Joni Ernst
RDefeatedIncumbentFEC S4IA00129
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Raised this cycle$2.0M
Cash on hand: $1.8M
2026 race
IA — U.S. Senate
3 candidates on the November ballot. Incumbent: Joni Ernst.
Read the record. Not the rhetoric.
See where these candidates stand — and who's funding them.
DeepSyte tracks the money and the record in every race against the issues you care about — not party, not press releases. Take the 2-minute values quiz to see your alignment.
How we got here · 2 earlier contests
Currently held by
Joni Ernst (R) — not seeking re-election in 2026. They've publicly announced their retirement; their committee is still on the FEC's 2026 roster for routine compliance, but this is effectively an open seat.
Election held
Counting
Tuesday, November 3, 2026
Results appear here once a race is called and verified. Official returns from the Iowa Secretary of State.
Make sure you can vote
Disclosed money in race
$68M
Candidate + outside spending. See finance breakdown below.
Incumbent
Currently in office
Challengers
Sorted by fundraising
Josh Turek
DChallengerFEC S6IA00298
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Raised this cycle$24M
Cash on hand: $3.1M
Ashley Hinson
RChallengerFEC S6IA00314
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Raised this cycle$14M
Cash on hand: $2.2M
Thomas Laehn
IChallengerFEC S6IA00181
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Raised this cycle$61K
Cash on hand: $9K
5 defeated candidates — show
Nathan Sage
DDefeatedChallengerFEC S6IA00256
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Raised this cycle$1.4M
Cash on hand: $9
James Carlin
RDefeatedChallengerFEC S6IA00249
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Raised this cycle$494K
Cash on hand: $5K
Jackie Norris
DDefeatedChallengerFEC S6IA00280
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Raised this cycle$364K
Cash on hand: $0
James Scholten
DDefeatedChallengerFEC S6IA00264
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Raised this cycle$213K
Cash on hand: $8K
Zach Wahls
DDefeatedChallengerFEC S6IA00272
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Raised this cycle$0
Cash on hand: $0
Local signal
Early read on IA — U.S. Senate
A directional read on where this seat is trending, from the signals we have so far. This is an early scaffold — more inputs light up as coverage and constituent activity accrue.
Coverage tone · the matchup
Recent news coverage of the nominees heading to the general election.
Josh Turekmixed
2 pos74 neutral2 neg78 articles
Ashley Hinsonlimited coverage
No coverage in our tracked outlets in the last 90 days.
A media signal, not a poll of the district.
Constituent stakes
No one here has staked a position on a tracked vote yet. As neighbors weigh in on /pressure campaigns, the district's lean will show up here.
Money in the race
Finance breakdown
Disclosed funding shaping this race — both the money candidates raise themselves and the outside spending dropped by independent groups. Issue-ad spending by 501(c)(4) groups is excluded; the FEC doesn't require disclosure of it. See the note below for details.
Candidate fundraising: FEC reports through October 14, 2026 · 2025–26 cycle
Total disclosed
$68M
Candidate fundraising + independent expenditures (FEC).
Candidate-direct (Schedule A)
$43M
Raised by candidate committees themselves.
Outside spending (Schedule E)
$25M
$14M for · $11M against
| Candidate | Raised directly | Outside for | Outside against | Net in corner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Josh Turek(D) + VOTEVETS $9.8M + PROGRESSIVE TURNOUT PROJECT $44K + THOMAS PAINE SOCIETY L.L.C. $19K − HIGH PLAINS PAC $258K − AMERICANS FOR PROSPERITY ACTION, INC. (AFP ACTION) DBA CVA ACTION AND DBA LIBRE ACTION $202K − SLF PAC $11K | $24M | $9.9M | $471K | $34M |
Ashley Hinson(R) + AMERICANS FOR PROSPERITY ACTION, INC. (AFP ACTION) DBA CVA ACTION AND DBA LIBRE ACTION $3.4M + SLF PAC $643K + CLEARPATH ACTION FUND, INC. $216K − VOTEVETS $6.5M − AB PAC $2.1M − WINSENATE $1.8M | $14M | $4.3M | $10M | $8.2M |
Thomas Laehn(L) | $61K | — | — | $61K |
6 defeated candidates — show finances
| Candidate | Raised directly | Outside for | Outside against | Net in corner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Joni Ernst(R)incumbentdefeated − INDIVISIBLE ACTION $15K | $2.0M | — | $15K | $2.0M |
Nathan Sage(D)defeated | $1.4M | — | — | $1.4M |
James Carlin(R)defeated | $494K | — | — | $494K |
Jackie Norris(D)defeated | $364K | — | — | $364K |
Zach Wahls(D)defeated + IOWA ACTION $233K | $0 | $233K | — | $233K |
James Scholten(D)defeated | $213K | — | — | $213K |
Where the money comes from
In-state vs out-of-state
Share of each candidate's itemized individual contributions from donors inside IA versus the rest of the country. Excludes sub-$200 unitemized donations (no geography on file) and PAC money — see note below.
Josh Turek(D)28% in-state · $3.1M itemized
$863K in-state$2.2M out-of-state
Ashley Hinson(R)37% in-state · $7.0M itemized
$2.6M in-state$4.4M out-of-state
Thomas Laehn(L)38% in-state · $49K itemized
$19K in-state$30K out-of-state
6 defeated candidates — show
Joni Ernst(R)defeated10% in-state · $1.2M itemized
$114K in-state$1.1M out-of-state
Nathan Sage(D)defeated13% in-state · $406K itemized
$54K in-state$351K out-of-state
James Carlin(R)defeated91% in-state · $82K itemized
$74K in-state$8K out-of-state
Jackie Norris(D)defeated31% in-state · $267K itemized
$83K in-state$183K out-of-state
Zach Wahls(D)defeated36% in-state · $2.2M itemized
$793K in-state$1.4M out-of-state
James Scholten(D)defeated23% in-state · $124K itemized
$28K in-state$96K out-of-state
What's counted, what isn't
Candidate-direct is each campaign's reported receipts on FEC Schedule A — individual contributions plus PAC contributions to the candidate's own committee — through the most recent filing.
Outside spending is independent expenditures on FEC Schedule E: money spent by PACs, super PACs, and party committees for or against a candidate, without legal coordination with the campaign. The committees listed under each candidate are the largest disclosed spenders on either side.
In-state vs out-of-state covers only itemized individual contributions — donations over $200, which are the only ones that carry a contributor address at the FEC. Sub-$200 unitemized donations (often a large share for grassroots campaigns) have no geography on file and are excluded, as is PAC money. So the percentages describe where a candidate's itemized individual money comes from, not where every dollar raised comes from.
Not counted: 501(c)(4) "social welfare" organizations run issue ads that frequently mention candidates by name but aren't classified as express advocacy under FEC rules — they file no Schedule E and don't appear in this breakdown. Press reporting on a race may cite figures that include this dark-money spending; ours doesn't.
Where they stand
Issue-by-issue comparison
Positions extracted from each candidate's campaign issues page by AI. Contested rows — where candidates disagree with each other — appear first.
| Statement | Turek | Arenholz | Laehn | You |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Abortion A national law should protect access to abortion in every state. | — | |||
Abortion Access to in vitro fertilization (IVF) and other fertility treatments should be protected by federal law. | — | |||
Abortion Access to contraception should be guaranteed by federal law in all states (Right to Contraception Act). | — | |||
Agriculture Federal farm subsidies should be reduced and redirected toward smaller producers. | — | |||
Agriculture SNAP (food stamp) eligibility and benefit levels should be expanded. | — | |||
Agriculture Federal antitrust enforcement against meatpacking consolidation should be increased. | — | |||
Antitrust & Competition Federal antitrust laws should be strengthened to break up dominant technology platforms. | — | |||
Antitrust & Competition Pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) should be subject to stricter federal antitrust scrutiny. | — | |||
Economy The federal minimum wage should be raised. | — | |||
Economy Tariffs on foreign goods should be used to protect American jobs. | — | |||
Economy The federal government should require employers to provide paid family and medical leave. | — | |||
Education Parents should be able to use public funds — through vouchers — to send their kids to private or charter schools. | — | |||
Education Education policy should be set by states, not the federal Department of Education. | — | |||
Healthcare Medicare should be allowed to negotiate lower prescription drug prices. | — | |||
Healthcare States, not the federal government, should decide who gets Medicaid and what it covers. | — | |||
Healthcare Enhanced ACA premium subsidies should be made permanent at expanded levels. | — | |||
Healthcare A government-run public health insurance option should be added to the ACA marketplace. | — | |||
Housing The government should spend more building affordable housing. | — | |||
Immigration People who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children should have a path to citizenship. | — | |||
Immigration The U.S. should do more to enforce immigration laws and secure the border. | — | |||
Judicial Reform Supreme Court justices should be subject to fixed terms (e.g. 18 years) rather than life tenure. | — | |||
Judicial Reform Supreme Court justices should be bound by a binding code of ethics enforceable by Congress. | — | |||
Labor Federal labor law should make it easier for workers to form unions (PRO Act-style reforms). | — | |||
Governance & Other There should be term limits for senators and representatives. | — | |||
Governance & Other Outside political spending — from PACs and super PACs — should be limited more strictly. | — | |||
Social Security High earners should pay Social Security taxes on more of their income. | — | |||
Social Security Workers should be able to invest part of their Social Security in the stock market. | — | |||
Taxes People making over $400,000 a year should pay higher taxes. | — | |||
Trade Federal procurement should give strong preference to U.S.-made goods, even at higher cost. | — | |||
Veterans The VA should cover more veterans and more health conditions. | — |
Showing top 30 of 31 questions with extracted positions.
SupportsOpposesNo public positionRinged = confirmed by the campaign
Recent coverage
In the news
Josh Turek
- Democrats win the US House and Senate as voters deliver a strong rebuke to Donald Trump and RepublicansChicago TribuneNov 4
- Democrats retake Senate in sweeping midterm rebukeAlbuquerque JournalNov 4
- https://www.inquirer.com/politics/election/2026-us-midterm-elections-democrats-house-20261103.htmlThe Philadelphia InquirerNov 4
- https://www.nydailynews.com/2026/11/03/2026-election-midterm-results-updates/New York Daily NewsNov 4
About this race page
Candidate roster is sourced from the FEC's active-candidate list for the 2026 cycle. Fundraising totals reflect committee filings through the last reporting period.
Alignment % compares the candidate's extracted policy positions against your quiz answers. Positions are pulled from the candidate's campaign issues page by AI; we save the source quote for each position so you can verify the extraction. Candidates without a campaign issues page show position data pending — we're working through the roster and re-checking stale extractions every 90 days.
News coverage is from the GDELT 2.0 global news feed, filtered to a curated list of national, political, and regional outlets.