The new Congress is being sworn in today, and Joni Ernst will be among those taking the oath of office for the first time. She is the first woman from Iowa to serve in the U.S. Senate. (Iowa has two other freshmen this year, in the House, making half the delegation newbies.)
It’s “old” news in the sense that we knew it would happen on Election Day, but after decades of “why hasn’t Iowa elected a woman” (we love our incumbents, and we keep losing House districts), the official start of her term is something to notice.