President Obama’s State of the Union address promised a return to “middle class economics” and a continuation of the economic upswing that the last two years of the administration has fostered. Obama also assured the American people that “the shadow of crisis has passed” and the United States can finally begin moving forward.

For Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), that passing shadow of crisis takes the form of Obama’s relatively imminent departure from the White House. Ernst delivered the official rebuttal of the Republican party, saying that “Republicans heard the message [voters] sent in November,” and that Republicans are working “to change the direction Washington has been taking our country.”

Whether or not you agree with Ernst’s statements, the fact that a freshman senator was selected to give the official State of the Union address rebuttal just weeks after being inaugurated is a great accomplishment. Add that to the fact that Ernst is the first-ever woman in Iowa to be elected to Congress, it seems as though she is well on her way to success in the Senate.

Ernst’s accomplishments and popularity reflect positively on the state of Iowa. No matter which side of the political spectrum you fall on, is having a strong and popular female leader for our state so bad?

Ernst’s role in the State of the Union address is only the latest in a long line of recent accomplishments and notoriety for the state of Iowa. It seems as though our state is currently in the spotlight and for numerous positive reasons. Iowa is certainly a state we can take pride in being a part of, especially right now.

This weekend, Des Moines will host the Iowa Freedom Summit, an event with more than 20 confirmed speakers on the agenda. The speakers include multiple possible presidential hopefuls, such as Chris Christie, Ted Cruz, Newt Gingrich and Mike Huckabee. Other big names include Donald Trump and Sarah Palin.

But the Iowa Freedom Summit is also not the only upcoming political event in our state. This week, Iowa Board of Regents President Bruce Rastetter announced that he invited two dozen politicians to speak at the first-ever Iowa Agriculture Summit on March 7.

While no speakers for the Iowa Agriculture Summit have been confirmed as of Jan. 20, numerous people who may be looking to run for president in 2016, both Democratic and Republican, were invited to speak. Those who were invited include Bobby Jindal, Jeb Bush, Rand Paul, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, Andrew Cuomo and Elizabeth Warren.

The attention being given to Iowa this month will pale in comparison to the coming inundation of our state with presidential hopefuls from both sides of the aisle. As politicians give up the “will they, won’t they” game and officially announce their candidacy, Iowa will once more become the political hot bed of the United States.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has already made an appearance at Gov. Branstad’s inauguration and will doubtlessly be making stops along his pre-campaign trail following the Iowa Freedom Summit and it is not any stretch of the imagination to believe that other Republican candidates may follow suit.

While our state may be all too often confused for others or forgotten in terms of national relevance, the growing political prominence that is quickly building in addition to the caucuses will be a driving force in solidifying Iowa as a key state in the union.