Meet Iowa's new Senator! The pig farmer who stands up for the little guys

Joni Ernst has won the Iowa Senate seat, defeating challenger Bruce Braley for the seat that had formerly been held by Democratic Senator Tom Harkin for five terms. Ernst, a Republican, is now the fist female Senator ever to represent Iowa.

Light Your Virtual Prayer Candle For a Loved One

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Iowa voted for President Barack Obama in both 2008 and 2012, and the state has joined a list of pickups for the Republican party, which has helped the GOP secure control of Congress.

Get a Catholic email address for yourself, or give one as a gift. Safe, secure, and encrypted.

Initially, Democrats were confident they could retain the Iowa Senate seat, but Ernst surprised everybody with a determined and effective campaign that made a red Iowa a reality.

The polls were initially neck and neck, but Ernst developed a lead near the end of the counting which she held onto until victory.

Prior to her Senate run, Ernst was a state senator and a hog farmer. During the Republican primary race she declared that if elected she would cut pork spending in Washington, just as she used to castrate pigs on her farm-a statement that thrilled Conservatives.

"Washington is full of big spending," she said in the ad. "Let's make 'em squeal."

Ernst kept Republican enthusiasm high during the rest of her campaign, despite worries that the Tea Party favorite would be too conservative for a state that has had a progressive Democrat as a Senator for 30 years.

Harkin did campaign for Braley, but may have actually cost the up and coming Democrat the election. At one point he insulted Iowa farmers and the States other Senator, Republican Chuck Grassley-who he described as "a farmer from Iowa who never went ot law school."

Braley also caused problems when it was reported that his family had filed a legal complaint against a neighbor, when that neighbor's chickens crossed onto his property.

"You elect to sue a neighbor over chickens that came onto your property. You're talking about bipartisanship, how do we expect, as Iowans, that you will work across the aisle when you can't walk across your yard?" Ernst asked at a debate.

---

'Help Give every Student and Teacher FREE resources for a world-class Moral Catholic Education'