She's Against Abortion, Same Sex Marriage, Carries a Gun and Wants Your Vote

State Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Red Oak, stopped at Caribou Coffee in Waukee Thursday as party of her statewide campaign tour.

She is seeking the Republican nomination for United States Senate. Other declared GOP candidates are David Young, who was U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley’s chief of staff; Matt Whitaker, a Des Moines lawyer who is a former U.S. attorney; and Sam Clovis, a former radio personality and Sioux City college professor, reports the Des Moines Register.

Bruce Braley of Waterloo is the only Democratic candidate in the race for the seat Tom Harkin is retiring from next year.

Ernst, who served in the Middle East, has a chance to make history: Iowa has never elected a woman to federal office.

According to the Des Moines Register, during her speech Ernst described her background and the concerns she has over the direction the country is headed under President Barack Obama. She emphasized her opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage and her unequivocal support for gun rights (noting that she’s a concealed carry permit holder “who actually does carry.”)

“This is not just talk for me,” Ernst said in the Register story. “I have fought for over 20 years for these conservative values. I put the uniform on to defend these conservative values. I do that because I believe these values are what made America great.”

For more information visit Ernst’s website: www.joniforiowa.com and follow the campaign on Facebook: www.facebook.com/joniforiowa.