A once-in-a-generation game of political musical chairs has kicked off in Iowa with the retirements of Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Gov. Kim Reynolds , two retirements jolting Iowa politics.

Within hours after Ernst announced her retirement on Tuesday, Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA) jumped into the Senate race, immediately positioning herself as the GOP front-runner to succeed the Iowa senator. The announcement came just days after another shock to Iowa’s political order: Democrat Catelin Drey’s stunning special election win , which broke the GOP’s supermajority in the state Senate. The upset in a district long considered safe for Republicans has given Democrats a rare reason for optimism and a new pitch to national donors that Iowa deserves another look.

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