Why Joni Ernst's Gun Comments Might Hurt Her Chances

A 2013 poll showed Iowans were in favor of a variety of gun restrictions.

Iowa Republican State Senator and U.S. Senate candidate Joni Ernst speaks during a rally with former Massachusetts Gov. and GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney on October 11, 2014 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Photograph by David Greedy/Getty Images

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By David Knowles

October 23, 2014 at 9:58 PM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

Do Democrats hoping to thwart Republican Joni Ernst's Senate bid have their magic "gotcha" moment? Remarks that Ernst made in 2012 when speaking to an audience at the National Rifle Association and Iowa Firearms Coalition Second Amendment Rally in Seasboro, Iowa were published Wednesday by the Huffington Post, and seemed to reinforce the argument that Ernst is a member of the far right.

“I have a beautiful little Smith & Wesson, 9 millimeter, and it goes with me virtually everywhere,” Ernst said at the rally. “But I do believe in the right to carry, and I believe in the right to defend myself and my family—whether it’s from an intruder, or whether it’s from the government, should they decide that my rights are no longer important.”