Latest news with #Wahls
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Iowa Democrat challenges Ernst after her controversial Medicaid remarks
Iowa state Sen. Zach Wahls (D) on Wednesday announced a challenge against Republican Sen. Joni Ernst in the Hawkeye State, as the incumbent deals with backlash over comments at a recent town hall. 'Joni Ernst has gone full Washington. Supporting handouts for billionaires and cuts to the programs Iowans rely on. I say enough. Today, I'm launching my campaign for U.S. Senate to send her packing,' Wahls said in an announcement on the social platform X. Wahls is the latest Iowa Democrat to jump into the race against Ernst after Iowa Democratic state Rep. J.D. Scholten launched his bad last week amid controversy around the Republican. Ernst drew Democrats' ire when she responded to town hall concerns about potential Medicaid cuts by saying 'we are all going to die.' She then doubled down on the remarks in a sarcastic video in which she appeared to be recording from a cemetery. Wahls included a clip of Ernst's comments in his launch video. And Scholten said he hadn't been planning on launching his campaign when he did, but he couldn't 'just can't sit on the sidelines' after Ernst's town hall. The election handicapper Sabato's Crystal Ball has already shifted Ernst's race slightly toward Democrats — from safe to likely Republican — citing Scholten's challenge and the senator's remarks. Democrat Nathan Sage is also in the running, as the party signals it sees a real chance at inroads in the state that President Trump won by 13 points in November. On the Republican side, former state legislator Jim Carlin announced last week that he's running for the Senate seat, saying Ernst has not delivered on her commitment to cut federal spending. At least three other long shot primary challengers are also challenging from the right. It's been more than a decade since a Democrat represented Iowa in the upper chamber, and Ernst is still seen as the favorite to win a third term next year even as she weathers criticism. She won reelection against a Democratic challenger by roughly 7 points in 2020. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
11-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Iowa Democrat challenges Ernst after her controversial Medicaid remarks
Iowa state Sen. Zach Wahls (D) on Wednesday announced a challenge against Republican Sen. Joni Ernst in the Hawkeye State, as the incumbent deals with backlash over comments at a recent town hall. 'Joni Ernst has gone full Washington. Supporting handouts for billionaires and cuts to the programs Iowans rely on. I say enough. Today, I'm launching my campaign for U.S. Senate to send her packing,' Wahls said in an announcement on X. Wahls is the latest Iowa Democrat to jump into the race against Ernst after Iowa Democratic state Rep. J.D. Scholten launched last week amid controversy around the Republican. Ernst drew Democrats' ire when she responded to town hall concerns about potential Medicaid cuts by saying 'we are all going to die.' She then doubled down on the remarks in a sarcastic video in which she appeared to be recording from a cemetery. Wahls included a clip of Ernst's comments in his launch video. And Scholten said he hadn't been planning on launching at this time, but that he 'just can't sit on the sidelines' after Ernst's town hall. The election handicapper Sabato's Crystal Ball has already shifted Ernst's race slightly toward Democrats – from safe to likely Republican – citing Scholten's challenge and the senator's remarks. Democrat Nathan Sage is also in the running, as the party signals it sees a real chance at inroads in the state that President Trump won by 13 points in November. On the Republican side, former state legislator Jim Carlin announced last week that he's running for the Senate seat, saying Ernst has not delivered on her commitment to cut federal spending. At least three other long shot primary challengers are also challenging from the right. It's been more than a decade since a Democrat represented Iowa in the upper chamber, and Ernst is still seen as the favorite to win a third term next year even as she weathers criticism. She won reelection against a Democratic challenger by roughly 7 points in 2020.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Iowa Senator Zach Wahls running for Joni Ernst's U.S. Senate seat
DES MOINES, Iowa — The Democratic field for a challenger to incumbent Senator Joni Ernst (R) is growing. Iowa State Senator Zach Wahls announced his run for the seat on Wednesday morning. Wahls, from Coralville, has been serving District 43 since 2019. He tells WHO 13 News why he is now deciding to hop into the race. 'I'm running because Iowans are working hard but aren't getting ahead. And I want to do something to help solve the problems that hardworking Iowans are facing. I've got a track record of standing up to leaders of both parties when they are not delivering for us. And that's exactly what I'll do in Washington. My wife and I started talking about it seriously this spring when we were watching everything that was happening in D.C.,' said Senator Wahls, (D) District 43 from Coralville. 'ICE Out' protest brings in hundreds in Des Moines Democrat Nathan Sage from Knoxville announced his bid for the office earlier in the year. Along with State Representative J.D. Scholten, from Sioux City. Wahls tells WHO 13 News that he isn't focusing on his Democratic opponents in this primary race, instead focusing on the incumbent. 'The fact that Senator Ernst didn't have the courage of her convictions to stand against the nomination of Pete Hegseth when she clearly had concerns that were valid, as we all found out when the Signal-gate story broke. And I think that unfortunately, Sen. Ernst has lost her way,' said Wahls. 'We deserve a senator who isn't going to glibly joke that we are all going to die, I mean we all know we are going to die, that's a part of life. It's not supposed to be our senators who are the ones killing us. We need someone who's going to fight back for these benefits that so many Iowans count on.' Wahls told WHO 13 News that he is eager to get out and campaign in all 99 Iowa counties and meet voters. Wahls is a 6th-generation Iowan who is eager to run on lowering costs, protecting health care and abortion rights, and providing affordable child care to Iowa's families. Iowa Senator Zach Wahls running for Joni Ernst's U.S. Senate seat Hot, muggy Wednesday and storm chances Iowa HHS reports second case of measles in state this year Increase in ATV/UTV popularity brings more crashes on roads Dozens of dogs rescued from 'neglectful conditions' at eastern Iowa breeder nearly 2 years after first rescue Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Democrat Zach Wahls announces bid for U.S. Senate
Sen. Zach Wahls, D-Coralville, announced plans to run for the U.S. Senator seat in the 2026 election. Pictured here is Wahls, left, and several other Democrats at the Anamosa State Penitentiary on April 23, 2021. (Screenshot of event livestream) State Sen. Zach Wahls, a Coralville Democrat, announced Wednesday his campaign in the 2026 election for the seat held by Republican U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst. Wahls said he is running to support 'hardworking' families and to fix the problems he and other Iowans are facing, like the high cost of groceries, child care and medications. 'Government isn't listening to Iowans,' Wahls said in an interview. 'It's not working for us. Iowans who are working hard are just falling further and further behind.' Wahls is a sixth-generation Iowan who was elected in 2019 as senator for District 43. Prior to that, he was known for his LGBTQ+ activism. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Wahls joins Rep. J.D. Scholten, D-Sioux City, and Democrat Nathan Sage of Indianola, who have announced candidacy runs against Ernst, following comments she made during a recent town hall event. Ernst, while talking at a town hall meeting about federal cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, said 'we all are going to die' in response to an attendee who yelled that the cuts would cause people to die. Following the town hall, Ernst posted a sarcastic apology video and said, during an appearance on WHO Radio, she does not regret how she spoke. Ernst has not officially launched a campaign for reelection, but has hired a campaign manager. Her comments have drawn criticism from both sides of the aisle and led several to announce their plans to run for the seat. Wahls said he and his wife were already considering how they could 'fight for (their) fellow Iowans' in the upcoming election cycle, but Ernst's comments 'show how she has lost touch with Iowans.' 'Her tone deaf, double down the next day was bizarre, and I think underscored for me how important it is that a new generation of leaders step up and try to actually get things done in Washington,' Wahls said. Across the aisle, former state legislator Jim Carlin from Sioux City also launched a run for the seat following Ernst's comments. Wahls was the Senate Democratic leader in 2021, but was removed from the role in 2023 following a disagreement over the termination of two staff members. Wahls said the history shows he is willing to stand 'up to the establishment.' 'I've never been afraid of a tough fight, and I think that's going to serve me well,' Wahls said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Democrat prepares to launch challenge to Iowa Sen. Ernst
Democratic Iowa state senator Zach Wahls is planning to launch a campaign against GOP Sen. Joni Ernst on Wednesday, according to an email to supporters that was viewed by Semafor. In the email, Wahls said he and his wife were 'wrestling' for months with a possible campaign before he decided to become the third candidate in an increasingly crowded primary. 'What can we do in this upcoming election cycle that will make the biggest impact in this crucial moment for our state and for our country? After a lot of discussion, encouragement, reflection, and prayer, we have decided to launch a campaign for the U.S. Senate against Joni Ernst in 2026,' Wahls wrote in the email. In addition to Wahls, who previously served as his party's leader in the state senate, veteran and former broadcaster Nathan Sage and state Rep. J.D. Scholten are vying for the nod to take on Ernst. Democrats now consider Ernst a potentially vulnerable target after she responded 'we are all going to die' to voters frustrated with President Donald Trump's proposed Medicaid spending cuts. Democrats have struggled in two previous races against her, however. The state has grown deeper red since Ernst's win in 2014 and since President Donald Trump first won the state in 2016. But because Democrats need to net four seats next fall to win back the Senate, their path to the majority could end up running through Iowa. It's not clear if the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee will take sides in the primary among Scholten, Sage and Wahls. Its chair, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., is not ruling out the possibility of DSCC endorsements this cycle, she told Semafor last week. In other Iowa Senate news, Republican Jim Carlin is mounting an uphill primary campaign against Ernst, according to the Des Moines Register.
