For years, Grassley has played the mumbling, grumbling, honest regular guy, who is willing to work across the aisle. To many, Grassley sounds like hes a candidate-in-waiting. In front of a crowd of Iowans in Des Moines on October 9, 2021, a grinning Grassley, with the sleeves of his blue shirt rolled up, accepted Trumps endorsement. Hometown: Lebanon (Sioux County). She became the second-youngest woman elected to the US House in 2018 (and the youngest woman ever to flip a seat blue), defeating a multi-millionaire incumbent. He has worked on the staff of U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy, and at the U.S. Department of Defense, and he has served as the chief of legislative affairs for the Navy. You can contribute to us here. Abby Finkenauer, Chuck Grassley's top Democratic challenger, knocked Register to vote online, or download a form to print and return to your county auditor. Vanity Fair may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. Now lives in Sioux City. Honestly, Chuck, youre an Iowan, for Gods sakes! Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) was one of 19 Republicans who rebuked Donald Trump and voted for the bipartisan infrastructure deal, but just one day earlier was on the floor of the Senate defending. After the leaked Supreme Court opinion on abortion rights, Finkenauer has spoken out at several pro-choice rallies about her longtime support of womens health care and noting how useful it would be to have a young woman in the Senate who can talk personally about reproductive rights. He says there were some irregularities in the 2020 election but Biden is the legitimate president. I know for a fact that is not true, said state Rep. Lee Hein, a Republican close to Pat Grassley. I work with him every day. He fires off typo-riddled tweets that take on a life of their own, from the Beltway-famous assume deer dead to If u lost ur pet pidgin / its dead in front yard., Sometimes hell tell staff that I feel a tweet coming on.. (Grassley reportedly spoke about gold to the groups Financial Survival Seminar, and his press secretary told The Des Moines Register at the time that Grassley had not intended when he accepted the invitation to jump into bed with some political group. The challenge sounds like something out of the classic Seinfeld episode in which the elderly Mandelbaum family taunts Jerry to prove his physical prowess. Carlin served in the Iowa House for one year and for four years as an Iowa Senator. Despite the fact that the majority of Iowans thought maybe it was time for him to step aside. The first Democrat to join the race wasDave Muhlbauer, a 37-year-old farmer and a former Crawford County supervisor. If you want Grassley out, youve got to vote for the one that you think can beat him, Mahl, 66, said after voting at a downtown Council Bluffs church. Its time for the 88-year-old to call it quits if hes unable to stand up to the Big Lie. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. The constitution [and] bill of rights guarantee a just and speedy trial.. Even facing a candidate named Judge, Grassley won by 24 points. In many ways Grassleys 1980 election was the perfect prologue for the current political climate. The senator, who is the second oldest in the Senate, had already endured COVID; by the end of another term hed be 95 years old. and instead mounted a race for state auditor. Kuehl ended his campaign in March, as a state panel upheld a challenge alleging he failed to qualify for the ballot. Born on a military base in Germany, his family later moved to the Midwest and Hurst would attend medical school at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. WASHINGTON Former Iowa Democratic Rep. Abby Finkenauer is running for Senate, looking to win the seat currently held by longtime Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley in next year's midterms.. Until the incumbent makes his decision, the states Democrats are frozen and not particularly chatty. Finkenauer is a former state representative who was elected to Iowa's 1st District in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2018 but lost her 2020 re-election bid. Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley explained at a House hearing how high-profile Democrats, the FBI and the media portrayed legitimate Congressional oversight of Hunter Biden's business dealings as . Heres how. Shaken and trying to recover, Culver lost his edge. She announced in November she would run for reelection in Iowa's 1st District. Before the second debate, he pre-poured Grassley his cup of water. In the summer of 2021, there was chatter Grassley wouldnt run again. Nunn is a combat aviator and Intelligence Squadron Commander in the United States Air Force, and he has served on the White Houses National Security Council as Director of Cybersecurity. Introduction. Yepsen recalls that the divide in the Iowa Republican Party at the time was between moderate, urban Republicans and the hard-edged conservatives of the rural areas. Congress is fast approaching the need to take action on the nation's statutory debt limit, often referred to as the debt ceiling. Asked about that recent viral tweet about Fox News Channels news ticker, Grassley replied: Im disgusted! Hes now watching CNN but hopes Fox notices his demand. Labor Organizer: Gov. Now lives in Cedar Rapids. 6 West Burlington. Trump endorsed Grassley for reelection at the event. She is also a former television reporter and anchor at KCRG-TV in Cedar Rapids. With just four months until the primary election, Iowas congressional and governor races are starting to solidify. Charles Ernest Grassley was going to run again. Still, theres some consternation in Iowa over whether its time to pass the torch. The room was filled with older white Iowans in sweatshirts and sneakers. Forum for Iowa Democrats running to unseat Sen. Chuck Grassley - Yahoo! Its too depressing. Yet he never deletes a tweet, no matter the misspellings or reading comprehension challenges. According to the Secretary of State's office, Iowa election 2022 candidates for Senate, U.S. House. https://www.cookpolitical.com/ratings/senate-race-ratings Gary Leffler, a Republican activistbest known for his patriotic tractor, has also filed with the Federal Election Commission to challenge Axne. Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. State Sen. Zach Nunn, 42, entered the race in July. Hes held public office since 1959 and served in the Senate since 1981, including two years in the presidential line of succession. Just the opposite. If he retires, they'll have a battle on their hands. Certainly it didnt seem to hurt Grassley. But Ill vote and hope for the best. Once, during one of the lessons, the minister asked, Well, boys, what is it you like about girls?. Mike Franken, a retired U.S. Navy admiral, highlighted his military record throughout the forum and said his background neutralizes many Republican talking points about Democrats. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, IA-02, announced in November that she willmove into the 1st District and run for reelection there. Also follow us on Facebook and Twitter. I also need Steve King in Congress. In 2019, after The New York Times published an article documenting Kings racism, King was stripped of his committee assignments. Democrat Mike Franken will challenge U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley in November. But life began for Franken in a small town in deeply-conservative Northwest Iowa, where he was one of nine children. Its not impossible for Democrats to break through, Scholten argued. Mark Hollander, 47, a marketing professional from West Des Moines said he voted for Abby Finkenauer in part because of her background in Congress, but also because she represents a new generation. And asking him why he was playing footsie with liberals. Raw electoral politics aside, theres a more delicate topic. It's laughable. Kim Reynolds and Sen. Chuck Grassley are up for reelection in 2022, although Reynolds has not officially announced her bid. But this isnt necessarily anything new. Who is Dave Muhlbauer? Meet the Democrat running against Grassley The sunny spring day he went for a Bambinos burger was a typical one for Grassley, whose renowned 27-year-long streak of 8,927 votes was derailed only by the coronavirus. Meanwhile, there is a set of Republicans vying to topple Democrat Cindy Axne in the 3rd Congressional District. Following changes in the congressional maps as a result of redistricting, Iowa's 1st District now cover's the state's southeastern corner, rather than it's northeastern one. Franken has presented himself as someone who can bring a lot of rural voters back to the Democratic Party with his demeanor and military background. Kim Reynolds and Sen. Chuck Grassley are up for reelection in 2022, although Reynolds has not officially announced her bid. Is Chuck Grassley in Danger in Iowa? - Townhall.com The cultural shift that had begun after the 1973 ruling on Roe v. Wade seemed to help Grassley in the heavily Catholic areas of the state. And after five GOP retirements this cycle, Grassley is under pressure to save his party from defending yet another open seat as it labors to retake the majority. After he listened to a constituent talk about limiting paper waste on Medicare forms, Grassley said hes never thought of it but will take it back as a Grassley suggestion.. Iowa Sens. When Ernst reaches 17, theres a hesitant cheer, one that feels forced. In response to some of the questions, Grassley explained the legislative process and the history of partisan fights. Abb Hurst also chairs the Iowa Democratic Party's Rural Caucus and the party's 3rd District Central Committee, and he was involved in founding a branch of Indivisble, a progressive activist organization, in western Iowa. March 3, 2023. He said he believes Grassley would have to debate him during a general election because of his record of service. The governor, Robert Ray, was a Republican, but he was against the death penalty, and his legacy in the state would eventually be his role in opening Iowas borders to refugees. Des Moines Primary 2022: Abby Finkenauer candidate profile . Chuck Grassley - Wikipedia Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. When pressed by a CNN reporter about why he accepted the endorsement, given the former presidents comments calling Bidens election an insurrection, Grassley got defensive, saying that he didnt think the question was appropriate and telling the reporter that he was talking to Iowans at the rally about the Biden administrations failures. He ran as a Libertarian in Iowa's 3rd District in 2020, finishing with 3.4% of the vote against Democratic U.S. Rep. Cindy Axne and Republican David Young. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Here are the results from key races from the June 7 Iowa primary elections. In 2022, he was reelected to his eighth Senate term, having first been elected in 1980. Des Moines Primary 2022: Abby Finkenauer candidate profile . I'm proud of it, she said. Senate's Chuck Grassley, 88, to Run Again, Buoying GOP's Hopes in 2022 Decision by 88-year-old could aid GOP bid to retake majority Battle for Senate has huge stakes for Biden given 50-50 split