Iowa’s two U.S. senators are Republicans Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst. Grassley has held his seat since 1981 and is the longest-serving senator in Iowa history; Ernst, in office since 2015, announced on September 2, 2025, that she will not seek re-election in 2026.1Roll Call. Joni Ernst Won’t Seek Reelection to Senate in 2026 Her open seat has produced a competitive general election between Republican U.S. Representative Ashley Hinson and Democratic state Representative Josh Turek, scheduled for November 3, 2026.
Chuck Grassley
Charles “Chuck” Grassley took office on January 5, 1981, and is currently serving his eighth term, which runs through January 3, 2029.2GovTrack. Senator Charles E. Grassley He was elected to the Iowa Legislature in 1958 and to the U.S. House in 1974 before moving to the Senate, and he holds the longest consecutive voting streak in Senate history, having not missed a roll call vote since 1993.3Bryce Harlow Foundation. Chuck Grassley
Grassley became President pro tempore of the Senate on January 3, 2019, a position that places its holder third in the presidential line of succession.4U.S. Government Publishing Office. President Pro Tempore of the United States Senate As chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, he oversaw the confirmation of 85 federal judges, including two Supreme Court justices, and moved the bipartisan First Step Act through the Senate on an 87–12 vote before it was signed into law in December 2018.3Bryce Harlow Foundation. Chuck Grassley
Oversight and Whistleblower Record
Much of Grassley’s legislative identity is tied to government accountability. He authored the False Claims Amendments Act of 1986, which lets whistleblowers sue on the government’s behalf to recover fraudulently obtained funds and has returned more than $78 billion to the U.S. Treasury. He also helped create whistleblower programs at the SEC, the CFTC, and the IRS. Other work in this vein includes co-leading the Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989 and its 2012 enhancement, authoring the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995, and steering the FOIA Improvement Act of 2016 into law.5Office of Senator Grassley. Government Accountability
From the Judiciary Committee, Grassley has led investigations of the FBI and Department of Justice, including Operation Fast and Furious, the “Crossfire Hurricane” investigation, and what he describes as the political weaponization of federal law enforcement. In August 2025, he announced that ten FBI whistleblowers had secured compensation agreements that included reinstatement and restored security clearances after his intervention.6Senate Judiciary Committee. Grassley Opens Senate Judiciary FBI Oversight Hearing
Will He Run Again
Grassley is next up for re-election in 2028. As of August 2025, he had filed a statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission for that race, though he told reporters to “ask me the question in a couple of years” when pressed on whether he would actually run, citing family considerations and whether he could still do the job. He would be 95 at the end of that term.7Iowa Capital Dispatch. U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley Leaves Open Possibility of 2028 Run
Joni Ernst
Joni Ernst took office on January 6, 2015, and rose to the No. 3 position in Senate Republican leadership, serving as Republican Conference vice chair and later as chair of the Republican Policy Committee.8GovTrack. Senator Joni Ernst9U.S. Senate. Iowa Senators She chairs the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship and sits on the Agriculture, Armed Services, and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committees. She has been the primary sponsor of 18 enacted bills, including the AI ACCORD Act of 2024 and the LINK the Abraham Accords Act.
In a September 2, 2025, video on social media, Ernst said: “As our family ages and grows, it’s my time for me to give back to them. After a tremendous amount of prayer and reflection, I will not be seeking reelection in 2026.”1Roll Call. Joni Ernst Won’t Seek Reelection to Senate in 2026 She reportedly told confidantes she had always intended to serve only two terms and plans to enter the private sector after leaving office in January 2027.10CBS News. Joni Ernst Won’t Seek Reelection to Senate
Recent Scrutiny
A March 2025 ProPublica report detailed an Air Force Inspector General investigation, finalized in September 2023, that concluded Maj. Gen. Christopher Finerty had “wrongfully engaged in inappropriate relationships with multiple individuals.” According to two sources with knowledge of the investigation, Ernst was among the individuals whose relationship with Finerty was scrutinized. Finerty was demoted to brigadier general and retired in November 2025. A spokesperson for Ernst called the reporting “a slanderous lie” and said her Senate work “is guided by the voices of Iowans who elected her and her constitutional duty alone.”11ProPublica. Joni Ernst Military Relationships
Separately, a 2021 Campaign Legal Center lawsuit challenged the activities of Iowa Values, an organization that allegedly spent nearly $1.5 million supporting Ernst’s 2020 re-election. The FEC’s Office of General Counsel recommended that the commission find reason to believe several election laws were violated, including a failure to register as a political committee and prohibited in-kind corporate contributions. The six-member FEC deadlocked 3–3 and closed the matter in August 2022, stating there was “insufficient” evidence that the group’s major purpose was supporting Ernst’s candidacy.12Iowa Capital Dispatch. Newly Disclosed FEC Records Shed Light on Ernst Dark Money Case
The 2026 Race for Ernst’s Seat
Ernst’s retirement created the first open Senate seat in Iowa since 2014. Both parties held primaries on June 2, 2026, with the general election on November 3, 2026.13Iowa Capital Dispatch. Rep. Josh Turek Wins U.S. Senate Primary Race
Ashley Hinson, Republican Nominee
U.S. Representative Ashley Hinson won the Republican nomination with 74.2% of the vote over former state senator Jim Carlin, who received 25.8%.14NBC News. Iowa Senate Primary Results Hinson has represented northeast Iowa in the U.S. House since 2021 and sits on the House Appropriations Committee, the Ethics Committee, and the Select Committee on Strategic Competition with China. She has been the primary sponsor of 24 enacted bills during her House tenure.15Congress.gov. Representative Ashley Hinson She has been endorsed by Donald Trump in every election since 2020 and is running on border security, spending cuts, and alignment with Trump.16Ashley Hinson Campaign. Ashley for Iowa
Josh Turek, Democratic Nominee
Iowa state Representative Josh Turek, from Council Bluffs, won the Democratic nomination with 62.6% of the vote over state Senator Zach Wahls, who took 37.4%. Wahls endorsed Turek after conceding.13Iowa Capital Dispatch. Rep. Josh Turek Wins U.S. Senate Primary Race Turek is a two-time Paralympic gold medalist and former professional basketball player who was born with spina bifida following his father’s exposure to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War. He underwent 21 surgeries by age 12 and became the first member of the Iowa Legislature with a permanent disability, representing what has been described as the reddest seat held by a Democrat in the chamber.17Scott County Democrats. Josh Turek, Iowa Democratic Candidate for US Senate He is positioning himself as a moderate focused on price gouging, housing costs, and the minimum wage.
Money, Polling, and Ratings
Hinson has a sizable financial edge. Through mid-May 2026, her campaign reported $8.16 million in total receipts and $5.99 million in cash on hand.18Federal Election Commission. Ashley for Iowa The GOP Senate campaign arm has committed $29 million to support her, according to the Associated Press.19Associated Press. Democrat Josh Turek and GOP’s Ashley Hinson to Compete for Pivotal US Senate Seat in Iowa Turek’s campaign reported $3.46 million in total receipts and $726,410 in cash on hand over the same period.20Federal Election Commission. Joshua Turek FEC Filing VoteVets, a super PAC affiliated with Senate Democratic leadership, spent more than $8 million on ads boosting Turek during the primary.21The Washington Post. VoteVets Spending on Joshua Turek Roils Iowa Democratic Senate Primary
Early polling has been tight. A Cygnal poll from late June 2026 showed Hinson ahead 46% to 44% among likely voters, and an Echelon Insights poll in April had Turek up 46% to 45%.22270toWin. 2026 Senate Polls Iowa The Cook Political Report rated the seat “Likely Republican” as of early June 2026.23Cook Political Report. Iowa Senate Race
How Long Republicans Have Held Both Seats
Iowa has not sent a Democrat to the Senate since Tom Harkin’s last re-election in 2008. Harkin served from 1985 to 2015, making him the longest-serving elected Democrat in Iowa’s congressional history, and he authored the Americans with Disabilities Act during that tenure.24The Harkin Institute. Tom Harkin Biography25U.S. Government Publishing Office. Tom Harkin Congressional Record Both Iowa seats have been held by Republicans since Ernst replaced Harkin in January 2015, and the Hinson–Turek contest will decide whether that run continues.