Difference between revisions 135601585 and 135601586 on dewiki

{{Infobox Officeholder
|name         = Joni Ernst
|image        =Joni Ernst - Official Portrait - 84th GA.jpg
|state_senate = Iowa
|district     = 12th
|term_start   = January 2011
|term_end     = 
|predecessor  = [[Kim Reynolds]]
(contracted; show full)spent 14 months mobilized and overseas in [[Kuwait]] from 2003-2004 as a company commander at the start of [[Operation Iraqi Freedom]].<ref name="JoniErnst"/><ref name="votesmart"/> Her unit was responsible for running logistical convoys in Kuwait and into southern Iraq. A Lieutenant Colonel, Ernst currently commands the largest battalion in the [[Iowa Army National Guard]].

In 2014, Ernst was asked why she had missed more than half of the votes in the legislative session. 
ErnstShe said that she was "juggling roles as a wife and mother, battalion commander ir National Guard duties explained many of her absences. After research showed that only 10% of her missed votes came when tshe Iowa Armywas with the National Guard, a state senator and a very, very tough competitive race for the United States Senate".she was criticised for "cloaking her missed votes in the aura of the guard services."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://thegazette.com/2014/03/05/iowa-sen-ernst-juggles-busy-schedule-with-senate-work/ |title=Iowa Sen. Ernst juggles busy schedule with Senate work |publisher=The Gazette |date=April 1, 2014 |accessdate=April 15, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://thegazette.com/subject/news/government/iowa/legislature/few-of-ernsts-missed-iowa-senate-votes-due-to-national-guard-duty-20140414 |title=Few of Ernst’s missed Iowa Senate votes due to National Guard Duty |publisher=(contracted; show full)te Candidate Says Castration Gives Her Conservative Cred |url=http://time.com/36955/iowa-senate-candidate-says-castration-gives-her-conservative-cred/ |accessdate=April 15, 2014 |newspaper=Time |date=March 25, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=In Politics, Hog Castration Cuts Through The Ad Clutter |url=http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2014/03/28/295949340/in-politics-hog-castration-cuts-through-the-ad-clutter |accessdate=April 15, 2014 |newspaper=NPR |date=March 28, 2014}}</ref>
 Response to the advert was mixed, with some calling it amusing and others finding it in bad taste.<ref>{{cite news |title=Joni Ernst 'Castrating Hogs' Ad: Republican Iowa Senate Candidate Stirs Controversy With Offbeat Campaign Spot [VIDEO] |url=http://www.ibtimes.com/joni-ernst-castrating-hogs-ad-republican-iowa-senate-candidate-stirs-controversy-offbeat-campaign |accessdate=April 15, 2014 |newspaper=International Business Times |date=March 25, 2014}}</ref> ''The Iowa Republican'' noted that "the risk of the Ernst ad is that it may cause people not to take her seriously" because it invited comparisons with [[Christine O'Donnell]]'s infamous "I'm not a witch" advert,<ref>{{cite news |title=Did Joni Ernst Just Turn Herself into Christine O'Donnell? |url=http://theiowarepublican.com/2014/did-joni-ernst-just-turn-herself-into-christine-odonnell/ |accessdate=April 15, 2014 |newspaper=The Iowa Republican |date=March 25, 2014}}</ref> and she was lampooned by comedians including [[Jimmy Fallon]] and [[Stephen Colbert]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Colbert: I'm pulling for Joni Ernst 'whole hog, or whatever's left' |url=http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/politics/2014/03/27/colbert-im-pulling-for-joni-ernst-whole-hog-or-whatevers-left/6955697/ |accessdate=April 15, 2014 |newspaper=Des Moines Register |date=March 27, 2014}}</ref>

==Personal==
Born and raised in [[Montgomery County, Iowa]], Ernst resides in [[Red Oak, Iowa]] with her husband of 21 years, Gail, a [[Command Sergeant Major]] in the [[United States Army Rangers|Army Rangers]] (retired) and their three daughters.<ref name="JoniErnstBio"/>

(contracted; show full)[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Montgomery County, Iowa]]
[[Category:Place of birth missing (living people)]]
[[Category:United States Army reservists]]
[[Category:Women in the United States Army]]
[[Category:Women state legislators in Iowa]]
[[Category:Iowa State University alumni]]
[[Category:Columbus State University alumni]]