Des Moines School Board Chair Jackie Norris has dropped out of the race for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate. Norris, who launched her campaign for Sen. Joni Ernst’s seat on Aug. 5, announced her decision in a news release on Thursday. Norris’s withdrawal came one day after Axios Des Moines reported Norris had confirmed […]
2026 Election
Posted inCommunity/News
Former U.S. Rep. Rod Blum ends 2nd Congressional District campaign after 25 days
Former U.S. Rep. Rod Blum announced Monday he is suspending his campaign for Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District. “It has become clear to me that I can help President Trump in other ways that are more effective than being in the U.S. House,” Blum said in a news release. “I love our country, and despite our […]
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Shannon Lundgren, House floor manager for Iowa’s anti-abortion bills, becomes fourth Republican running in 2nd District
On Tuesday, Shannon Lundgren became the fourth Republican to join the race in Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District. Lundgren currently serves in the Iowa House of Representatives District 65, which covers parts of Dubuque County. She and her husband, Charlie, own the Trackside Bar & Grill in Peosta. “I’m running because I love Iowa and I […]
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Ashley Hinson pledges loyalty to Trump, throws Zach Wahls a jab at Senate campaign kickoff
U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson, officially launching her U.S. Senate campaign in Cedar Rapids on Sunday, said Iowa Republicans can’t be complacent in 2026 if they want President Donald Trump to be able to accomplish his agenda. The Marion Republican announced her run earlier in September, hours after U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst said she would not […]
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Rob Sand talks water quality, trans rights and ‘tables in Des Moines that need flipping’ on the campaign trail
Not everyone at Field Day Brewing in North Liberty last Thursday night was there to see Rob Sand, something he acknowledged as he started the Johnson County stop on his 100 Town Hall Tour. Some people were just there to eat, which is why the clatter of knives and forks on plates was the background […]
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More Republican candidates join 2nd and 4th District congressional primaries
Two more Republican candidates, Joe Mitchell and Christian Schlaefer, have declared their campaigns for congressional seats in Iowa. The GOP primary race for Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District opened up last week when incumbent U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson entered the 2026 U.S. Senate race after U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst announced she would not seek reelection. Following Hinson’s announcement, several Republicans expressed […]
Posted inElection Coverage
Hinson praises Trump as the ‘best president in history’ as he endorses her for Senate
Jim Carlin, the first Iowa Republican to launch a run for Senate this year, has spent the better part of a decade loudly proclaiming his loyalty to Donald Trump, including endorsing the false conspiracy theories Trump favors. Shortly after the November 2020 election, Carlin, then a member of the Iowa Senate, was a featured speaker […]
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‘Stay tuned!’: Republicans tease 2nd District campaign announcements after Hinson’s jump to Senate race
Following incumbent U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson’s Senate campaign launch, some Republicans, including former U.S. Rep. Rod Blum, have hinted they are planning to run for Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District in 2026. Hinson, who has represented the northeast Iowa district for three terms, announced Tuesday she would run for Senate, shortly after U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst […]
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Rob Sand’s statewide town hall tour stops in North Liberty on Thursday
Rob Sand is bringing his 100 Town Hall Tour to Johnson County on Thursday evening with a stop in North Liberty. The Democratic candidate for governor is scheduled to host an hour-long meeting with voters at Field Day Brewing (925 Liberty Way). The event starts at 5:30 p.m. Sand, the sole remaining Democrat in statewide […]
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Ernst announces she will not run for Senate as Hinson hops into the race
Sen. Joni Ernst made it official on Tuesday: “After a tremendous amount of prayer and reflection, I will not be seeking reelection in 2026.” In a video message posted on social media, Ernst said representing Iowa in the U.S. Senate over the last 11 years was “the privilege of a lifetime.” While Ernst’s fellow Republicans […]
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Report: Sen. Joni Ernst won’t run for reelection
Sen. Joni Ernst has decided not to run for reelection, CBS News reported on Friday, citing “multiple sources familiar with the matter.” Ernst has told “confidants” she will publicly announce her decision next week, according to the report. “Spokespeople for Ernst did not reply to requests for comment,” CBS White House correspondent Jennifer Jacobs wrote. (Jacobs […]
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New poll finds Sen. Joni Ernst struggling against Democratic challengers
A new poll by Public Policy Polling (PPP) finds Sen. Joni Ernst struggling against the four Democrats running for Senate in head-to-head matchups. The North Carolina-based polling firm surveyed 572 Iowa voters from Aug. 18 to Aug. 19. Sixty-nine percent of respondents were surveyed via texted questions, while the remaining 31 percent responded to questions […]
