Sen. Zach Wahls, D-Coralville, speaks during debate on the gender identity bill, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, at the Statehouse in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

After U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst’s (R-IA) controversial Medicaid comments, another Democrat has joined the Iowa Senate race with intentions of replacing the Republican incumbent.

Iowa state Sen. Zach Wahls (D-Coralville) officially launched his campaign on Wednesday. The 33-year-old was first elected to the Iowa Senate in 2018, and he served as the chamber’s minority leader from November 2020 to June 2023.

During an interview with WHO13, Wahls criticized Ernst for reversing her position on the nomination of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

“The fact that Sen. Ernst did not have the courage of her convictions to — against the nomination of Pete Hegseth which clearly had concerns that were very valid as we all found out when the Signalgate story broke,” he said.

During his nomination process, Hegseth assured Ernst that he would appoint a senior official dedicated to sexual assault prevention, which he has not done almost six months into the job. Previous sexual abuse allegations and heavy drinking were just some of the many concerns brought up when President Donald Trump nominated Hegseth to lead the Pentagon. Ernst was the deciding vote in Hegseth’s nomination, as Sens. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Susan Collins (R-ME) voted “no” along with all 47 Senate Democrats.

Wahls also criticized Ernst for being out of touch with Iowans on the economy, using her support for Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill” as evidence. Despite the budget bill threatening to kick millions off their health insurance and transfer even more wealth to the top one percent of earners, Ernst has been a vocal proponent of the legislation.

During a town hall event last month, Ernst responded to her constituents’ concerns that people will die if the bill passes by responding that “we are all going to die.”

After severe backlash to her statement, Ernst issued a sarcastic apology on social media where she condescendingly joked that people in the audience didn’t know of their mortality and that she was glad she didn’t bring up the Tooth Fairy as well.

In addition to Wahls, former sportscaster Nathan Sage and state Rep. J.D. Scholten (D-Sioux City) have announced their candidacies in the Democratic primary. Primary elections in Iowa will be held on June 2, 2026.