On November 4th 2014, Senator Joni Ernst, a Republican, defeated her Democratic opponent, Representative Bruce Braley in the race for a seat vacated after 30 years by liberal Democrat and long-time ally of organized labor, Tom Harkin. Come January, Ms. Ernst will be the first woman from Iowa to serve in the United States' Congress. In the beginning of this highly contested race, Mr. Braley was expected to take over Iowa's seat as Senator after his fellow Democratic predecessor. Unfortunately, his efforts squandered. After a series of disastrous missteps, Ms. Ernst took the lead, eventually winning the seat. .
Joni Ernst, the Republican senator-elect was raised in Montgomery Country, Iowa. There, she studied and received her B.S. at Iowa State University and her M.P.A from Columbus State University in Georgia. Upon moving back to Iowa, she worked as Montgomery County Auditor. She served in the Army Reserves, as well as the Iowa National Guard for 21 years. In the Iowa National guard, she earned rank of Lieutenant Colonel and as Operations Branch Chief on Logistics for the Joint Forces Headquarters in Johnson, Iowa. From 2003 to 2004, Ernst spent 14 months overseas in Kuwait as company commander at the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Currently, she commands the largest battalion in the Iowa Army National Guard. Ernst is also currently a representative of the Iowa State Senate, where she represents Iowa's 12th district; a position she won in a January special election in 2001. Come January 2015, Ernst will leave her seat in the Iowa House for her newly elected seat in Washington (Joni Ernst ).
Bruce Braley, originally from Grinnell, Iowa, received his BA from Iowa State University and his JD University of Iowa Law School in 1983. Prior to being elected to public office, Braley was a practicing Attorney. Currently, he is a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Braley represents Iowa's 1st district, a seat he has held since 2006.