DES MOINES, Iowa (Gray Media Iowa State Capitol Bureau) -- Joni Ernst’s decision not run for a third term in the U.S. Senate would shake up Iowa politics in a major way for the second time this year.

CBS News first reported that Ernst, a Republican, is expected to announce next Thursday that she will not seek another term in 2026.

When Ernst ran for the seat for the first time in 2014 she said that she would serve only two terms.

Ernst’s decision would come about four months after the first major Iowa 2026 election political shakeup. Kim Reynolds, a Republican, announced in April that she would not seek re-election as the state’s governor.

Ernst and Reynolds were the first women to get elected to their respective offices in Iowa history.

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