A state that had been trending heavily toward the GOP is looking potentially competitive again, in part thanks to the senator’s gaffe.

Iowa Democrat J.D. Scholten has announced that he is entering the 2026 race for Republican Senator Joni Ernst 's seat. The decision was "prompted in part" by controversial remarks Ernst made about possible Medicaid cuts, ABC News reported. Newsweek contacted Scholten and Ernst for comment on Tuesday via email outside regular office hours.

Nick Offerman kicked off Pride Month by defending the LGBTQ+ community against homophobic hate on X. Michael Flynn Jr., son of retired Army lieutenant general and Trump’s former U.S. national security advisor Michael Flynn, attempted to use a clip of Offerman’s Ron Swanson from “Parks and Recreation” to denounce Pride Month. “Just wanted to post …