LegiStorm

Biographical

Family:

Press Releases

Education

• Iowa State University - BS, psychology (1988-1992)

  Activities and notes: Army ROTC; study abroad, Ukraine

• Stanton (Iowa) High School - Diploma

  Activities and notes: Valedictorian

• Columbus (Ga.) College - MPA, justice administration (1992-1995)

Office History

Election Results

• 2021 (Nov. 3, 2020 election)

  U.S. Senate Seat for Iowa (Class 2)
  Joni Kay Ernst, 50.88%

  Republican
  Theresa A. Greenfield, 44.40%

  Democrat
  Rick Stewart, 2.17%

  Libertarian

• 2015 (Nov. 4, 2014 election)

  U.S. Senate Seat for Iowa (Class 2)
  Joni Kay Ernst, 52.10%

  Republican
  Bruce Lowell Braley, 43.76%

  Democrat
  Rick Stewart, 2.37%

  Independent

Associated Organizations

• Republican Main Street Partnership

• Joni Ernst Nominee Fund (Iowa)

• Joni for Iowa

• Jobs, Opportunity & New Ideas PAC

Awards

• Legislator of the Year (Wounded Warrior Project Inc.) (Dec. 2022)

• Hero of Main Street (National Retail Federation) (July 2022)

• Fiscal Hero (Fix the Debt Coalition Inc.) (June 2022)

• Distinguished Public Service Award (American Legion) (March 2022)

• Fueling Growth Award (Growth Energy Inc.) (2021)

• Leadership Award (International Dairy Foods Association) (Dec. 2020)

• Guardian of Small Business (National Federation of Independent Business Inc.) (Oct. 2020)

• Friend of Agriculture (Iowa Farm Bureau) (Sept. 2020)

• Fueling Growth Award (Growth Energy Inc.) (Sept. 2020)

• Fueling Growth Award (Growth Energy Inc.) (Oct. 2019)

• U.S. Wind Champion Award (American Wind Energy Association) (Jan. 2019)

• Distinguished Community Health Advocate Award (National Association of Community Health Centers Inc.) (2019)

• Guardian of Small Business (National Federation of Independent Business Inc.) (Nov. 2018)

• Hero of Main Street (National Retail Federation) (Sept. 2018)

• Conservative Achievement Award (American Conservative Union) (April 2018)

• Fueling Growth Award (Growth Energy Inc.) (2018)

• Distinguished Community Health Advocate Award (National Association of Community Health Centers Inc.) (2018)

• Spirit of Enterprise Award (U.S. Chamber of Commerce) (March 2017)

• Fueling Growth Award (Growth Energy Inc.) (2017)

• Distinguished Community Health Advocate Award (National Association of Community Health Centers Inc.) (2017)

• Manufacturing Legislative Excellence Award (National Association of Manufacturers) (Oct. 2016)

• Fueling Growth Award (Growth Energy Inc.) (2016)

• Hero of Main Street (National Retail Federation) (July 2015)

• Fueling Growth Award (Growth Energy Inc.) (2015)

• Friend of Agriculture (Iowa Farm Bureau) (Aug. 2014)

Military History

• Iowa Army National Guard (2001-Nov. 2015)

  Lieutenant Colonel

  Served in Operation Iraqi Freedom

• U.S. Army Reserve (1992-2001)

  Captain

Activities and Interests

• Hobbies: ruck marching
  

Publications

• Daughter of the Heartland: My Ode to the Country That Raised Me (2021)

Official Signature

Contact Information

• Email, member official contact form
• 
  Email, press:
  ernst_press@ernst.senate.gov

Office Addresses:

Main Office:

Address:	260 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510
Phone:	202-224-3254
Fax:	202-224-9369

View Larger Map

Leadership Office:

Address:	347 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510
Phone:	202-224-2946
Fax:	202-228-2628

   » District Offices

Privately Financed Travel

2 trips taken between 2023 - 2024 costing $22,332

See map of trips

Personal Financial Disclosures

Disclosures as a member:

Foreign Gifts

• 8/31/2018: Customized watch with a silver face and black band from Ukraine ($224.00)

» See more

Congressional Staff

Committees

• Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee
Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee Commodities, Risk Management and Trade Subcommittee
Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee Food and Nutrition, Specialty Crops, Organics and Research Subcommittee
Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee Rural Development and Energy Subcommittee
• Senate Armed Services Committee
Senate Armed Services Committee Airland Subcommittee
Senate Armed Services Committee Cybersecurity Subcommittee
Senate Armed Services Committee Emerging Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee, Ranking Member
• Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, Ranking Member

Caucuses

• Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues
• Congressional Caucus on the Deadliest Cancers
• Congressional Coalition on Adoption
• Congressional Farmer's Cooperative Caucus
• Congressional Global Positioning System Caucus, Co-Chair
• Congressional Military Veterans Caucus
• Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus
• Congressional TRIO Caucus
• Congressional Veterans Jobs Caucus
• Financial Security Caucus
• Honorary Congressional Girl Scout Troop Caucus
• Republican Main Street Caucus
• Senate 4-H Caucus
• Senate Abraham Accords Caucus, Co-Chair
• Senate Air Force Caucus
• Senate Albanian Issues Caucus, Co-Chair
• Senate Army Caucus
• Senate Artificial Intelligence Caucus
• Senate Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Anti-Semitism
• Senate Career and Technical Education Caucus
• Senate Chicken Caucus
• Senate Entrepreneurship Caucus
• Senate Human Rights Caucus
• Senate Mental Health Caucus, Co-Chair
• Senate Motorcycle Caucus, Co-Chair
• Senate Payments Innovation Caucus
• Senate Pro-Life Caucus
• Senate Recreational Vehicle Caucus, Chair
• Senate Republican Conference, Senate Republican Policy Committee Chair
• Senate Republican Policy Committee, Chair
• Senate Taiwan Caucus
• Senate Ukraine Caucus
• Senate Western Caucus
• Senate Whistleblower Protection Caucus

Caught Our Eye

• Senate Republicans suffered worse staff retention rates last year

  Posted by Keturah Hetrick on Jan. 8, 2024
  Senate Republicans are having a harder time retaining staff than their Democratic counterparts. read more

• Daughter of ex-Trump acting USAG moves to Senate

  Posted by Keturah Hetrick on June 15, 2023
  Sen. Joni Ernst's (R-Iowa) newest hire is the daughter of former Acting U.S. Attorney General Matthew Whitaker, who directly oversaw the Mueller investigation. read more

• Biofuels group nabs staffer from a favorite senator

  Posted by Keturah Hetrick on Aug. 3, 2022
  Biofuels trade group Growth Energy has a great relationship with Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa). Now, it has one of her staffers, too. read more

• Sen. Ernst staffer moves to propane trade group

  Posted by Keturah Hetrick on Sept. 20, 2021
  After two gigs with Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), one former staffer is cooking with gas. read more

• Raytheon adds GOP chief

  Posted by Keturah Hetrick on Dec. 18, 2020
  One of the world's biggest defense contractors has won over Rep. David Schweikert's (R-Ariz.) top staffer. read more

• Hill's unluckiest staffer returns

  Posted by Keturah Hetrick on May 10, 2019
  Jason Samuels is probably hoping his bad luck won't return with him to the Senate. read more

• Syngenta lobbyist replants self in Ernst's Des Moines office

  Posted by Steve Shapiro on Oct. 14, 2015
  A former lobbyist for Syngenta has found fertile ground in Sen. Joni Ernst's (R-Iowa) Des Moines office as a special assistant for agriculture. read more

• Staffers for freshmen members jumping ship after 6 months

  Posted by Nate Hoffman on June 29, 2015
  When nearly 80 new members of Congress took their oaths in January, a swarm of new congressional staffers were ready to begin their Hill careers. read more

• Mailman drops by with letters for Congress, staffers tweet their confusion

  Posted by Jenna Ebersole on April 16, 2015
  When a mailman dropped from the sky Wednesday with a special delivery for members of Congress, staffers who may have processed the letters through more typical channels took to Twitter instead. read more