WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, will aim to take the No. 3 spot in Senate Republican leadership this fall to unite her conference, she told The Daily Iowan.
Ernst’s bid comes after Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., announced he would retire on Feb. 28 due to concerns over his differences with the party’s foreign policy.
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“I feel that I bring our conference together,” Ernst told the DI in an interview on Wednesday. “But I also believe in having an opportunity for many other views within the conference. If you look at Republicans today, we have very divergent views on so many different issues. But what I want to do is bring people together in the areas that are important to us and an area where we all come together.”
Ernst will face off with U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., for the seat after U.S. Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., announced he would step down from the seat to seek a position as Minority Whip.
Ernst told the DI that she hopes to work with Republican Senators with differing views to find common ground on hot-button issues like aid to Ukraine.
“I will never shrink away from what I see is probably the No. 1 priority for our nation and that’s national security,” Ernst said. “Hand in hand with that comes foreign policy, and working with partner nations allies, friends all around the globe. So I’m never going to shrink back from that. But what I can do is work with members of my party that have divergent views and find a way to bring people together.”
Ernst said she is also excited to potentially give Iowa a bigger voice within the national Republican party.
“But I’m really excited about it, and selfishly, I will admit that it’s a greater opportunity for Iowa as well,” Ernst said. “And that is really important to me, is that Iowa has a voice on the national stage. And that’s something that we should all really want. Is for Iowa to have an oversized role in the way decisions are made in Washington, D.C.”
Minority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., and U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, are bidding to replace McConnell who will step down from leadership in November when new leadership is selected.
All new Republican leadership will be selected by a secret ballot in November among GOP Senators. Those who win the plurality or majority of support will take the spot.
Ernst, who hails from Red Oak, Iowa, was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2014 beating out Bruce Braley, a Democrat from Brooklyn, Iowa. Ernst ran for the seat after longtime Democratic Senator Tom Harkin retired.
