{"id":2445872,"date":"2025-06-11T11:51:02","date_gmt":"2025-06-11T15:51:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/iowa-state-lawmaker-zach-wahls-launches-challenge-to-joni-ernst\/"},"modified":"2025-06-11T11:53:14","modified_gmt":"2025-06-11T15:53:14","slug":"iowa-state-lawmaker-zach-wahls-launches-challenge-to-joni-ernst","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/iowa-state-lawmaker-zach-wahls-launches-challenge-to-joni-ernst\/","title":{"rendered":"Iowa state lawmaker Zach Wahls launches challenge to Joni Ernst"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fiowa-state-lawmaker-zach-wahls-launches-challenge-to-joni-ernst%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2445872&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Iowa State Senator Zach Wahls has officially launched his campaign for the U.S. Senate, entering a competitive Democratic primary aimed at unseating incumbent Republican Senator Joni Ernst. Wahls, a sixth-generation Iowan and rising star within the Democratic party, announced his candidacy via social media, stating that he will challenge both political parties&#8217; leadership for not adequately serving the public. He emphasized values of hard work and family, distancing himself from elite interests. His campaign launch includes criticism of Ernst&#8217;s handling of voter concerns regarding Medicaid, showcasing a video where she dismissed the impact of GOP policies.Wahls, who gained prior recognition for his advocacy on LGBTQ+ rights, is also facing scrutiny over resurfaced explicit online comments.Despite past struggles for Democrats in Iowa, the state is viewed as critical for the party&#8217;s goal of regaining Senate majority.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Iowa state lawmaker Zach Wahls launches challenge to Joni Ernst<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2145627\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Iowa state Sen. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.legis.iowa.gov\/legislators\/legislator?ga=90&amp;personID=27002\">Zach Wahls<\/a> launched his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/senate\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">U.S. Senate<\/a> bid on Wednesday with a video on social media, joining a competitive Democratic primary as the party seeks to unseat <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/joni-ernst\/\">Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA)<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll stand up to the leaders of both parties because they are not delivering for us,&rdquo; Wahls said in the <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/ZachWahls\/status\/1932770031651467672\">video<\/a>. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m a sixth-generation Iowan. I believe hard work and family, not handouts from billionaires and insiders&rsquo; parties because they are not delivering for us.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3437797\/new-jersey-gubernatorial-race-ciattarelli-sherrill\/\">New Jersey&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/musk-comments-about-feud-with-trump-says-he-regrets-some-of-his-posts-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Musk comments about feud with Trump, says he regrets \u2018some\u2019 of his posts - Washington Examiner\">gubernatorial race sets<\/a> up test for Democratic and GOP messaging on Trump<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3437671\/rep-mikie-sherrill-wins-democratic-primary-new-jersey-governor\/\">Mikie Sherrill wins Democratic primary for New Jersey governor<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/3436596\/jack-ciattarelli-wins-new-jersey-republican-primary-governor\/\">Jack Ciattarelli secures New Jersey Republican nomination for governor<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">I&#8217;m Zach Wahls. A sixth-generation Iowan and a new generation of Democrat.<\/p>\n<p>And I&#8217;m running for U.S. Senate to defeat Joni Ernst. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/GlqBYY4MdQ\">pic.twitter.com\/GlqBYY4MdQ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Zach Wahls (@ZachWahls) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ZachWahls\/status\/1932770031651467672?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 11, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>    <\/p>\n<p>Wahls&rsquo;s entrance into the race adds a high-profile name to the Democratic primary, which includes state Rep. J.D. Scholten, a former Minor League Baseball player and congressional candidate, and Nathan Sage, a military veteran and sports radio host.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Wahls, 33, has long been viewed as a rising star within Iowa Democratic circles, <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >gaining early national recognition<\/a> and becoming one of the youngest people ever to serve as Senate minority leader in the state legislature. In recent years, he has focused on issues such as public education, healthcare access, and LGBT rights while building a profile as a sharp communicator and frequent critic of Republican leadership in Des Moines.<\/p>\n<p>Prominently featured in Wahls&rsquo;s campaign launch is footage from a town hall late last month in which Ernst brushed off voter concerns about the impact of Medicaid reductions in a GOP-backed House bill, remarking, &ldquo;We all are going to die.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Our leaders failed us, and we are the ones paying the price,&rdquo; Wahls says immediately before the footage of Ernst is shown. &ldquo;Joni broke her promise to us.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Wahls gained national attention for a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=FSQQK2Vuf9Q\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">viral speech<\/a> defending marriage equality and his upbringing by two mothers.. At the time, the student was emerging as a prominent advocate of LGBT families.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The Iowa Democrat&rsquo;s campaign is already encountering turbulence due to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/3436358\/zach-wahls-senate-iowa-ernst-porn-habits-reddit-posts\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">reemergence of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/want-to-protect-children-online-target-the-porn-distributors\/\" title=\"Safeguard Kids ...: Focus on Porn Distributors\">explicit online content<\/a><\/a>. The resurfaced material features graphic commentary on pornography, crude humor, and provocative social media activity, which pose possible liabilities in a closely watched Senate contest.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Wahls did not respond to multiple requests for comment from the <em>Washington Examiner.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s a little funny that some folks are worried about Democrats&rsquo; ability to connect with American men, while others think that old Reddit posts by me as a college kid, talking about Playboy and porn like a normal guy would do, would scare me off from running,&rdquo; he said <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/06\/10\/us\/politics\/iowa-young-democrats.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">in an interview<\/a> with the <em>New York Times.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t care if they push around old Reddit posts from college,&rdquo; he added. &ldquo;The next generation of leaders have a bigger digital footprint than older leaders, because we grew up online.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/3436358\/zach-wahls-senate-iowa-ernst-porn-habits-reddit-posts\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><strong>ZACH WAHLS&rsquo;S PORNOGRAPHY HABITS RESURFACE BEFORE EXPECTED IOWA SENATE RUN AGAINST ERNST<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Although Democrats have struggled in past contests against Ernst and Iowa has leaned more Republican since her 2014 win and Trump&rsquo;s 2016 triumph, the state is still considered competitive. As Democrats work to pick up four Senate seats to retake the majority, Iowa may be crucial in their path back to power.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_2145627\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"2145627\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Iowa lawmaker Zach Wahls announces Senate run against Joni Ernst<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2657,"featured_media":2445873,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/AP25058822583829-scaled-1024x683.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651,538],"tags":[5626,33027,34888,56949,56948],"class_list":["post-2445872","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","category-washington-examiner","tag-iowa","tag-joni-ernst","tag-political-challenge","tag-state-lawmaker","tag-zach-wahls"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/AP25058822583829-scaled-1024x683.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2445872","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2657"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2445872"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2445872\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2445880,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2445872\/revisions\/2445880"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2445873"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2445872"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2445872"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2445872"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}