Iowa will continue to have two Republican U.S. senators.
Voters are sending Joni Ernst back to Washington, D.C. for a second term after what she called a “hard-fought” campaign against first-time candidate Theresa Greenfield.
Ernst thanked supporters at a Republican Party event in downtown Des Moines on election night.
“This has been a very difficult year and a very challenging election for all of us. People on both sides feel divided. Emotions and those wounds are very, very raw,” Ernst said. “But the election is over and it’s time to start the healing. We need to turn down the rhetoric and start listening once again.”
The closely-watched race attracted many out-of-state donations and was one of the most expensive Senate races ever.
In a speech to supporters after her congratulatory call to Ernst, Greenfield said she wasn’t giving up.
“I’ll always carry the fight for hard-working families in my heart. I want you to know that,” she said. “But this was never really about me or just one person. This was about standing up and fighting for what you believe in and following your dreams. And I followed it.”
