Ernst’s decision to not run overhauls shape of Iowa’s 2026 elections

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DES MOINES — Iowa voters’ ballots are going to look a lot different next fall with Joni Ernst’s announcement this week that she will not seek re-election to the U.S. Senate .

And it’s not just the state’s U.S. Senate election that will feature new names. The impact of Ernst’s decision will ripple all the way down the ballot.

Ernst’s retirement from the Senate creates just the fourth U.S. Senate election in Iowa without an incumbent in nearly six decades and the first since 2014 — when Ernst first won election to the U.S. Senate.

Toss in Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds’ decision to also not seek re-election this year — Reynolds made that announcement in April — and Iowa will have open-seat electio