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This image from Senate Television video shows Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, speaking on the Senate floor Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023. (Senate Television via AP)
Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, greets supporters at the Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition's fall banquet, Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023, in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Bryon Houlgrave)
FILE - An early morning pedestrian is silhouetted against sunrise as he walks through the American flags on the National Mall with the U..S Capitol Building in the background in Washington Nov. 7, 2022. (AP Photo/J. David Ake, File)
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., center left, speaks to reporters along with members of the Republican leadership, Tuesday, June 24, 2025, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., second from left, speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Democrats hope to make Iowa competitive again with open Senate seat in '26 election

This image from Senate Television video shows Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, speaking on the Senate floor Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023. (Senate Television via AP)