DES MOINES — Joni Ernst is stepping out this weekend, hosting her first presidential cattle call since joining the U.S. Senate in January.
The 44-year-old Republican former state senator has spent her first six months in Washington keeping a low profile, even as national security, an area in which she has expertise and first-hand experience, has come to the fore in debates over government surveillance, countering the rise of the Islamic State and President Obama’s looming agreement with Iran to limit the terrorist regime’s nuclear weapons program.
That ends Saturday as Ernst takes center stage, welcoming more than half dozen Republican presidential contenders — and the national press corps that follows them — to central Iowa for what her political action committee is billing as “Joni’s first annual Roast and Ride.” Ernst and other politicians are participating in a Harley-Davidson motorcycle ride to honor military veterans, followed by a pork roast and candidate speeches later in the afternoon.
“We are fortunate to have a large field of extraordinary candidates to choose from, and while I will remain neutral in this race, I am listening for a candidate who can articulate how our conservative ideas can translate to a better future for all Americans,” Ernst wrote in a Des Moines Register op-ed. “This summer I am listening for that candidate who can speak to the hearts and minds of every American. I am looking for the candidate who can explain why America does not need to settle for Washington’s failures.”
Ernst’s victory in last year’s midterm elections was a key building block of the Republican Party’s Senate takeover after eight years of Democratic rule.
She succeeded in the part by unifying the GOP’s sometimes competing establishment and Tea Party wings, while appealing to Iowa independents in one of the most hotly-contested Senate races of 2014. In winning, the Iraq war veteran provided the GOP something it remains sorely in need of: More women who can sell conservative policies to other women, a crucial demographic in all elections. Women consistently vote in larger percentages than men.
Even before Ernst won, she was a magnet for Republican presidential hopefuls.
They campaigned for her in Iowa last summer, whether invited or not, hoping to use her Senate race to connect with voters and bolster their standing for the coming presidential campaign. Now, Ernst appears to be returning the favor, aiming to use the candidates’ aggressive competition for advantage in the Iowa GOP caucuses to allow her to influence the party and perhaps shape the contours of the race.
Isaiah McGee, a Republican operative from Des Moines who has followed Ernst’s career, said the senator is cautious and deliberate by nature and expects she will continue to operate accordingly going forward. McGee said this approach has been the secret to her success in Iowa politics, a combative arena that nevertheless requires of its participants a certain sense of Midwestern amiability.
“She is very smart but also knows where her limits are, and as such plays it safe. However, she’s only benefited from that tactic,” he said. “She has a great support system behind her and will continue to grow. Her greatest skill is knowing how to share her beliefs, but still work and negotiate with people to find a common ground.”
Events like Ernst’s “Roast and Ride” have the potential to become major political events in a state like Iowa.
The Hawkeye State’s presidential caucuses, in which groups of Republicans and Democrats meet in open forum amongst themselves to vote for their choice for commander in chief, consist of the first nominating contest on the 2016 calendar. Democrat Tom Harkin, a senator for 30 years before retiring in 2014, held an annual steak fry that become a must-stop for his party’s White House hopefuls.
Ernst’s inaugural event is scheduled to draw GOP dignitaries from Washington and Des Moines, like Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad and Sen. Chuck Grassley, as well as 2016 contenders: Ben Carson, a retired pediatric neurosurgeon; businesswoman Carly Fiorina; Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina; former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee; former Texas Gov. Rick Perry; Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker.
“Joni’s Inaugural Roast and Ride is a great opportunity for Iowans to come together and hear leaders from around the state and nation talk about the issues that matter most to us,” said Derek Flowers, a senior advisor to the senator’s PAC. “It’s an opportunity for people considering running for president to make their case to caucus voters.”
