Read the full Q&A with Franken here. and instead mounted a race for state auditor. Thats because he feels that by offering a clearer difference between the Democratic and Republican candidate, Democrats can win back many Iowa voters. Reporter Brianne Pfannenstiel contributed reporting. Hed tell people what he was doing and theyd listen. 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.. candidate Glenn Hurst, a city council member and doctor from Minden. Three Democrats running for the U.S. Senate took aim at Republican Chuck Grassley during a forum Saturday in Des Moines, challenging the audience to weigh which candidate is best suited to take him on in November. No whispered questions about acuity follow him, the way they have Feinstein or the late Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.). The first Democrat to join the race wasDave Muhlbauer, a 37-year-old farmer and a former Crawford County supervisor. Do you have information you want to share with HuffPost? Speaking out on it is the only thing we can do, he said, before briefly explaining the justice system and how its a separate branch of government. It was Barack Obama who described Grassley as having a hangdog face and throaty midwestern drawl. Grassley himself leans into this image with his cranky, barely readable tweets about the History Channel, or u kno what at Dairy Queen. He questioned Reagans military spending and pushed for hearings on unfettered defense budgets. how universal health care can revitalize rural Iowa. The former president has been politically weakened, with reports of former Trump allies looking to Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, and other Republican hopefuls to take the reins. DeJear had just $8,500 cash on hand at the beginning of 2022, but she told reporters in January that the campaignsaw a boost as the year began. But a Grassley spokesperson noted, Like most small- and medium-size family farmers who must contend with mother nature and fluctuating input and commodity prices, the Grassley farm has from time to time utilized government-supported programs when necessary.. 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. It was about theater, not policy, and Ailes saw that. His legacy in Iowa and the nation has become a palimpsest for a certain cultural political anxietyif you are a Democrat, Grassley is a symbol of all that has been lost by politics, a grand tradition of stately bipartisanship tossed aside for toxic extremist politics. In September, Democrat Joseph Kerner quietly entered the race and registered his campaign with the Federal Election Commission. Abby Finkenauer, a former U.S. congresswoman and state legislator, took a more moderate approach to those policies, saying she supports an expanded Medicare system for those who want it in addition to employer-based private health insurance, and she said she opposed the Green New Deal while she was in Congress. Despite the fact that only 27% of Iowans wanted him to do it. Dave Muhlbauer, an Iowa farmer and a former county supervisor, was the first Democrat to announce a campaign. However,Trump endorsed Grassleyduring an October visit to Des Moines. But this isnt necessarily anything new. I think there was an inherent sense of fairness, she said to me in a phone interview. Yet Another Republican Seems to Want to Join the 2024 Presidential Race: Tim Scott. In a campaign video released Monday, Dave Muhlbauer of Manilla says many Iowa voters just feel like Democrats are leaving rural areas high and dry.. Hes a senior senator from a state with a largely consolidating and contracting free press. The senator disclosed to Attorney General Merrick Garland that lawfully protected whistleblower disclosures to his office indicate that the Justice Department and FBI had over a dozen sources who provided potentially criminal information relating He voted to impeach Bill Clinton, but voted against impeaching Trump. I steal from them their entire narrative. Raw electoral politics aside, theres a more delicate topic. I know for a fact that is not true, said state Rep. Lee Hein, a Republican close to Pat Grassley. In 1980, Roger Ailes, then a political consultant, came to Iowa to test out a theory on Grassleys campaign for Senate. More: Republican state Sen. Jim Carlin launches U.S. Senate bid, will run in a primary against Chuck Grassley if 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. Thats how I feel.. Can the Republican hold on to the political movement he helped build? Here's what to know. DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) Democrat Mike Franken, a retired Navy admiral, will face Republican Chuck Grassley in the race for an Iowa U.S. Senate seat, winning his party nomination Tuesday over two competitors. She leaned on her record in Congress and said it demonstrates the kind of policies and resolve that will help Democrats defeat Grassley. James Tackett Klein, a Republican from Winnebago County, who served two terms in the Iowa House, from 1969 to 1971, told me that Grassley didnt go out after the sessionshe worked. Hes the difference between whether this is a competitive race, or whether Chuck Grassley just wins again., Poll: Majority of Iowans do not want Grassley to seek reelection. Redistricting made things a little trickier for Iowas House races. Abby Finkenauer in July became the first major Democrat to announce a 2022 run for the U.S. Senate seat long held by Republican Chuck Grassley. He has. But even so, history is catching up with him. According to Yepsen, things began to change for Grassley under Obama. Nunn represents Bondurant and has highlighted his Air Force career in campaign ads. Some have been held for a year. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); According to the non-partisan Cook Political Report this race is rated as solid Republican He said that Trumps presidency started off difficult for him, but seeing his success later on, I think that Id have to say that I misjudged.. Conlin recalls that even though she and Grassley were at odds, he still allowed her bills to come out of the committee. He was part of the wave of conservative election upsets in 1980. And though he never seriously contemplated challenging Bidens win, he says his colleagues had every right to do so. But still, his grip on the conservative movement he helped build is precarious. It's an election year: Look for no shortage of news from Gov. Krause ended his campaign after he was unable to gather the necessary number of signatures to make the ballot. The KKK cited Grassley, giving him an eight out of 10 for his voting record. Reynolds, Please Let Iowas Kids Be Kids, 6 Iowa-Made Products, From Hot Sauce to Popcorn, Foodies Have to Try, Sponsor Of Iowa GOP Bills To Ban Gay Marriage Says Thats Not What The Bills Are About, Leaked Texts Reveal: Fox News Knew They Were Spreading Lies and Conspiracies About 2020 Election, Transamerica Cuts Jobs In Cedar Rapids, Buys Back $200M In Stocks, Business Owner: Reynolds Unemployment Cuts Hurt Concrete Workers, 20 House Republicans Sign Bill To Ban Nearly All Abortion In Iowa, The Stories Behind 6 of Iowas Coolest Bridges, Trans Iowan To Republican Lawmakers: You Truly Hate Us, Key Moments From Iowa Democrats US Senate Debate. He announced his run in July. Brianne Pfannenstiel is the chief politics reporter for the Register. If Grassley does seek reelection, Republicans and many Democrats concede the seat is essentially safe. He said Pat Grassley is not interested in being a senator and encouraged Chuck to run again. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. He supported Trumps agenda in Congress about 88% of the time, but occasionally showed his frustrationsparticularly when it came to Trumps trade agenda. Farmers were saying to me later, Did you see Culver sweat? Iowa Unity Coalition, a political action committee that supports progressive candidates, hosted the forum. Reach her at bpfann@dmreg.com or 515-284-8244. Her home county of Wapello was drawn into the 3rd District in the new maps. State Sen. Jim Carlin, a 58-year-old trial lawyer and Army veteran, was the first candidate of either party to officially jump into the race in February. Grassley has four times more cash than the next leading candidate of either party. Regardless of which of the three wins the nomination they are in for a very uphill campaign. Feenstra got a high-profile boost from former Vice President Mike Pence in July, when he headlined a fundraiser for Feenstra in Sioux Center. These are imperatives. Three Democrats running for the U.S. Senate took aim at Republican Chuck Grassley during a forum Saturday in Des Moines, challenging the audience to weigh . Momentum and reaction are always simultaneous events in American politics. She announced her campaign in August. Now lives in Sioux City. He posted stronger first-quarter fundraising figures than Finkenauer and earned endorsements from some well-known former Finkenauer supporters bothered by her declining to accept responsibility for the filing mistakes. Abby Finkenauer in July became the first major Democrat to announce a 2022 run for the U.S. Senate seat long held by Republican Chuck Grassley. Answers provided by the candidate. But she disagrees: As long as he can and will, I think he is able. The South Carolina senator is reportedly making moves to launch a White House bid, joining an already crowded list of potential candidatesa scenario Donald Trumps team is likely very giddy about. And at least a few Democratic state legislators are running unopposed, so if thats what I have to focus on to feel a small amount of hope in November, so be it. There are rumors that Grassley wants to elevate his grandson, statehouse Speaker Pat Grassley, into the Senate. Patty Judge was his closest since first taking office in 1980 and he won by 24 percentage points. Any Republican could retire and be proud of that kind of career. I'm proud of it, she said. She began her campaign with a big focus on protecting democracy, criticizing Grassley for not doing more in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 insurrection. That age will be a factor down the road, said Ardie Kuhse, a longtime supporter back home who runs the Waukon Economic Development Corporation. Also, The Des Moines Register reported that in 1979, as a member of Congress, Grassley had given a speech to the Liberty Lobby, whose founder asserted antisemitic conspiracy theories and campaigned to persuade Black Americans to go to Africa. Its too depressing. Yet he never deletes a tweet, no matter the misspellings or reading comprehension challenges. No Democrats have challenged first-term Rep. Randy Feenstra, 52. One man stood up to ask Grassley, Knowing that the FBI and Capitol Police were complicit in January 6, what have you done to get the political prisoners being held in gulag conditions out on bail? Her father was a union pipefitter-welder, her mother a school secretary. In her campaign for the US Senate, Finkenauer has pitched herself as a generational contrast to an 88-year-old Grassley who first won elected office in 1958. Get ready for upcoming elections by registering to vote and marking your calendar for Election Day. The projected overall excess mortality in Australia for 2022 is extraordinarily high (30,449 deaths which is around a 20% increase over the normal baseline). Hometown: Sherrill (Dubuque County). Bush, and Trump. Hes one of three 87-year-olds in the Senate and the second-eldest overall: Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) won reelection in 2018 while Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) is retiring next year. State Rep. Mary Ann Hanusa, a Council Bluffs native, was the first Republican to enter the 3rd District race. Congress is fast approaching the need to take action on the nation's statutory debt limit, often referred to as the debt ceiling. Rep. Cindy Axne, another potential Democratic Senate candidate, declined an interview request. Grassley defined himself as a conservative Republican in opposition to Ray. Ailes would go on to run Fox News and have an outsize influence on conservative politics as an operative and media executive, helping elect the likes of Ronald Reagan, George H.W. he remains slightly more popular than not, would be really wrong for me to say I have my mind made up, have repeatedly said they had no knowledge of a plan to overturn the election, will be the most senior member of the Senate, King tweeted a video of the senator saying. Retorted Grassley: I tell Rick Scott the same thing I told you: Im going to make up my mind September, October, November.. His perceived independent streak began to backfire. Hurst also took on leadership roles in the Iowa Democratic Partys Rural Caucus and the 3rd Congressional District committee, and he spoke out locally when a militia group gathered in Council Bluffs in response to baseless rumors of racial justice riots.. Chuck really had him sweating.. In 2022, according to Iowa pollster Ann Selzer, Grassley is now polling at the lowest since the earliest days of his career when he had no name recognition. And many have. Follow her on Twitter at @brianneDMR. two typical cognitive shortcuts we use when evaluating others; how to close off a room with an arched doorway; yuma mayor political party; ochsner employee compliance line number Or will it collapse around him? Meanwhile, there is a set of Republicans vying to topple Democrat Cindy Axne in the 3rd Congressional District. Grassley was running against the incumbent Democrat John Culvera big, blond, Harvard-grad Iowa boy. According to the Quad City Times, he owns and operates FSBO Homes Quad Cities and launched Code Ninjas Quad Cities. Associated Press writers David Pitt in West Des Moines, Iowa, and Grant Schulte in Council Bluffs, Iowa, contributed to this report. Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME) has not tipped her hand about which way she will vote on the groundbreaking legislation but some believe she may be the only Republican to vote for the bill. I'm running for U.S. Senate to fight for working people.We can defeat Chuck Grassley - but I need your help. Just the opposite. 7 Iowa outlasts Purdue 69-58 in B10 quarterfinal, Madison County Strong: Survivors recount their experiences during Winterset tornado. Incumbent Reynolds, 62, has not officially announced her reelection plans, but she has a strong standing in the state. Back when Hovelson and Grassley were in high school, local ministers would often visit the classroom to give the children moral lessons, girls in one room, boys in the other. On November 5, 2018, King tweeted a video of the senator saying, Iowa needs Steve King in Congress. They say some of her signatures are invalid and should disqualify her from competing. Today the Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee demonstrated that they will actively fight back against Republicans' false narratives. But Grassleys future is certainly on Iowans minds. 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. Sheoutraised Grassley in the third quarter of 2021 but political analysts noted that Grassley announced late in the fundraising period and that he maintains impressive voter approval and recognition in the state. Then Jankowicz decided to rebrand her disinformation show and take it on the road, registering as a foreign agent in the United Kingdom to help the British government with their disinformation issues.. Mmmkay. If he doesnt, the GOPs road to the majority gets that much harder. Floridas wannabe autocrat and possible 2024 contender isnt Trump, but hes as dangerous to democracy. Hes rarely profiled, and there is only one biography of him, written by a reporter who later went on to become his campaign flack. But the insurrection was just water under the bridge for Grassley as he smiled and turned to the microphone. Shaken and trying to recover, Culver lost his edge. But Finkenauers campaign faced an unexpected stumble in April when she nearly didnt make the primary ballot. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. His unconventional moves aside, Grassleys a political pro, toeing the line between establishment Republicans and Trump-era hardliners. But that isnt happening, according to the senator and his allies. As he mulls reelection, Grassley maintains his rigorous schedule and a lane open to run. Hinson, 38, will run in the 2nd District in 2022. Ryan Melton announced his campaign Jan. 31, citing a need to protect the nation's democracy. Certainly it didnt seem to hurt Grassley. But still, a new poll suggests Republican voters are mostly in favor of Trump. In Grassleys biography, former aide Pete Conroy recalled how a simple farmer could make a Harvard man nervous. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. 1:13 Three Democrats running for the U.S. Senate took aim at Republican Chuck Grassley during a forum Saturday in Des Moines, challenging the audience to weigh which candidate is best suited. State Sen. Liz Mathis, a Democrat, will challenge Hinson in the new 2nd District. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), whos sparred with Grassley for years, deemed him extraordinary. That might seem a long shot, but its how the indefatigable Iowan operates. He wrote a bill to protect special counsel Robert Mueller from the then-president, but also used hardline tactics as Judiciary Committee chair to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and stiff-arm Democrats on judicial nominees. Kyle Kuehl, a Bettendorf business owner and military veteran, announced in November he would run for Congress in Iowa's newly redrawn 1st District. 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. Democrat and former representative Abby Finkenauer was next with $559,466.82. Franken beat former congresswoman Abby Finkenauer and physician Glenn Hurst and earned the right to run against Grassley, who is seeking an eighth Senate term and beat back a nominal primary challenge of his own on Tuesday. She is a teacher and currently works for a nonprofit in Council Bluffs that provides care for children with mental and behavioral health needs. As the former head of the judiciary during the first two years of the Trump administration, hes one of the reasons Roe is poised to be overturned. I'm a 5th generation, farming, labor Democrat. She laughed and said, I think he kinda liked me.. She served in the Iowa House for ten years and served as chair of the Economic Growth Committee. Hurst speaks extensively on the campaign trail about how universal health care can revitalize rural Iowa, and how his plan would save small-town clinics and rural hospitals, vastly bring down overall costs, and expand services covered for patients. To many, Grassley sounds like hes a candidate-in-waiting. Another story Hovelson tells is that Chuck once told him, Youre going to laugh at me, but Id really like to be president of the United States. Hovelson did laugh at the time. He said Iowa Democrats have work to do regardless of Grassleys future. Sun and clouds mixed. Election Results: See Iowa primary election results across the state. Democrat Mike Franken will challenge U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley in November. Grassley, 88, announced in September thathe will run for an eighth term in the U.S. Senate. Not So Much. The radical anti-abortion group Iowa Pro-Life Action Council distributed fliers with the image of an 18-week-old thumb-sucking fetus, telling Iowans to vote for Grassley otherwise that baby might not live. 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. In 2022, he was reelected to his eighth Senate term, having first been elected in 1980. Throughout her service, Finkenauer made a point of having her fathers old sweatshirt, which had burn holes in it from his welding work, at her desk. If he wins in 2022, he will be 95 years old at the conclusion of that term. If he retires, they'll have a battle on their hands. Hes weighed in often about the Russian invasion of Ukraine and how the US can better combat Vladimir Putin. When he got close to one constituent in the restaurant, he assured her its so I can hear you. Sen. Chuck Grassley, 88, Will Run for Reelection in 2022 The Iowa senator, who first secured his senate seat in 1980, is the oldest Republican serving in the upper chamber of the U.S. Congress He would be 95 at the end of an eighth term. Even facing a candidate named Judge, Grassley won by 24 points. He has also held a variety of roles in Washington, including as the first military officer on U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedys staff, at the U.S. Department of Defense and as chief of legislative affairs for the Navy.