On June 2, Iowans will head to the polls for the parties’ primary elections, which will include selecting the Democratic nominee to take on Ernst. The filing period for candidates to submit their paperwork with the state runs Feb. 24 to March 13. Five Democrats are currently running.

To keep track of who is running to unseat Ernst, here’s a rundown of candidates.



Michael Franken https://frankenforiowa.org/

A retired Navy admiral, the 62-year-old Franken spent his 40-year career both in Washington, D.C., and traveling the world in service to his country. He retired two days after President Donald Trump was elected in 2016. Franken served as Deputy for Military Operations for U.S. Africa Command, but he also has worked as Chief of Legislative Affairs for the Department of the Navy; Director of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency; and as a senior military leader in Africa, among several other high-ranking positions.

Kimberly Graham https://www.kimberlyforiowa.com/

A children’s rights attorney from Indianola, Graham has positioned herself as the most progressive candidate in the race, announcing her support shortly after the Iowa Caucus for Sen. Bernie Sanders.
She is active on social media, quickly building one of the largest Iowa politics Twitter followings, often touting endorsements from the Sunrise Movement in Cedar Rapids and Brand New Congress (they also have endorsed Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez).

Theresa Greenfield https://greenfieldforiowa.com/

Greenfield is the former president of a family-owned real estate company in Des Moines who grew up in rural Minnesota near the Iowa border. She now has turned her full attention to the Senate race, where she is the clear Democratic frontrunner in terms of fundraising and institutional support.

In 2019, she raised about $3.4 million and has $2,158,260 in cash-on-hand.

Eddie Mauro https://eddiemauro.com/

The businessman, former teacher and community organizer has a long history of activism in Des Moines.

Though his campaign is largely self-funded (he loaned himself $1.5 million in Q4), Mauro also counts African American faith leaders Rob Johnson and Will Sims among his supporters, in addition to Mitch Henry, co-founder of the Asian & Latino Coalition. He also was endorsed by state Reps. Ruth Ann Gaines, Ako Abdul-Samad and Charlie McConkey.

Cal Woods http://calforiowa.com/

Woods, a Linn County native, is the latest entrant to the race having announced his candidacy mid-December. Because of his recent entry, there are no fundraising reports to analyze yet.

He is a Navy veteran, former news reporter and now lives in Des Moines as a realtor and contractor.