Joni Ernst
RDefeatedIncumbentFEC S4IA00129
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Raised this cycle$2.0M
Cash on hand: $2.0M
All Iowa races
2026 race
IA — U.S. Senate
9 active candidates on file with the FEC. Incumbent: Joni Ernst.
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See where these candidates stand — and who's funding them.
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Democratic primary · Tuesday, June 2, 2026
Called by manual backfill (AP/Wikipedia/state SOS)
Joshua TurekWon62.6%
- DZach WahlsDefeated37.4%
Republican primary · Tuesday, June 2, 2026
Called by manual backfill (AP/Wikipedia/state SOS)
Ashley Hinson ArenholzWon73.9%
- RJames CarlinDefeated26.1%
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 day
135days
Tuesday, November 3, 2026
Make sure you can vote
Disclosed money in race
$24M
Candidate + outside spending. See finance breakdown below.
Incumbent
Currently in office
Challengers
Sorted by fundraising
Ashley Hinson Arenholz
RChallengerFEC S6IA00314
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Raised this cycle$7.3M
Cash on hand: $6.5M
Joshua Turek
DChallengerFEC S6IA00298
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Raised this cycle$2.8M
Cash on hand: $757K
Thomas Raymond Laehn
IChallengerFEC S6IA00181
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Raised this cycle$20K
Cash on hand: $6K
5 defeated candidates — show
Zach Wahls
DDefeatedChallengerFEC S6IA00272
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Raised this cycle$3.2M
Cash on hand: $1.1M
Nathan Sage
DDefeatedChallengerFEC S6IA00256
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Raised this cycle$1.4M
Cash on hand: $102
Jackie Norris
DDefeatedChallengerFEC S6IA00280
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Raised this cycle$364K
Cash on hand: $0
James Carlin
RDefeatedChallengerFEC S6IA00249
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Raised this cycle$294K
Cash on hand: $15K
James Scholten
DDefeatedChallengerFEC S6IA00264
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Raised this cycle$213K
Cash on hand: $8K
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.
Ashley Hinson Arenholzlimited coverage
No tracked coverage in the last 90 days yet.
Joshua Tureklimited coverage
No tracked coverage in the last 90 days yet.
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.
Total disclosed
$24M
Candidate fundraising + independent expenditures (FEC).
Candidate-direct (Schedule A)
$18M
Raised by candidate committees themselves.
Outside spending (Schedule E)
$6.2M
$6.2M for · $15K against
| Candidate | Raised directly | Outside for | Outside against | Net in corner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Joshua Turek(D) + VOTEVETS $5.5M + BLUE DEMOCRACY NETWORK $3K + BLUE SHIFT PAC $2K | $2.8M | $5.5M | — | $8.4M |
Ashley Hinson Arenholz(R) + SLF PAC $453K + CLEARPATH ACTION FUND, INC. $185K + MISSION IOWA $11K | $7.3M | $649K | — | $7.9M |
Thomas Raymond Laehn(L) | $20K | — | — | $20K |
6 defeated candidates — show finances
| Candidate | Raised directly | Outside for | Outside against | Net in corner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Zach Wahls(D)defeated | $3.2M | — | — | $3.2M |
Joni Ernst(R)incumbentdefeated + UNITED BREAST CANCER SUPPORT PAC $8K + SENATE CONSERVATIVES FUND $0 − INDIVISIBLE ACTION $15K − PLANNED PARENTHOOD VOTES $9 | $2.0M | $8K | $15K | $2.0M |
Nathan Sage(D)defeated | $1.4M | — | — | $1.4M |
Jackie Norris(D)defeated | $364K | — | — | $364K |
James Carlin(R)defeated | $294K | — | — | $294K |
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.
Joshua Turek(D)34% in-state · $1.7M itemized
$585K in-state$1.1M out-of-state
Ashley Hinson Arenholz(R)41% in-state · $4.9M itemized
$2.0M in-state$2.9M out-of-state
Thomas Raymond Laehn(L)70% in-state · $16K itemized
$11K in-state$5K out-of-state
6 defeated candidates — show
Zach Wahls(D)defeated36% in-state · $2.2M itemized
$793K in-state$1.4M out-of-state
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
Jackie Norris(D)defeated31% in-state · $267K itemized
$83K in-state$183K out-of-state
James Carlin(R)defeated90% in-state · $81K itemized
$73K in-state$8K 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.
Recent coverage
In the news
Zach Wahls
- Takeaways from primaries featuring Spencer Pratt, a missing congressman and a rare Trump setbackAnchorage Daily NewsJun 3
- In Iowa, Hinson-Turek matchup set for NovemberRoll CallJun 3
- 4 key takeaways from primary elections in New Jersey and IowaNew York PostJun 3
- Takeaways from the primary elections in california iowa and elsewhereCNNJun 3
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.