Top White House officials privately met with Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa this week encouraging her to run for reelection in an effort to preserve the GOP majority.
The Tuesday meeting was held at the White House and included President Donald Trump’s chief of staff Susie Wiles and deputy chief of staff James Blair, according to two White House officials granted anonymity to discuss details of the meeting.
The two implored Ernst to run for a third term, telling her the White House would “love to have her in the Senate,” though she has not definitively reached a decision yet, according to one of the officials.
The meeting comes as Senate Republicans have braced for Ernst, 55, to retire. Despite saying last year she intended to run for reelection, she has faced recent setbacks: losing her bid for the No. 3 spot in Senate GOP leadership and facing scrutiny from MAGA allies for voicing early concerns about Trump’s pick for Defense secretary, Pete Hegseth. She also earned a spate of harsh media coverage when she responded to town hall attendees angry about Medicaid cuts by saying, “Well, we all are going to die.”
Bryan Kraber, her campaign manager, said Ernst has no plans to tap the brakes.
“Senator Ernst has been proud to partner with President Trump,” he said. “She will continue to work with him to deliver for Iowans. With over $3.4 million cash on hand and the strong support in every corner of the state, Joni isn’t slowing down anytime soon.“
Iowa would not be an easy win for Democrats – Trump carried the state by 13 points in 2024 – regardless of Ernst’s decision and the Trump administration is confident they will keep the seat.
“If she chooses not to run then we’ll be fine, ” said one of the White House officials. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”
Ernst would be the fourth Senate Republican to call it quits ahead of 2026, joining Sens. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, who is running for governor.
The White House and Trump intend to be involved in 2026 midterm races, said the same official. The White House recently held private conversations about a backup candidate for Sen. Susan Collins in case she decided not to run for reelection in Maine.
