Ashley Hinson Files for Open Senate Seat, June 2 Primary Looms

ashley hinson filed to run for Iowa’s open U.S. Senate seat, putting her in the June 2 primary that will decide one of two Republican nominees. Joni Ernst will vacate the seat at the end of her term, and that decision set off a race that already includes former Iowa lawmaker Jim Carlin.

The Republican winner will move on to face one of two current state legislators in the general election. Josh Turek, a state representative, and Zach Wahls, a state senator, are seeking the Democratic nomination.

Joni Ernst Open Seat

Ernst said in September of 2025 that she would leave her seat at the end of her term. That announcement opened the contest now set for June 2, when Iowa Republicans will select a nominee for the seat.

Carlin and Hinson are the Republican candidates named in the race. The June 2 primary will decide which of them advances to the fall campaign, where the GOP nominee will face the Democratic nominee from a field that includes Turek and Wahls.

June 2 Primary

The primary date is the first hard stop for voters in the race. Republicans are choosing between two nominees, while Democrats are choosing between two current state legislators, with the seat itself remaining open because Ernst will step down at the end of her term.

For voters, the immediate decision is the party primary. The candidate who wins on June 2 will carry the party’s Senate bid into the general election against whichever Democrat emerges from the contest between Turek and Wahls.

Republican Field

Hinson entered the race as a sitting U.S. representative. Carlin entered as a former Iowa lawmaker. Their filings place them on the same side of a nomination battle that will determine who gets to run in November for the open Senate seat.

The race is already narrowed to the names in the record: Hinson and Carlin for Republicans, Turek and Wahls for Democrats. That leaves Iowa voters with a direct choice in each party before the general election matchup is set.