Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley is 89 years old and running for re-election in Iowa this fall. If he wins, he will be 95 at the end of his next term. Grassley is armed with seven terms in Congress and a Donald Trump endorsement.
“I was born at night, but not last night,” Grassley said at a Save America rally. “So if I didn’t accept the endorsement of a person who’s got 91% of the republican voters in Iowa, I wouldn’t be too smart. I’m smart enough to accept that endorsement.”
Grassley has voted in line with former President Trump about 88 percent of the time, according to FiveThirtyEight.
He strayed on occasion, including when it came to Trump’s trade policy promoting tariffs, which he said harm farmers in his home state.
Iowa has trended red in recent years. And looking toward November, Grassley’s held his lead in the polls. But this could still be the tightest race he’s experienced in 40 years.
As of July, a Selzer & Co. poll showed Grassley at 47 percent, with his Democratic competitor—Mike Franken—at 39 percent.
If he wins and Republicans gain control of the Senate, Grassley could take back his former position as Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
So far, with that title, he has guided the senate’s confirmation of 85 federal judges and two controversial Supreme Court justices: Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh.
Now, as an establishment Republican, his age could work against him or his years of experience could give him credibility.
