Almost a year before Chuck Grassley was born, the Republican Party-- which had had destroyed the U.S. economy-- was pulverized by the Democrats when FDR was elected president for the first time. Iowa's 11 electoral votes were awarded to Roosevelt after he drubbed Hoover 58-40% in the state-- quite the turnaround after Hoover's 1928 Iowa victory (62-38%) over Democrat Al Smith. Grassley grew up on a farm, was elected to the Iowa House in 1958 and then to Congress in 1974 before being elected to the U.S. Senate in 1980.
There are only 2 older members of Congress than Grassley, Alaska Republican Don Young and California conservative Democrat Dianne Feinstein, both born 3 months before him and both noticeably senile and dysfunctional. Grassley is the longest-serving senator in Iowa history and a large majority of Iowans say it's Grassley's time to say goodbye to the Senate.
Last time he was up for reelection, in 2016, he beat Schumer-selected establishment Democrat Patty Judge in a massive 60-36% landslide, outperforming Trump and winning all but one of Iowa's 99 counties (Johnson County). "Grassley has been a Senator for decades," JD Scholten told me this morning. "During that span, we have seen the rise of multinational Ag corporations take over Iowa. We need a candidate who understands how selling out our communities has made it more difficult to live here. Democrats need to start winning populist fights!"
This morning, the Des Moines Register reported that just 27% of likely Iowa voters say they plan to cast their ballots for him in 2022. He hasn't said whether or not he plans to run but 64% of Iowans-- including 37% of Republicans and 68% of independents-- say it's time for a new senator.
"If Grassley were to retire," wrote Brianne Pfannenstiel, "it would likely trigger a competitive primary drawing from every segment of the Republican Party’s political spectrum. It would also likely embolden Democrats hesitant to run against Grassley. So far, farmer and former Crawforfd County supervisor Dave Muhlbauer is the only Democrat to have announced a run for the Senate, though others have expressed interest. State Sen. Jim Carlin, a Republican, has said he will run-- and primary Grassley if necessary."
Grassley's job approval rating has continued to slide.
Progressives have been urging J.D. Scholten to jump into the race but Schumer is determined to get behind one of his typical crappy conservative lesser-of-two-evils candidates. This cycle he is looking at defeated one term congressmember, Abby Finkenauer, who is best known as a lazy, incompetent, cowardly conservative, although he has also spoken about drafting Iowa's only remaining Democrat in Congress, Cindy Axne, who is even further right than Finkenauer. As of Friday, Axne, a New Dem, had the 18th worst voting record of any Democrat in the House-- exactly the kind of Republican-lite fake-Democrat Schumer is always looking for. Almost any Republican would easily beat her or Finkenauer. Grassley's grandson, Pat Grassley, speaker of Iowa's House, is likely to run, as is Ashley Hinson, the Republican congresswoman who defeated Finkenauer in the district that went heaviest for Obama in 2012. There is also talk that corrupt lobbyist Matthew Whitaker, a fringe crackpot who Trump appointed Acting Attorney General after he drove Jeff Sessions out, but who is so extreme that he was unconfirmable even by a McConnell-run Republican Senate.