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The military shout-out is not an empty gesture either, as Ernst served in Kuwait in Operation Iraqi Freedom from 2003 to 2004 and she was a member of the Army Reserves for more than two decades.

In spite of her relatively short political career, Ernst has already shown that she is able to cause a stir. Her campaign made a splash last fall when she released an ad where she touted her experience castrating hogs as a play on how she would know how to 'cut pork barrel spending' in Washington.

\"PHOTO:
ABC News
PHOTO: Iowa Senator Joni Ernst gives the Republican response following the State of the Union, Jan. 20, 2015 in Washington.
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