Grassley Expresses Concern Over Potential Democratic Successor Appointment
The oldest sitting U.S. senator voiced his unease about a Democratic governor potentially filling his seat if he were to die in office.
Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, the longest-serving senator in the U.S., has expressed concern about the possibility of a Democratic governor appointing his successor should he die while in office. Grassley, 93, made these remarks on Friday at the Republican Party's annual Reagan Dinner in West Des Moines.
"At 93 years of age, I don’t know how many more groups of Republicans like this I’m going to have a chance to talk to," Grassley stated. "But I want to take advantage of it. But one of the reasons I’m worried about who’s going to be elected governor -- I don’t plan on dying in office -- but if I did, I don’t want a Democrat governor choosing my successor."
Grassley is currently serving his eighth term, which is scheduled to conclude on January 3, 2029. If he were to die within the next two years, the newly elected governor of Iowa, who will be decided in the upcoming fall election, would have the authority to make a temporary appointment to fill the Senate seat until the 2028 election.
Recent polling data suggests a potentially close gubernatorial race in Iowa. A Fox News poll released in late June indicated that Democrat Rob Sand, Iowa's state auditor, held a nine-point lead among registered voters. However, a New York Times/Siena poll conducted around the same period presented a different outlook, showing a much tighter contest with the candidates nearly tied among likely voters.
Grassley has not yet announced whether he intends to seek a ninth term in the Senate in 2028.