Tea Partier Joni Ernst wins big in Iowa GOP Senate primary

(Image credit: CC by: IowaPolitics.com)

last updated 8 January 2015

Iowa state Sen. Joni Ernst has easily won the Republican nomination for an open U.S. Senate seat, positively thumping a wide-open field of several fellow GOP contenders — indeed, you could say she really made them squeal.

With 36 percent of precincts now reporting, Ernst has a whopping 54 percent of the vote, followed by her closest rival, talk radio host Sam Clovis, at only 18 percent; The Associated Press has projected Ernst as the winner of the primary. She will now face the Democratic nominee, U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley, in the race to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin. A recent poll gave Braley a lead of 6 points, but the race remains very competitive.