Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa to Seek Re-election
By: By John McCormick
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa said Friday he plans to run for an eighth term, a decision that should boost Republican prospects of holding his seat and potentially gaining control of the chamber in 2022.
“It’s 4 a.m. in Iowa so I’m running. I do that 6 days a week,” the 88-year-old wrote on Twitter . “Before I start the day I want you to know what Barbara and I have decided. I’m running for re-election—a lot more to do, for Iowa.”
Mr. Grassley easily won in 2016 and has been one of the most popular politicians in recent Iowa history. Former Rep. Abby Finkenauer is one of the Democrats planning to compete for the nomination to challenge Mr. Grassley in next year’s general election.
An Iowa Poll poll released earlier this week by the Des Moines Register and Mediacom found Mr. Grassley leading Ms. Finkenauer, 55% to 37%, in a hypothetical matchup.
Iowa has trended Republican in recent statewide elections. It has a GOP governor and former President Donald Trump won the state by more than 8 percentage points in November.
Mr. Grassley, a powerful figure in the Senate who has been able to deliver for Iowa’s rural interests on trade as well as ethanol and wind energy, said in a Wall Street Journal interview this summer that he would be running for a final term, if he did seek re-election.
“I don’t plan on being a Strom Thurmond and serving until I’m 100 years and three months old,” he said, referencing the late South Carolina senator who holds the record for membership age in the Senate.
Upon completion of another six-year term, Mr. Grassley would be 95 years old.
Mr. Grassley is known for his grueling travel around the state, conducting at least one meeting in each of Iowa’s 99 counties every year. Some candidates campaigning ahead of Iowa’s presidential caucuses have mimicked the approach, which political insiders call the “full Grassley.”
Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California is the Senate’s oldest member, also at 88. Mr. Grassley is less than three months her junior. While Mrs. Feinstein has faced calls within the party to step aside, Iowa’s Republican leadership is solidly behind Mr. Grassley, who has worked to find a balance between the party’s pro-Trump and traditional conservative wings .
Heading into 2022, Republicans are optimistic about their prospects to retake the Senate because the party that doesn’t control the White House typically makes gains in midterm elections. A departure by Mr. Grassley from a chamber currently split 50-50, with Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris casting the tiebreaking vote, would have made their efforts more challenging.