Service history
12 years in the U.S. Congress · since 2015
- Senator IA 2015–present
Background
- role Junior United States senator from Iowa since 2015
- role Chaired the Senate Republican Policy Committee from 2023 to 2025, the fourth-ranking Senate Republican position
- role Served in the Iowa State Senate from 2011 to 2014
- role Served as auditor of Montgomery County, Iowa, from 2005 to 2011
- background Served in the Iowa Army National Guard from 1993 to 2015, retiring as a lieutenant colonel, including Iraq War service
- background Graduated from Iowa State University
Campaign finance
2026 cycle
Incumbent for U.S. Senate IA · 2026 General Election
- $2,002,592 raised
- $2,307,957 spent
- $1,934,478 cash on hand
| $2.00M | |
| $1.63M | |
| $997.37K | |
| Itemized (≥ $200) | $763.43K |
| Unitemized (< $200) | $233.94K |
| Other committees (PACs) | $637.25K |
| Transfers from other committees | $362.93K |
| Other receipts | $5.04K |
| $2.31M | |
| Operating expenditures | $1.22M |
| Contribution refunds | $979.06K |
| Other disbursements | $109.00K |
| Cash on hand | $1.93M |
| Debts owed by committee | $0.00 |
Through June 30, 2026 · FEC
Data from FEC (through Jun 30, 2026)
Over time
Data from FEC per-cycle campaign finance
Money raised, spent, and cash on hand across every election cycle on record — toggle a series in the legend.
| Cycle | Raised | Spent | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | $12,011,101 | $11,913,212 | $97,888 |
| 2016 | $1,109,368 | $894,689 | $0 |
| 2018 | $1,765,599 | $843,336 | $1,363,150 |
| 2020 | $27,686,921 | $28,521,656 | $528,415 |
| 2022 | $2,035,244 | $1,589,924 | $973,736 |
| 2024 | $2,921,863 | $1,655,756 | $2,239,843 |
| 2026 | $2,002,592 | $2,307,957 | $1,934,478 |
Contributions received — 2026 cycle
Data from FEC
Recorded individual contributions in the 2026 cycle: $5,964 ·
Track record
Assembled from Congress.gov · FEC · official disclosures — each fact links its own source
- Roll-call participation →
voted in 30 recorded roll calls · chamber median 100.0%
Missing a vote is not inherently negative — an absence can be excused, reflect leadership or committee duty, or a recorded pairing.
- Bills sponsored →
plus 203 cosponsored
A count of bills introduced as the primary sponsor; most legislation never advances, regardless of who sponsors it.
- Sponsored bills enacted →
of 99 bills sponsored
Whether a bill becomes law depends on the whole Congress, not the sponsor alone; substantive provisions often pass folded into other vehicles.
- Party-unity voting →
votes with the party majority · median 100% · on 11 party-line votes
Party-unity is how often a member votes with their own party's majority on party-line votes — it reflects agenda alignment, not loyalty, independence, or virtue.
- Cross-party voting →
votes with the other party's majority on those same votes
The share of the same party-line votes cast with the OTHER party's majority — a descriptive rate, not a measure of principle.
- Documented positions →
no positions documented yet
Documented, sourced positions we have on record — the absence of a documented position is not the absence of a view.
- Committee assignments →
committees and subcommittees
Committee seats are assignments made by party leadership — a measure of role and jurisdiction, not an achievement or a conflict in itself.
Assembled from CivicGate's ingested public records for Joni Ernst. A fact shown as “—” means we don't yet hold that data — not that the value is zero.
Voting record
Data from senate.gov roll-call records
Full voting record (30 roll calls) → · Congress 119 · based on 30 of 890 recorded roll calls
Committee assignments (12)
Data from Congress.gov committee memberships
- Emerging Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee Chairman
- Rural Development, Energy, and Credit Subcommittee Chairman · oversees Energy
- Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee Chairman
- Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee
- Armed Services Committee · oversees Defense
- Conservation, Forestry, Natural Resources, and Biotechnology Subcommittee · oversees Energy, Technology
- Disaster Management, District of Columbia, and Census Subcommittee
- Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
- Livestock, Dairy, Poultry, and Food Safety Subcommittee
- Personnel Subcommittee
- Border Management, Federal Workforce, and Regulatory Affairs Subcommittee
- Cybersecurity Subcommittee
Top contributors (FEC)
Outside spending on this race
Data from FEC, Schedule E independent expenditures
Independent expenditures are money outside groups (PACs / super-PACs) spend to support or oppose a candidate without coordinating with their campaign. What's this? →
Issue positions (3)
Documented + CivicGate vote-derived — stated positions link their source; derived positions come from votes on direction-tagged bills
- DefenseFull support from votes
- Economy & TaxesFull support from votes
- Foreign PolicyFull support from votes
Documented relationships
Documented facts about Ernst, aggregated from public records. A documented relationship is not evidence of wrongdoing — it is context, not a conclusion.
No documented relationships of this kind on record — absence is not a finding.
Frequent co-sponsors
Connections network
Sponsored / cosponsored bills (200)
- S 5276Reducing Red Tape for Rebuilding ActcosponsoredAug 5, 2026
- S 5314No Cash for Cohabitating Kins of Crooks ActsponsoredAug 5, 2026
- S 5294Keeping China Off the Rails Act of 2026sponsoredAug 5, 2026
- SRES 823A resolution designating the week of August 2 through August 8, 2026, as "National Farmers Market Week".cosponsoredJul 29, 2026
- SRES 821A resolution designating July 30, 2026, as "National Whistleblower Appreciation Day".cosponsoredJul 29, 2026
- S 5025Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026cosponsoredJul 15, 2026
- S 5003ACCESS Rural America ActcosponsoredJul 14, 2026
- S 4952Protecting American Taxpayers ActsponsoredJul 12, 2026
- SRES 801A resolution honoring the life and legacy of the Honorable Lindsey Olin Graham, a Senator from the State of South Carolina.cosponsoredJul 12, 2026
- S 4891Preventing Fugitive Fraudsters ActsponsoredJun 23, 2026
- S 4940Specialized Infant Formula Protection ActsponsoredJun 23, 2026
- S 4892SMART Energy Efficiency Standards ActsponsoredJun 23, 2026
- S 4789Blue Star Mothers Day ActsponsoredJun 15, 2026
- S 4747Stopping Fraudulent Payments ActsponsoredJun 9, 2026
- S 4685Ending Double Dealing Act of 2026sponsoredJun 3, 2026
- S 4681OASIS Act of 2026cosponsoredJun 3, 2026
- SRES 755A resolution honoring the life of the Honorable Donald W. Riegle, Jr., former Senator for the State of Michigan.cosponsoredMay 31, 2026
- S 4632Prevent Government Shutdowns Act of 2026cosponsoredMay 20, 2026
- S 4620Mandatory E-Verify Act of 2026cosponsoredMay 20, 2026
- S 4628A bill to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to establish an initiative to address the availability, quality, and cost of childcare in rural areas, and for other purposes.cosponsoredMay 20, 2026
- SRES 747A resolution expressing support for the designation of May 2026 as "Renewable Fuels Month" to recognize the important role that renewable fuels play in lowering fuel prices for consumers, lessening reliance on foreign adversaries, supporting rural communities, and reducing carbon impacts.cosponsoredMay 20, 2026
- SRES 740A resolution expressing support for the designation of May 2026 as "Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month".cosponsoredMay 18, 2026
- SRES 739A resolution honoring the life and legacy of John Seymour, the late Senator for the State of California.cosponsoredMay 18, 2026
- SRES 735A resolution designating the week of May 10 through May 16, 2026, as "National Police Week".cosponsoredMay 13, 2026
- S 4505A bill to require the United States Postal Service to designate ZIP Codes for certain communities.sponsoredMay 11, 2026
Comparison lens (E18)
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