An Iowa Democratic state lawmaker bowed out of the 2026 U.S. Senate primary race on Monday and endorsed a fellow legislator as the “best hope” to unseat Republican U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, who has yet to formally announce her bid for a third term.

J.D. Scholten is dropping out of the crowded Democratic primary in Iowa’s U.S. Senate election and endorsing fellow Democratic state legislator Josh Turek.