Ask Joni Ernst to think back a few years and imagine if she would be in her current position today, a U.S. senator, and her answer is simple: “No.”

“Never in a million years,” Ernst said. “If somebody had asked me, ‘Hey Joni, do you think you’ll be sitting in the United States Senate in 2015?’ I probably would have laughed at them.”

Ernst, 44, is doing just that. Now in the middle of her first term since being sworn in on Jan. 13, she has now served more than 100 days as Iowa’s junior senator.

The campaign

Ernst made history that November night. Not only was she elected to be Iowa’s first new U.S. senator in 30 years, she also ended Iowa’s streak of only sending men to Congress. With her win, she became the U.S. Senate’s first female veteran, having served in Kuwait and Iraq as a member of the Iowa Army National Guard.

Four other Republicans were vying for the seat vacated by Sen. Tom Harkin, but Ernst made it look easy in the June 2014 primary.

Under Iowa election law, if a candidate does not earn 25 percent of the vote in the primary, the nominee is selected at a state convention. Some were concerned a crowded field of five would do just that, but Ernst ended up winning by a whopping 56.2 percent of the vote. Her closest competitor was not close at all — conservative talk radio host Sam Clovis only picked up 18 percent.

The general election looked even tougher. Her opponent was five-term U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley, who had the backing of Harkin, high-profile Democrats across Iowa and even Vice President Joe Biden, who campaigned for him. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made her sole 2014 trip to Iowa with her husband, former President Bill Clinton, and supported Braley at the final Harkin Steak Fry.

On election night, Ernst made it look easy again. Polls had the race as one of the closest around the country as Republicans hoped to pick up a majority in the U.S. Senate. An average of major polls by Real Clear Politics had Ernst up by just 2.3 percent, most of the polls within the margin of error.

Ernst won by 8.5 percent.

In Des Moines during her victory speech, she told supporters that because of them, they were going to “make Washington squeal,” a reference from one of her campaign ads that may have earned her the most name recognition.

“I honestly think she won because she ran a better campaign than Braley did,” said Kelly Winfrey, a lecturer with the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics at Iowa State. “I think voters got a chance to get a glimpse of who she is. She seemed like a nice person, was clear on the issues she was concerned about and people trusted her.”

The transition to Washington

After her November win, Ernst resigned her Iowa Senate seat and headed to Washington right away for freshman orientation.

The 114th Congress convened on Jan. 13, 2015. Inside the Senate chamber, tears rushed down her face as she took the oath of office from Biden. By her side were Iowa’s senior Sen. Chuck Grassley and Harkin.

Ernst and her staff are now tucked away in a small, temporary office inside the Hart Senate Office Building. While this may limit the number of hires and space to get work done, they will be moving to a larger, permanent office later this year.

“It’s going very, very well,” Ernst said. “The transition has been fantastic and it’s been an honor to work with so many great Iowans out here. We really wasted no time getting down to work.”

Along with the dozens of meetings each week, Ernst has co-sponsored almost 20 pieces of legislation, everything from new sanctions on Iran to “legislation providing a commemorative coin for the 100th anniversary of Boys Town.”

Ernst has been selected to serve on four committees: the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry; the Committee on Armed Services; the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.

Ernst is also the chair of the Subcommittee on Jobs, Rural Economic Growth and Energy Innovation.

“With Sen. Grassley, I do serve with him on the Senate Agricultural Committee, and that has a huge importance to Iowa as a leader in corn, soybeans, pork, ethanol and wind production,” Ernst said. “We make sure that those interests are well represented here in Washington, D.C.”

Other senators and staff

“We’ve really built some great relationships here in the first three or four months,” Ernst said.

The first name she mentioned is Grassley.

“Of course, Sen. Grassley has just been a wonderful colleague and just a great friend to me in the United States Senate,” Ernst said. “He’s been tremendous and his staff has been wonderful.”

Ernst also mentioned U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., as an ally.

“She has just been a great friend to me and of course, so many of the issues that are important to Nebraska are also important to Iowa,” Ernst said. “She also serves with me on the Senate Armed Services Committee.”

Even as Washington seems divided by party lines, Ernst said she has been working with Democrats to get things done.

She mentioned U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., as someone she has worked with on legislation related to sexual assault and education on college campuses.

“There are a number of them I have worked with on various topics and issues,” Ernst said. “Some of them are just talking through issues, so Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota has been very helpful, and even Barbara Boxer of California.”

State of the Union

Just a week after the start of the 114th Congress, President Obama delivered his annual “State of the Union” speech to a joint session.

Ernst was in for a big surprise at a meeting of the freshman senators in the Republican caucus.

After a sit-down meeting with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, his chief of staff approached Ernst and asked her to stay after for a bit to talk with McConnell.

“Immediately I start thinking, ‘Oh my goodness, I’ve done something wrong or I’ve said something wrong. What did I do?’” Ernst said in between a few chuckles.

At a sit-down meeting alone with McConnell, Ernst said he told her that House Speaker John Boehner and himself had selected her to give the official Republican response to Obama’s speech.

In the official response, Ernst briefly touched on issues Obama mentioned. She cast herself as a fresh face in the GOP, said Republicans understand how difficult the economy has been for Americans under the Obama administration, hit on issues such as Obamacare and told the personal story of her upbringing in Iowa.

“I was honored to do it,” Ernst said. “It really was a lot of fun.”

Staying connected to Iowa

Ernst is following in the footsteps of Grassley when it comes to staying connected to the state she serves.

She has already visited more than half of the 99 counties in Iowa and she plans to finish the remaining counties by the end of the year, a feat Grassley is known for pulling off every year. Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds also embarked on the tour last year.

“So far I’ve visited 51 counties, that’s the count now,” Ernst said. “It’s important that back in Iowa I’m going to all of these different communities across the state. It keeps me in touch and educated on some of the issues and challenges that Iowans are having in their particular industries.”

Ernst does everything from meet and greets, town halls and tours of businesses, to even attending an Iowa State women’s basketball game back in mid-February. She also toured the Biorenewables Research Laboratory on the ISU campus during a swing through Ames.

“Just going out and visiting those different folks, gaining their perspective and seeing first hand some of the issues they have to deal with at the local level,” Ernst said is the goal of her visits to every county.

But Iowa is not the only place she hears from her constituents.

“It’s important when we have folks coming out to Washington, D.C. That’s important to me and I want to sit down with all the folks that I possibly can,” Ernst said. “Here in Washington, I’ve met with more than 1,200 Iowans, folks that are traveling from Iowa to my office. We visit about some of the challenges, some of the opportunities and some of the great things they expect in the upcoming year.”

Ernst’s first bill

Ernst delivered her first speech, commonly called her “maiden speech,” on the floor of the U.S. Senate on March 23. The speech focused on her first piece of legislation introduced as a senator.

Titled the “Prioritizing Veterans’ Access to Mental Health Care Act,” her office says the bill “puts veterans’ mental health care first and provides a backstop to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) mental health care treatment, and prioritizes incentives to hire more mental health care professionals at the VA.”

“This is an issue, veterans and mental health, that I felt was very, very timely and something I wished had been addressed a long time ago,” Ernst said. “I am very passionate about our veterans, and in this particular area, we can make an immediate impact.”

The bill would help shorten the waiting period for veterans seeking mental health care. If the VA has a waiting list, the bill would permit veterans to seek care from private hospitals until they can receive more comprehensive treatment from VA hospitals.

“If there is any way that we can shorten the waiting period for veterans as they seek mental health assistance, we need to be doing that,” Ernst said.

She added that VA officials have told Congress the average wait time from when a veteran seeks mental health care and when they actually receive it is around 36 days. The VA says there about 22 veteran suicides each day.

“We have to provide the support that is necessary,” Ernst said.

The legislation also encourages hiring of mental health professionals at VA hospitals.

Grassley signed on as an original co-sponsor, along with Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn of Texas and U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C. Ernst also praised U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who asked to be added as an original co-sponsor following her maiden speech.

“He’s somebody who’s extremely passionate about veterans,” Ernst said.

Leader McConnell also had kind words for Ernst once she yielded the floor, saying she is “obviously bringing to the Senate real expertise about the needs that she addressed in her first piece of legislation. I expect it will enjoy broad bipartisan support, particularly with the sponsor having such firsthand knowledge of the needs of these returning veterans.”

She also mentioned she had a meeting with U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., who chairs the VA Committee in the Senate. They are planning a meeting to go through the bill to work out any issues.

“We’ve had many other folks that have approached me about the bill,” Ernst said, sounding confident about the chances of it passing.

2016 influence

Outside of official Washington business, Ernst looks set to play a big role in the upcoming Iowa caucuses as a flurry of campaigning returns to the state in the coming months.

Through her leadership PAC, titled the “Jobs, Opportunity & New Ideas” PAC, Ernst is planning a June event at the Central Iowa Expo in Boone.

The plan is to invite a number of 2016 presidential candidates and have them travel to Iowa to meet with voters. So far, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is the only name to officially confirm, but more are expected as they look for growing support ahead of January’s caucus.

“During this time, I’m not going to endorse anybody,” Ernst said. “Anyone of the presidential candidates that ask for assistance and advice, I give the same advice to every one of them — spend as much time in Iowa as possible.”

While Ernst may not throw her support behind anyone leading up to the caucus, she will likely be an Iowa name the Republican nominee is looking for when it comes to an endorsement.

Her event, the first “Roast and Ride,” is set for June 6. Tickets are $30 and those looking for information can visit www.jonipac.com.

“I want them to come out and just be able to shake hands with Iowans, get to know them and to hear from different people on topics in a very relaxing atmosphere,” Ernst said. “Iowa is extremely important.”

Going forward

Ernst will be busy in the months ahead as Congress works on many issues, and if she can stay connected to Iowa, she can become just as popular as Grassley, Winfrey said.

“History shows when Iowa has a senator or representative that they like, they keep re-electing them,” Winfrey said. “A big part of that is the feeling like a candidate is listening to you and the voices that they represent.”

Ernst said she is honored to serve Iowa in the U.S. Senate and looks forward to continue the work and hearing from Iowans.

“Our Iowa team is very united and we’ve been working closely for a better Iowa and, of course, a better nation, as well.”