U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, is leaving no doubt about her plans for the 2020 election campaign.

"I am running again. So to anyone who would like to step up and enter into that race, I say: 'Bring it on,'" Ernst told Iowa reporters on Friday.

She also declared her allegiance to President Donald Trump, who is expected to seek a second term in 2020.

Ernst, 48, a military veteran from Red Oak, is the first woman in Iowa elected to either chamber of Congress. She defeated Democrat Bruce Braley in 2014 to win a six-year term in the Senate after being victorious in a five-way Republican Party primary for the nomination. She succeeded U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, a veteran Democrat, who retired from politics.

Ernst said she is looking forward to running for a second term to the Senate.

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"I love Iowa. I love the people of Iowa," Ernst said Friday. "We have certainly, of course, I believe, the best people in the nation, and I am very proud to represent them."

Iowa Democratic Party Chair Troy Price indicated Democrats will put up a fight when she runs for re-election.

"Since Sen. Ernst went to Washington, she's changed. She unapologetically supports President Trump and the backwards GOP agenda, and continually fails to fight for Iowans," Price said in a statement.

Ernst predicted 2020 will be an exciting year for politics and she is looking forward to having some of her Democratic colleagues coming through Iowa to campaign for the presidential nomination.

However, Ernst made it clear she is supporting Trump's re-election campaign, even though some Republican challengers for the GOP's presidential nomination could be passing through Iowa.

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"He is our sitting president and I do believe that his policies are working for the United States," Ernst said. "We have seen significant growth in our economy and if you ask folks out there, you know, what is the No. 1 issue out there, most Iowans say that it is the economy."

Ernst described Trump as an "incredibly accessible" president, something she said she didn't experience with President Barack Obama, a Democrat.

"So I think that we have a solid path forward with President Trump. I think that his policies, if you focus on his policies, a lot of Iowans support those. So I wouldn’t welcome any other contenders."

Ohio Gov. John Kasich is reportedly seriously considering a challenge to Trump, and others mentioned as possible presidential candidates include U.S. Sens. Jeff Flake of Arizona and Ben Sasse of Nebraska.

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