The waiting game for Chuck Grassley is over: He’s running for reelection.
The Iowa Republican senator announced on Twitter Friday morning he will run for an eighth term, a move that makes it more likely the GOP can keep control of his seat in next year’s midterm elections. Though Iowa has trended red in recent years and Grassley just turned 88 this month, Republican Party leaders have nonetheless pressed him to seek reelection amid their broader efforts to claim the Senate majority next year.
Grassley delivered his news in a tweet at 4 a.m. Central Daylight Time, emphasizing his exercise regimen and early wake-up time.
"It’s 4 a.m. in Iowa so I’m running. I do that 6 days a week. Before I start the day I want you to know what Barbara and I have decided. I’m running for re-election—a lot more to do, for Iowa," Grassley said in his tweet.
Grassley romped to a seventh term in 2016 by 25 points and will face former Democratic Rep. Abby Finkenauer in next year’s general election. If Grassley had retired, Republicans could have faced a messy primary in the race to replace him.
The plainspoken Iowan is a fixture of the Senate. He presided over the Senate Judiciary Committee during Republicans’ blockade of former President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland as well as the confirmation of former President Donald Trump’s nominee Brett Kavanaugh, who faced accusations of sexual assault during his committee hearings.
Grassley also served in the line of presidential succession as the most senior GOP senator when Trump was president. He is currently the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Read more: politico.com
