Senate Conservatives Fund Endorsed Joni Ernst In Iowa Senate Primary

Republican candidate Joni Ernst has picked up a key endorsement from the Senate Conservatives Fund in the Iowa Republican primary for U.S. Senate.

“We are very proud to announce our support for Joni Ernst (R-IA) who is seeking the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Iowa,” wrote Matt Hoskins, executive director of Senate Conservatives Fund.

Joni Ernst drew wide praise from conservatives after releasing her ad “Squeal,” in which she touts her Iowa roots in a rather blunt yet entertaining way. “I grew up castrating hogs on an Iowa farm,” Ernst says in the ad. “So in Washington, I’ll know how to cut pork. Washington’s full of big spenders…let’s make ‘em squeal.”

Conservatives, obviously, ate it up. Polling shows Joni Ernst running particularly strong against Democrat Rep. Bruce Braley, who put his own foot in his mouth recently for trashing Iowa farmers and praising lawyers, which is not a very smart comment to make in the “American Heartland.”

Ernst is currently the slight favorite on our 2014 Senate Map Predictions, but she is locked in a tight race against another Republican in the primary, Mark Jacobs. Ernst currently holds a small 1.3-point lead on our PPD average for the Iowa Senate race. Jacobs, according to Hoskins, is no conservative.

“Joni Ernst is currently locked in a tight race with Mark Jacobs (R-IA), another Republican candidate who is not a conservative,” Hoskins said in an email. He points to a Breitbart News report stating, “Former energy executive Mark Jacobs has expressed support for cap and trade, Common Core, the Ryan-Murray budget compromise, and raising the debt ceiling. He donated to Arlen Specter after Specter switched parties to become a Democrat. And in a new campaign ad he says one of the best things about a strong economy is that it would provide the federal government more tax revenue.”

If Ernst wins the general election, she will go on to face Bruce Braley in a race we currently rate as a “Toss-Up” on our map. Many pundits still consider the race to be “Leans” or “Tilts” Democrat, but if you want to read why they are wrong, then view our expanded analysis, or Why Iowa Senate Polls Showing Braley Leading GOP Hopefuls Don’t Mean Anything.