A key swing state Republican senator will reportedly announce next week that she will not seek re-election in 2026.
CBS News senior White House reporter Jennifer Jacobs reported on X Friday, “Iowa’s Joni Ernst has told confidantes she plans to reveal next week that she won’t seek reelection in 2026.”
“Some Iowa Democrats have already jumped into the race, including state Sen. Zach Wahls, state Rep. Josh Turek, and Des Moines School Board chairwoman Jackie Norris. Ernst has been evasive about whether she would run for a third term in 2026, but in public remarks earlier this month, predicted continued GOP control of Iowa,” CBS News reported.
“Every day we get a new Democratic member of the House or Senate that decides to run for this Senate seat — bring it on,” she said at a meeting of the Westside Conservative Club. “Bring it on, folks. Because I tell you, at the end of the day, Iowa is going to be red.”
The White House had hoped Ernst would run again instead of leaving the Senate with other Republicans like Thom Tillis (North Carolina), Tommy Tuberville (Alabama), and Mitch McConnell (Kentucky).
Tennessee GOP Sen. Marsha Blackburn said she was running for governor, but her time in the Senate doesn’t end until 2030.
One of the sources said that Ernst has told people close to her that she only plans to serve two terms because she has finished what she set out to do and now wants to work in the private sector.
President Donald Trump revealed earlier this week that he will tell Republicans to hold a national convention just before next year’s midterm elections.
In a Truth Social post, Trump lauded the GOP as “doing really well” and “Millions of people have joined us in our quest to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN.”
“We have raised far more money than the Democrats, and are having a great time fixing all of the Country Destroying mistakes made by the Biden Administration, and watching the USA heal and prosper,” Trump wrote.
“The results are incredible, a record pace!!! In that light, I am thinking of recommending a National Convention to the Republican Party, just prior to the Midterms. It has never been done before. STAY TUNED!!!” he wrote.
Johnson endorsed the convention idea, posting on X, “YES, Mr. President! Let’s go!!!!” with several American flag emojis.
The Democratic Party is grappling with a stunning collapse in voter registrations as Republicans surge nationwide, fueled by President Donald Trump’s expanding political coalition.
According to a New York Times analysis of registration data from L2, a nonpartisan firm that tracks voter rolls, more new voters registered as Republicans than Democrats for the first time since 2018. The shift comes after the 2024 election, when Trump expanded his reach among men, younger voters, and Latinos, reshaping traditional assumptions about partisan loyalties.
The data paints a sobering picture for Democrats. “Of the 30 states that track voter registration by political party, Democrats lost ground to Republicans in every single one between the 2020 and 2024 elections — and often by a lot,” the Times report said.
The net effect was a 4.5 million-voter swing: Democrats shed about 2.1 million registrants, while Republicans gained 2.4 million.
Michael Pruser, director of data science for Decision Desk HQ, told the Times the trend has been relentless.
“I don’t want to say, ‘The death cycle of the Democratic Party,’ but there seems to be no end to this,” Pruser said. “There is no silver lining or cavalry coming across the hill. This is month after month, year after year.”
The Republican gains have been particularly notable in swing states where partisan registration data is available. North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Arizona, and Nevada all reported Republican advantages in new voter sign-ups between 2020 and 2024