the 55-year-old Ernst, first elected to the Senate in 2014, noted in a video posted to social media last month.
Ernst, a retired Army Reserve and Iowa National Guard officer who served in the Iraq War, had spent months weighing whether to seek re-election in 2026. “This was no easy decision,” she said in her video.
Ernst rose to national prominence 11 years ago with her “make ’em squeal” ads during her successful Senate campaign to replace retiring Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin in Iowa.
In the video announcing her retirement, Ernst said that “11 years ago, Iowans elected me as the first female combat veteran to the U.S. Senate, and they did so with a mission in mind – to make Washington squeal. And I’m proud to say we have delivered. We’ve cut waste, fraud, and abuse across the federal government.”
In a social media post, Hinson thanked Ernst for her “incredible service to our state and nation” as well as for her friendship. “Iowa is better off thanks to your selfless service,” she added.
In a radio interview in Iowa last week, Hinson laid out her priorities. Among them are “secure borders, keeping men out of girls’ sports, cutting taxes for our working families, standing up for Iowa agriculture and helping our young Iowans who are trying to buy a house and start a family.”
Hinson pledged to campaign in all 99 of Iowa’s counties, beginning with a kickoff event on Friday, Fox added.
She entered the race with endorsements from GOP Sens. Jim Banks (Ind.), Katie Britt (Ala.), and Markwayne Mullin (Okla.), along with House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Majority Whip Tom Emmer, House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, and Iowa House Majority Leader Bobby Kaufmann.
