DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa Democratic state lawmaker bowed out of the 2026 U.S. Senate primary race on Monday and endorsed a fellow legislator as the “best hope” to unseat Republican U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, who has yet to formally announce her bid for a third term.
Rep. J.D. Scholten said in a statement he was suspending his campaign and endorsing Democratic Rep. Josh Turek, who launched his campaign last week. Both represent districts in counties that overwhelmingly supported Donald Trump in 2024.
Turek joined a crowded primary field that includes state Sen. Zach Wahls, who on Monday announced the endorsement of a northeast Iowa iron workers union; Nathan Sage, a former chamber of commerce president; and Des Moines School Board Chair Jackie Norris.
Eyes remain on Ernst as Republicans encountered early headaches in some of the 2026 races that will be pivotal to maintaining the party’s Senate majority, including a contentious GOP primary in Texas and a surprise retirement announcement by two-term Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina.
After flipping pork chops last week at the Iowa State Fair, Ernst told reporters that she'd make an announcement on her own 2026 intentions in the next several weeks, adding, “I've got a lot more work to do.”
In a reelection bid, Ernst would face GOP primary challengers who include former state Sen. Jim Carlin and Navy veteran Joshua Smith.
Of her Democratic competitors, Ernst said “good for them.”
“When we see those Democrats getting in, what they're trying to do is get their name out there, but they cannot deny the fabulous agenda that President Trump has," Ernst said. “Glad they're engaging but, you know what, they're not going to stand a chance.”
Ernst announced a campaign manager in June, an October date for her annual fundraiser and has raised just shy of $1.8 million in the first half of the year. A former Army National Guard member and a retired lieutenant colonel, she was first elected to an open Senate seat in 2014.
She served for several years in the No. 3 spot in the Senate GOP leadership and was considered a vice presidential contender for Trump’s first White House run. She's since faced some backlash from Trump supporters, including earlier this year after signaling a hesitance to support Trump's pick for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth.
Democrats meanwhile are capitalizing on a retort Ernst made about Medicaid cuts at a town hall in May. As Ernst explained that the legislation protects Medicaid for those who need it most, someone in the crowd yelled that people will die without coverage. Ernst responded: “People are not ... well, we all are going to die.”
U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst flips pork chops at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines, Iowa, on Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Hannah Fingerhut)
FILE - Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, speak to reporters after a closed-door meeting with fellow Republicans, at the Capitol in Washington, Sept. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A South Korean court sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to five years in prison Friday in the first verdict from eight criminal trials over the martial law debacle that forced him out of office and other allegations.
Yoon was impeached, arrested and dismissed as president after his short-lived imposition of martial law in December 2024 triggered huge public protests calling for his ouster.
The most significant criminal charge against him alleges that his martial law enforcement amounted to a rebellion, and the independent counsel has requested the death sentence in the case that is to be decided in a ruling next month.
In Friday's case, the Seoul Central District Court sentenced Yoon for defying attempts to detain him, fabricating the martial law proclamation and sidestepping a legally mandated full Cabinet meeting.
Yoon has maintained he didn’t intend to place the country under military rule for an extended period, saying his decree was only meant to inform the people about the danger of the liberal-controlled parliament obstructing his agenda. But investigators have viewed Yoon’s decree as an attempt to bolster and prolong his rule, charging him with rebellion, abuse of power and other criminal offenses.
Judge Baek Dae-hyun said in the televised ruling that imposing “a grave punishment” was necessary because Yoon hasn’t shown remorse and has only repeated “hard-to-comprehend excuses.” The judge also restoring legal systems damaged by Yoon’s action was necessary.
Yoon, who can appeal the ruling, hasn’t immediately publicly responded to the ruling. But when the independent counsel demanded a 10-year prison term in the case, Yoon’s defense team accused them of being politically driven and lacking legal grounds to demand such “an excessive” sentence.
Prison sentences in the multiple, smaller trials Yoon faces would matter if he is spared the death penalty or life imprisonment at the rebellion trial.
Park SungBae, a lawyer who specializes in criminal law, said there is little chance the court would decide Yoon should face the death penalty in the rebellion case. He said the court will likely issue a life sentence or a sentence of 30 years or more in prison.
South Korea has maintained a de facto moratorium on executions since 1997 and courts rarely hand down death sentences. Park said the court would take into account that Yoon’s decree didn’t cause casualties and didn’t last long, although Yoon hasn’t shown genuine remorse for his action.
A supporter of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol shouts slogans outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Supporters of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol hold signs and flags outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
A supporter of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol waits for a bus carrying former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Supporters of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol hold signs as police officers stand guard outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Supporters of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol hold signs and flags outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Supporters of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol hold signs outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
A picture of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is placed on a board as supporters gather outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
