(Radio Iowa) – A western Iowa Republican who ran against U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley in 2022 has formed a campaign to against U.S. Senator Joni Ernst in 2026.

Jim Carlin, an attorney from Sergeant Bluff who’s a former state legislator, finished with 26% support from Republicans in his race against Grassley. Carlin will kick off his campaign against Ernst with a rally in Cedar Rapids next Thursday.

Carlin’s campaign website says he’s running because “Iowans deserve a Senator who will tell them the truth, work to improve their lives and put their interests first.” Carlin, an Army veteran, served one term in the Iowa House of Representatives and was elected to two terms in the Iowa Senate. He holds a degree in economics from the University of Massachusetts and earned his law degree from Marquette University. Carlin’s law practice, located in Sioux City, specializes in personal injury law.

Jim Carlin, a Republican from Sergeant Bluff, is running against U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (Carlin campaign photo)

Joshua Smith of Indianola, who ran as a Libertarian for a state senate seat last year, also has said he intends to run against Ernst in the next year’s Republican Primary election. J.D. Scholten of Sioux City and Nathan Sage of Indianola have launched campaigns for the Iowa Democratic Party’s 2026 nomination for the U.S. Senate.