Iowa state Sen. Zach Wahls launched his U.S. Senate bid on Wednesday with a video on social media, joining a competitive Democratic primary as the party seeks to unseat Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA).
“I’ll stand up to the leaders of both parties because they are not delivering for us,” Wahls said in the video. “I’m a sixth-generation Iowan. I believe hard work and family, not handouts from billionaires and insiders’ parties because they are not delivering for us.”
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I'm Zach Wahls. A sixth-generation Iowan and a new generation of Democrat.
— Zach Wahls (@ZachWahls) June 11, 2025
And I'm running for U.S. Senate to defeat Joni Ernst. pic.twitter.com/GlqBYY4MdQ
Wahls’s entrance into the race adds a high-profile name to the Democratic primary, which includes state Rep. J.D. Scholten, a former Minor League Baseball player and congressional candidate, and Nathan Sage, a military veteran and sports radio host.
Wahls, 33, has long been viewed as a rising star within Iowa Democratic circles, gaining early national recognition and becoming one of the youngest people ever to serve as Senate minority leader in the state legislature. In recent years, he has focused on issues such as public education, healthcare access, and LGBT rights while building a profile as a sharp communicator and frequent critic of Republican leadership in Des Moines.
Prominently featured in Wahls’s campaign launch is footage from a town hall late last month in which Ernst brushed off voter concerns about the impact of Medicaid reductions in a GOP-backed House bill, remarking, “We all are going to die.”
“Our leaders failed us, and we are the ones paying the price,” Wahls says immediately before the footage of Ernst is shown. “Joni broke her promise to us.”
Wahls gained national attention for a viral speech defending marriage equality and his upbringing by two mothers.. At the time, the student was emerging as a prominent advocate of LGBT families.
The Iowa Democrat’s campaign is already encountering turbulence due to the reemergence of explicit online content. The resurfaced material features graphic commentary on pornography, crude humor, and provocative social media activity, which pose possible liabilities in a closely watched Senate contest.
Wahls did not respond to multiple requests for comment from the Washington Examiner.
“I think it’s a little funny that some folks are worried about Democrats’ ability to connect with American men, while others think that old Reddit posts by me as a college kid, talking about Playboy and porn like a normal guy would do, would scare me off from running,” he said in an interview with the New York Times.
“I don’t care if they push around old Reddit posts from college,” he added. “The next generation of leaders have a bigger digital footprint than older leaders, because we grew up online.”
ZACH WAHLS’S PORNOGRAPHY HABITS RESURFACE BEFORE EXPECTED IOWA SENATE RUN AGAINST ERNST
Although Democrats have struggled in past contests against Ernst and Iowa has leaned more Republican since her 2014 win and Trump’s 2016 triumph, the state is still considered competitive. As Democrats work to pick up four Senate seats to retake the majority, Iowa may be crucial in their path back to power.