Gail Ernst, Joni Ernst’s Ex-Husband: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

Gail Ernst is the ex-husband of Republican Senator Joni Ernst from Iowa. The couple was married for more than 25 years but announced in August 2018 that they were splitting. The divorce was finalized in January 2019.

On January 22, 2019, the Guardian cited court documents that suggested Senator Ernst’s political career may have caused a strain in the marriage. According to the outlet, she wrote in a divorce affidavit that “in the summer of 2016, I was interviewed by Candidate Trump to be vice president of the United States. I turned Candidate Trump down, knowing it wasn’t the right thing for me or my family… [Gail] hated any successes I had and would belittle me and get angry any time I achieved a goal.”

Gail Ernst disagreed with his wife’s assessment, arguing that he was supportive of her career. But he added that he had given up his own “aspirations and goals to be a good dad and husband,” the Guardian reported.

Senator Ernst also alleged that her husband was physically and emotionally abusive, according to divorce documents cited by the Des Moines Register.

Here’s what you need to know.

1. Gail Ernst Met Joni Culver When She Was a Student at Iowa State University

Gail and Joni Ernst with daughter Libby.

Joni Culver Ernst is known for being the first female combat veteran to be elected to the United States Senate. She joined the ROTC program at Iowa State University when she was 20 years old, in 1990. She met Gail during her time there, but it’s unclear in what capacity.

Gail served in the Army for 28 years, including as a Ranger and Drill Sergeant, according to the first of his two LinkedIn pages. His birthday is not listed on his personal Facebook page. But his LinkedIn page shows that he graduated high school in 1971, the year after Joni was born. Gail joined the Army in 1973, so he would have been far higher in the ranks than Joni when they first met.

Some sources state that Joni and Gail were married in 1992, and Joni’s Senate biography does not clarify. But Gail’s Facebook page states that they got married on July 24, 1993. The ceremony took place while he was stationed with the 1st Ranger Battalion 75th Ranger Regiment in Savannah, Georgia. A Ranger-qualified chaplain performed the ceremony.

Gail and Joni Ernst have one daughter together named Libby. She began college in 2018 at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Gail also has two other daughters from a previous marriage.

2. Gail Ernst’s Military Career Spanned Nearly Three Decades

Gail & Joni Ernst. (Facebook/Gail Ernst)

Gail Ernst joined the U.S. Army in 1973, after graduating from high school. He explains on one of his LinkedIn profiles that he “held every leadership position from Team Leader to Command Sergeant Major.”

Gail says he served in Ranger, Light Infantry and Recon units. He is especially proud of his time as a Ranger. On his social media pages, Gail has “RLTW,” Rangers Lead the Way, in a couple of places. He retired from the army on September 30, 2001. He had served for more than 28 years.

Gail has been highly complimentary about his wife’s military service and other causes as well. In 1994, Joni was given a place in the Plaza of Heroines at Iowa State University. The plaza is dedicated to honoring exceptional alumna. Gail recommended her for a spot, with a sentimental message to go along with it. It reads in part:

“Joni is a very remarkable woman who constantly amazes me with her concern for others, charitable nature and selfless outlook on life. She is always the first to volunteer her spare time for any worthwhile cause and is frustrated by the lack of participation by others in such events. I must qualify this endorsement by stating upfront that I am the very, very fortunate man that she married and that I love her more than life itself…

Giving more of her free time to worthy causes, Joni volunteered to work at a safehouse for battered and abused women and children in Ames, Iowa. Answering a beeper call at mostly inconvenient and late hours, Joni would head to a hospital, police station or safehouse to give comfort to a woman or child in need of support. This was accomplished without deterring her from a full class schedule and the ROTC commitment as well. It was at this time that I met and fell in love with the future Mrs. Ernst.”

3. After Retiring From the Army, Gail Ernst Worked at a Bank & an Airport

LinkedInGail Ernst was previously married to Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa.

Gail Ernst took a few months off after retiring from the Army in September of 2001. In February 2002, he was hired as Branch Manager of a U.S. Bank in Red Oak, Iowa. According to his LinkedIn page, Gail and his team grew the branch into one of the top-performing locations in the region. He was promoted to Market President after four years, but in 2007 he decided to move on from banking.

It appears Gail Ernst took more time off after leaving the bank. The family was not stationed anywhere outside of Iowa; at the time, Joni was working as the Montgomery County auditor in Red Oak, Iowa.

In June 2009, Gail began working at the city’s airport as its manager. While working there, he also learned to fly and obtained a private pilot’s license.

He stayed at the airport for more than six years before retiring in January 2016. He explained on his second LinkedIn account that he was “content to be retired and living life!”

4. Gail Ernst Attracted National Scorn During Joni’s Senate Campaign For Controversial Facebook Posts

GettyU.S. Vice President Joe Biden congratulates Sen. Joni Earnst and her family, daughter Libby Ernst (L) and husband Gail Ernst, during a cermonial swearing-in in the Old Senate Chamber at the U.S. Capitol January 6, 2015 in Washington, DC.

After serving as a state senator in Iowa, Joni Ernst decided to run for the U.S. Senate in 2014. This was a major moment for her home state. Iowa had never elected a woman to the federal office before. When she won, Joni also became the first female combat veteran to serve in the U.S. Senate.

But the Republican candidate faced a lot of negative attention for husband Gail’s controversial “jokes” on his Facebook page, as Heavy previously reported. As mentioned above, Gail was previously married before meeting Joni, to a woman named Ingrid Nesbit with whom he shares two daughters. In March 2013, before Joni announced her senatorial candidacy, Gail posted on Facebook:

“What do you do if you see your ex running around in your front yard screaming and bloody? Stay calm. Reload. And try again.”

Also in 2013, Gail Ernst took aim at President Obama’s Secretary of Homeland Security. He shared a photo of Janet Napolitano and wrote:

And am I suppose (sic) to give up my guns? As if! Traitorous skank!

Gail Ernst also referred to Hillary Clinton in 2013 as a “lying hag” in a Facebook post about Benghazi.

The offensive posts have all since been deleted, and Joni Ernst apologized for the comments. She told the Des Moines Register, “I’m appalled by my husband’s remarks. They are uncalled for and clearly inappropriate. I’ve addressed this issue with my husband and that’s between us.”

5. Gail Ernst Moved to Florida After Retiring

Gail Ernst retired in January 2016. He wrote on LinkedIn that “Every day is Saturday now!”

He has since moved to Florida and is in a relationship with a woman named Carla. He described his new life on LinkedIn:

I hung up my rucksack for the final time 01 January 2016. Carla and I live in SW Florida and love the sunny weather! We hope to travel a lot this year and attend more Ranger functions. We try to ride the Harley every chance we get!

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