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But her bio is politically irresistible even beyond that.

Joni Ernst to brave State of the Union rebuttal

She's an Iraq war combat vet, and the first woman elected to Congress from Iowa.

She was a tea party favorite for her positions on everything from abortion to the federal minimum wage. On the latter, Ernst told us on the campaign trail back in August she doesn't believe in a "one-size-fits-all approach."

"I believe it has to be done by the state," she had said.

But she snatched the Senate seat left open by retiring liberal icon Tom Harkin by moderating her image in the general election, winning handily in the purple state of Iowa.

During her campaign against Democrat Bruce Braley, I asked her if she would be a senator in the mold of conservative poster boy Ted Cruz. She recoiled, insisting "Oh no, I'm a senator in the mold of Joni Ernst. Just an independent leader who will represent Iowa."

And she has another trait that drives Democrats crazy: She seems nice. Not New Jersey nice or California nice, but Iowa nice, which anyone who has ever stepped foot in Iowa knows is really, really nice.

Except, that is, if you're a hog.

She even used her victory night speech last fall to reinforce her hog castrating fame.

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Tea party favorite to give GOP response

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. The past year has not been kind to the tea party: Its most prized candidates were crushed in primary elections to establishment-backed foes, then it watched in dismay earlier this month as conservatives in Congress failed to block John Boehner from another term as House speaker.

Five years into its existence, the tea party is a movement adrift, interviews with conservative activists at this weekends South Carolina Tea Party Coalition Convention show. Its members are at odds over what went wrong in the 2014 election and on how to move forward in 2016; theres even disagreement over how to define success. Is it enough to nudge the Republican Party to the right, as it has indisputably done, even if its candidates lose to people backed by the party establishment?

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Perhaps, suggested Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.)., the tea partys recent struggles are just the nature of a sprawling, loosely defined grass-roots effort.

The tea party gets [factionalized] in primaries a lot because the tea party is just really a large group of average Americans who believe in limited government, free markets and are frustrated with Big Government, said Duncan, a member of the House Tea Party Caucus who was first elected during the 2010 tea party wave election.

Hundreds of those average Americans milled about a spartan convention center on the beach here over the three-day conference, participating in activist trainings and hobnobbing with lawmakers and notables. A anti-Common Core booth featuring an image of a rotten apple was particularly popular. The event also drew potential 2016 contenders to this early voting presidential state, including Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), former Sen. Rick Santorum and neurosurgeon-turned-conservative-activist Ben Carson.

The confab unfolded following a recent early test of the tea partys clout in the new Congress: Earlier this month, Boehner (R-Ohio) was reelected speaker after a surprisingly large but still insufficient number of conservatives voted against him. Activists at the conference were outraged but disagreed on how to handle the defectors. Threaten another primary? Let them off with a warning?

Im furious about Boehner, said Joe Dugan, who organized the conference. Absolutely furious. Im extremely surprised, Im extremely disappointed [but] I dont know what promises Boehner made. Rather than berate, Im going to watch a lot more carefully.

He added that tea party allies who backed Boehner will have to prove themselves to him all over again.

Roger Keyser, 70, suggested that in theory, the tea party should be more forgiving of disagreements within its ranks. But voting for Boehner? There was no excuse for that one, Keyser said.

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Tea party reeling

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. A crowd of tea party activists huddled outside a closed conference door here on Sunday. Many hadnt caught a glimpse of the man they were waiting for, but they knew he was in there.

Here he comes! someone suddenly shouted, as Ted Cruz emerged.

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All day long, the Republican senator from Texas was mobbed by people who thanked him for taking on Washington, jostled for pictures and sought out hugs. Even after Cruz had departed the South Carolina Tea Party Coalition Convention, his booth was consistently crowded.

Ben Carson and Rick Santorum made their pitches, and both were well-received. But Cruz was the crowd favorite by a landslide, and if the reception he got at the weekend gathering is any indication, the tea party vote in this critical early-voting state is his to lose.

He is a man who has dedicated his public service to making sure government listens to the American people, said Maria Strollo Zack, who has launched a super PAC urging Cruz to run, called Stand for Principle. Hes not going to be bullied, hes not going to be told to sit down and shut up.

But while Cruz may have the early momentum with these activists, the broader battle for support among GOP activists will be one of the fiercest of the 2016 cycle. And many Republicans question how much appeal Cruz has beyond the most conservative faction of the GOP.

The senator himself acknowledged that popularity among the tea party alone isnt enough to cinch the Republican nomination.

For any Republican to win the nomination, you have to be able to bring together a broad coalition, he told POLITICO. You have to be a full-spectrum conservative.

The fight is already on, however, to win over the tea party wing of that spectrum.

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Crazy for Cruz

MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) - In front of a room packed full of Tea Party enthusiasts, Donald Trump took the microphone and gave the party a shot in the arm.

He may not have announced his run for presidency, but he did put the Tea Party on the map for the next election.

It's still very much up for grabs, said Curtis Ellis, a Tea Party Activist who worked at the convention. There's not been a single candidate that's swept the board.

The tea party has had its problems in the past but right now its gearing up for a candidate to make a run at the presidency. One of those possible candidates is Donald Trump.

He hopes people can get over the stigma that sometimes comes with the party.

I think they've been treated very, very unfairly, Trump said. What they really are, are great American people who love this country and they work, and that's what I'm all about.

Others had a harder time answering the question, but eventually came up with some solutions.

Ron Hooper traveled all the way from Florida and did have an answer. He believes people will take the party more seriously if they stop the fighting.

One thing that really hurts the Republican Party and Tea Party, both, is that they've been a little at odds, said Hooper, a guest from Florida. I'd like to see that kind of unify.

Whether or not the party is in the public's good graces, many attending this year's conference believes it's their message their will win the public over.

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Donald Trump puts Tea Party on map for 2016

MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WIS) -

Before the Tea Party Convention wrapped up in Myrtle Beach, Donald Trump spoke to party supporters regarding leadership and who's already running for the presidency.

I was right in 2012, Trump told a room full of supporters on Monday. I said I didn't see a strong candidate. We had Mitt Romney. We went with Mitt Romney. He failed. Now, he wants to run again? That was the worst signal! The last thing this country needs is another Bush. We've had it with the Bushes.

Trump considers himself a Republican, but he criticizes current Republican lawmakers and policies. In fact, he says he aligns more with Tea Party ideas.

The Tea Party's extremely relevant, Attorney General Alan Wilson said, and they're going to move the needle on the presidential primary.

However, the Tea Party is only a portion of the voters the GOP will need to clinch a victory in 2016.

The first thing we have to do is unify the party, ex-presidential candidate and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum said.

A split party doesn't bode well for a national campaign. In 2000, Democrats were split between Al Gore and Ralph Nader. Both candidates lost to George W. Bush.

In 1992, the older Bush lost votes to Ross Perot, helping Democrat Bill Clinton come away with the presidential victory.

Santorum was a Tea Party favorite in 2012 who did well in South Carolina and will run again in 2016. Like Trump, the former senator says Republicans have dropped the ball.

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Trump stops by Tea Party Convention, discusses presidential hopefuls