Longtime Senator Chuck Grassley has been declared the winner of Iowa’s Republican primary. Meanwhile NPR reported, Democrats are going “all in” to win this seat against Grassley in November’s general election.
Grassley, who has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump, defeated state Senator Jim Carlin on Tuesday night.
Grassley is seeking his 8th term in office and is the clear favorite to keep the seat in November’s midterm elections.
As noted by NPR, Democrats are going “all in” to win this seat against Grassley in November’s general election.
“One of those vying for that chance is former Rep. Abby Finkenauer, who defeated a Republican incumbent in 2018 and then served in the US House of Representatives for just one term before losing her reelection bid two years ago. Now, at age 33, Finkenauer is facing a tougher-than-expected U.S. Senate primary in a state that has become more of a GOP stronghold in the last decade,” the outlet reported.
“Finkenauer regularly points out generational differences between her and Grassley, who is 88 years old, when talking on the campaign trail about issues like abortion rights, college debt, and gun restrictions,” the report added.
Trump officially endorsed Grassley in a statement earlier this year, calling him a “Courageous Patriot.”
“During my Administration, Chuck worked closely with me to Appoint and Confirm Judges who Uphold the Rule of Law and Interpret the Constitution as our Founders Intended,” Trump said in a statement. “Chuck fights to Support our Farmers, Empower Ethanol Producers, Restore American Energy Independence, and Protect Life.”
Trump gave Grassley a verbal endorsement when the two shared the stage at an October 2021 rally in Des Moines, calling him “a great American patriot” and “a man who loves Iowa,” at a rally in Des Moines.
“We have with us tonight a great American patriot, a man who truly loves Iowa — loves Iowa,” Trump said. “He’s a young — very young guy. He’s strong. And he’s very handsome. He fights like no other. When I’ve needed him for help he was always there.”
“I’m thrilled to announce tonight that Sen. Chuck Grassley has my complete and total endorsement for reelection,” he said.
The endorsement came after Grassley announced he will seek an eighth term in the U.S. Senate.
“I was born at night, but not last night,” Grassley said following Trump’s announcement. “So if I didn’t accept the endorsement of a person that’s got 91% of the Republican voters in Iowa, I wouldn’t be too smart. I’m smart enough to accept that endorsement.”
At the rally last October, Grassley cast himself as a supporter of Trump’s agenda.
“President Trump and I were proud to deliver for the hardworking people of Iowa and the United States — people just like you — policies that make a difference in the United States of America to continue America first,” he said.
“President Trump ran on a platform of making sure that we had strict … conservative justices on the Supreme Court,” Grassley said. “And there’s three of them that are there and I was happy to chair the committee to get them there.”
Grassley had been mulling privately whether to retire, leaving the political world in suspense for months as the U.S. Senate is in play for Republicans in November.
Grassley’s decision to enter the race gives Republicans a clear advantage, particularly because he’s been in elected office continuously since 1959 and he has repeatedly been reelected by double-digit margins.
