Republican U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst has a message for the Iowa Democrats seeking to challenge her in 2026.

"Bring it on," Ernst said at a Wednesday, Aug. 13, appearance at the Westside Conservative Club in Urbandale.

While Ernst has not formally announced that she's running for a third term next year, she has hired a campaign manager. And she told reporters at the Iowa State Fair she will announce her plans in "less than a month."

Five Democrats are running for their party's nomination for Senate in 2026, seeking to challenge Ernst next fall: Sen. Zach Wahls , state Rep. J.D. Scholten , former Knoxville Chamber of Commerce Director Nathan Sage , Des Moines School Board Chair Jackie Norris and state Rep. Josh Turek .

At the Machine Shed restaurant in Urbandale, Ernst sugg

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