According to news reports that broke around noon on Friday, August 29, news reports that originated with CBS News, infamous RINO Joni Ernst will be retiring ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Given that Sen. Ernst is a notorious RINO who clashed repeatedly with President Trump, conservatives online celebrated the news.
Announcing as much in its article on the matter, CBS News noted that the senator’s open announcement will come sometime in the first week of September, providing, “Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa has told confidantes she plans to reveal next week that she won’t seek reelection in 2026, multiple sources familiar with the matter told CBS News.”
Adding to that, CBS News reported that the announcement was, at the time of the report, scheduled for Thursday, September 4. That part of the report said, “Ernst’s announcement is scheduled for Thursday, the sources said. Ernst, 55, has served in the U.S. Senate since 2015. Spokespeople for Ernst did not reply to requests for comment.”
The news comes amidst a lack of clarity from the senator on the issue of if she will run in the 2026 election. For example, commenting on the matter at a meeting of the Westside Conservative Club earlier in August, as CBS News reports, Sen. Ernst equivocated and said, “Every day we get a new Democratic member of the House or Senate that decides to run for this Senate seat — bring it on. Bring it on, folks. Because I tell you, at the end of the day, Iowa is going to be red.”
Commenting on X about the news and what it likely means for the race, an election-watcher account noted, “Expect IA-02 representative Ashley Hinson to be among the favorites here. I’ve been told that if Ernst retires (which she is), Hinson is extremely likely to launch a campaign”
Entertaingly, Democrat accounts tried framing the matter as a victory for the left, rather than a RINO being forced out. One such account said, “BREAKING: In a shocking twist, Joni Ernst is retiring instead of running for re-election. This comes days after a new poll showed her trailing to Democrat Zach Wahls. Wow.”
Conservatives gloated and celebrated as well. One such account joked about her relative youth compared to RINOs like McConnell that have tried to hold on forever. One suc account said, “That’s a pleasant surprise. But she’ll only be 56 at the end of her term, doesn’t she know you’re not supposed to retire from Congress until you’re at LEAST 80?” Similarly, another said, “GREAT NEWS!!! Trump’s RINO removal process proceeding at pace!”
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Similarly, conservative X personality framed the matter as an opportunity for MAGA Republicans to get a candidate into the Senate, saying, “🚨 BREAKING: Iowa GOP Senator JONI ERNST will NOT run for reelection in 2026, per CBS. This opens up the primary for MAGA to thrust a new candidate into the seat… 👀” One commenter predicted, “You will start to see a lot of this in both parties…” Another said, “And another one gone And another one gone And another one bites the dust. 😂😂😂”
Featured image credit: By Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from Washington D.C, United States – 190731-D-PB383-017, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=80928220