KDSN RADIO News
Senator Joni Ernst says next generation equipped to take the helm
U.S. Senator Joni Ernst says her decision not to run for reelection is the “right one,” for several reasons.
Ernst spoke with Radio Iowa this weekend and brought up her 2014 campaign pledge to serve no more than two terms in the U.S. Senate. She said it weighed heavily on her mind. “I felt I would be breaking my commitment to Iowans if I tried to secure that third term,” Ernst said. “People have a lot less trust in politicians than they did many years ago and I want people to know that there are politicians that still honor their commitments.”
Ernst said her daughter was her main sounding board as she wrestled with the decision. “She knew where my heart was and the time that I need to give to my family is more significant than some of the other factors that weighed in there,” Ernst said.
Ernst, as she indicated in a video message released three weeks ago, said she wants to spend more time with her aging parents. “They have supported me through thick and thin through all of these years and I feel obviously an obligation and a deep love for my parents and I need to be there for them, but also…my daughter serves this country in uniform,” Ernst told Radio Iowa. “I don’t know where she will be stationed next and I want to spend time with her and my grandson and my son-in-law.”
Ernst, who is 55, retired from the Iowa National Guard a decade ago. Ernst said she learned during her 22-year military career that there are other people who are prepared to do the work. “We are all dispensable. I think people need to understand that, so I know that whoever follows me will do an outstanding job…They may do things differently, but they will still represent Iowa well,” Ernst said. “…It’s time for me now to pass this on to the next generation of Republican leaders and I feel very good about that because I feel that if I’ve done my job right, I will have mentored that next group of young leaders and they can take over the helm and we will be fine.”
On Saturday, at the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition’s fall banquet, Ernst mentioned her pledge to “term limit myself” and the crowd applauded. “I think it’s the right thing to do for our next generation,” Ernst said.
The U.S. Senate’s Republican leader and other top Republican had been encouraging her to run. “I was getting a lot of pressure from the White House to run for that third term and the president didn’t speak to me for about a week after that,” Ernst told the crowd, laughing. “He called last Thursday. He’s O.K. We’re good again.”
Ernst will host her final “Roast and Ride” fundraiser for veterans groups on October 11.
