Joni Ernst

American politician (born 1970)

Joni Kay Ernst (née Culver; born July 1, 1970) is an American politician. She has been Iowa's U.S. Senator since 2015. She is a Republican. Prior to being a U.S. Senator, she was an Iowa state senator.

Joni Ernst
Vice Chair of the Senate Republican Conference
Assumed office
January 3, 2019
LeaderMitch McConnell
Preceded byRoy Blunt
United States Senator
from Iowa
Assumed office
January 3, 2015
Serving with Chuck Grassley
Preceded byTom Harkin
Member of the Iowa Senate
from the 12th district
In office
January 5, 2011 – November 28, 2014
Preceded byKim Reynolds
Succeeded byMark Costello
Auditor of Montgomery County
In office
2005–2011
Preceded byConnie Magneson[1]
Succeeded byTed Schoonover[2]
Personal details
Born
Joni Kay Culver

(1970-07-01) July 1, 1970 (age 54)
Red Oak, Iowa, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)
Gail Ernst
(m. 1992; div. 2019)
Children1[3][4]
EducationIowa State University (BA)
Columbus State University (MPA)
WebsiteSenate website
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Army
Iowa Army National Guard
Years of service1993–2015[5]
Rank Lieutenant Colonel
Unit185th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion
Battles/warsIraq War

On November 4, 2014, she was elected to the United States Senate. Ernst is the first woman to represent Iowa in the United States Congress.[6]

Ernst was born in Red Oak, Iowa.

References

change
  1. "The Des Moines Register 04 Nov 2004, page Page 6". Newspapers.com.
  2. Peterson, Mike. "Schoonover named to workforce development post". KMAland.com.
  3. Hughes, Emer (November 3, 2014). "Gail Ernst, Joni Ernst's Husband: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know".
  4. News, A. B. C. "Joni Ernst: Everything You Need to Know". ABC News. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  5. Jacobs, Jennifer (December 1, 2015). "Joni Ernst retires from the military". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved December 3, 2015.
  6. "Joni Ernst". Joni Ernst. Archived from the original on November 6, 2014. Retrieved November 7, 2014.