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Ernst, Joni

Ernst, Joni

RepublicanSenate·Iowa

Serving since 2023 (118th–119th Congresses)

Contact

Office

260 Russell Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510

Campaign Finance (2026)

Raised$2.0M
Spent$2.2M
Cash on Hand$2.0M

Funding Sources

Individual$997K
PAC$637K
Small donors (≤$200)$234K
Large donors$763K

Top Industries

Retired$420K
Other$332K
Miscellaneous Business$160K
Finance, Insurance & Real Estate$62K
Lawyers & Lobbyists$39K

Source: FEC · 2026 cycle

About

Joni Ernst is a Republican U.S. Senator from Iowa and a retired military officer who served as a lieutenant colonel in the Iowa Army National Guard.

Background

Born Joni Kay Culver in Montgomery County, Iowa, she graduated as valedictorian from Stanton High School before earning a bachelor's degree in psychology from Iowa State University and a Master of Public Administration from Columbus State University. She served 23 years in the Army Reserve and the Iowa Army National Guard, retiring as a lieutenant colonel after commanding a transportation company in Kuwait during the Iraq War. Before her time in the state legislature, she worked in local government as the auditor of Montgomery County.

Political career

Ernst began her political career as the auditor of Montgomery County before being elected to the Iowa State Senate in 2011. A member of the Republican Party, she was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2014 and was sworn in as Iowa's junior senator in 2015. She won reelection in 2020 and served as the chair of the Senate Republican Policy Committee from 2023 to 2025.

Current focus

Ernst, Joni represents the state of IA in the U.S. Senate. Ernst, Joni currently serves on the Border Management, Federal Workforce, and Regulatory Affairs, the Conservation, Forestry, Natural Resources, and Biotechnology, and the Cybersecurity. They have sponsored 237 bills in the current Senate, including S. 4505; S. 4447; S. 4378.

AI-generated biography · sources include Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)Wikipedia-grounded4 days ago

Committee Assignments

Legislative Activity

237

Bills Sponsored

10

Recent Votes

Vote history