Iowa Republicans will choose one of two nominees for an open U.S. Senate seat on June 2, the next step in a race set in motion after Sen. Joni Ernst said in September of 2025 that she would leave the seat at the end of her term.
One of the GOP contenders is U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson, who filed to run for Ernst’s seat. Former Iowa lawmaker Jim Carlin also filed, giving Republican voters a choice between two names as the party tries to settle on a candidate for the general election.
The Senate seat is open because Ernst will be vacating it at the end of her term, and the primary fight did not stop with Republicans. After Ernst’s announcement, candidates on both sides of the aisle entered the race, setting up parallel nominating contests before the general election.
That broader field matters because the Republican nominee will not face an empty lane in November. The winner of the GOP primary will go on to meet one of two current state legislators, either state Rep. Josh Turek or state Sen. Zach Wahls, both seeking the Democratic nomination.
The result leaves Iowa voters with a clear sequence on the calendar and a clear decision ahead. First comes June 2, when Republicans choose between Hinson and Carlin. Then comes the general election fight against whichever Democrat emerges from a contest that, like the Republican race, is already tied to Ernst’s decision to step aside.
