����vlog

IN WINTERSET. THE RACE FOR IOWA’S U-S SENATE SEAT IN 2026 IS CHANGING RAPIDLY. REPUBLICAN INCUMBENT JONI ERNST IS NOT RUNNING FOR A THIRD TERM. WE’LL HAVE MORE ON THAT COMING UP IN JUST A COUPLE OF MINUTES. IOWA’S SECOND CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT WILL ALSO BE AN OPEN SEAT IN 2026. CURRENT REPRESENTATIVE REPUBLICAN ASHLEY HINSON ANNOUNCED HER BID FOR THE SENATE SEAT. ERNST WILL VACATE. IT WAS FIRST ANNOUNCED ON THE SIMON CONWAY SHOW ON W.H.O. RADIO. BEFORE HINSON POSTED ON SOCIAL MEDIA. IN A STATEMENT EMAILED TO ����vlog, HINSON SAYS SHE WOULD BE PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP’S STRONGEST ALLY IN THE SENATE. IN RESPONSE TO HINSON’S ANNOUNCEMENT, THE IOWA DEMOCRATIC PARTY RELEASED A STATEMENT SAYING IN PART, QUOTE, ASHLEY HINSON HAS SPENT HER CAREER PRIORITIZING MULTI-MILLIONAIRES LIKE HERSELF WHILE SHE SELLS OUT WORKING PEOPLE IN IOWA. END QUOTE, THE REPUBLICAN PARTY OF IOWA RELEASED A STATEMENT IN RESPONSE TO THE DISTRICT TWO SEAT BECOMING OPEN. IT SAYS IN PART, QUOTE, IF DEMOCRATS THINK THEY HAVE A CHANCE HERE, THEY’RE IN FOR A BRUTAL REALITY CHECK. END QUOTE. A DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE RUNNING IN THE DISTRICT ONE RACE IS NOW RUNNING FOR U.S. SENATE. BOB KRAUS ALSO MADE THAT ANNOUNCEMENT TODAY. KRAUS SAYS HE WILL, QUOTE, ACT INDEPENDENTLY, PLACING IOWA IN THE NATIONAL GOOD AT THE CENTER OF MY DECISION MAKING, END QUOTE. HE WENT ON TO ENDORSE KRISTINA BOHANAN FOR THE DEMOCRATIC NOMINATION IN DISTRICT ONE. ALL RIGHT. BACK TO ERNST ANNOUNCEMENT THIS MORNING. SHE SAYS SHE WILL NOT RUN FOR A THIRD TERM AND WILL INSTEAD FOCUS ON HER FAMILY. ERNST WAS FIRST ELECTED TO THE SENATE IN 2014, AND DURING THAT FIRST CAMPAIGN, IN A ����vlog DEBATE, SHE SAID IF ELECTED, SHE WOULD NOT SERVE MORE THAN TWO TERMS. HER STAFF RELEASED THIS SHORT VIDEO THIS AFTERNOON. IN THAT VIDEO, SHE CALLS SERVING IN THE SENATE A PRIVILEGE OF A LIFETIME. ERNST EARNED 52% OF THE STATEWIDE VOTE IN THE 2014 ELECTION, AND 51% IN 2020. ����vlog POLITICAL ANALYST DENNIS GOLDFORD SAYS THE OPEN SEAT COULD MAKE THIS RACE MORE COMPETITIVE FOR BOTH MAJOR PARTIES. THE REPUBLICANS HAVE AN ADVANTAGE. THEY’VE ESTABLISHED THEMSELVES VERY MUCH AS IOWA’S DEFAULT POLITICAL PARTY OVER THE LAST DOZEN OR SO YEARS, BUT STILL WITHOUT AN INCUMBENT. DEMOCRATS AREN’T IN AS DEEP AS A HOLE AS THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN OTHERWISE. REPUBLICANS JIM CARLIN AND JOSHUA SMITH PREVIOUSLY PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED THEY ARE RUNNING FOR THE REPUBLICAN NOMINATION AGAIN. ASHLEY HANSEN ANNOUNCED TODAY SHE IS ALSO RUNNING. BOB KRAUSE JOINS JACKIE NORRIS, NATHAN SAGE, JOSH TUREK AND ZACH WALLS IN THE RACE FOR THE DEMOCRATIC NOMINATION. THE WINNERS OF THE PRIMARIES NEXT JUN