Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), who currently holds the title of longest-serving senator, is hinting at a 2028 reelection campaign and is taking an Iowa-first approach with the state’s Farm Bill and as cosponsor of the SAVE Act.
Grassley has served in the Senate for 44 years and in Congress for over 50 years, having served in the House from 1975 to 1981. He’ll turn 92 in September. While leaving the door open to a 2028 campaign, Grassley played coy on whether he would seek a ninth term.
“Ask me again in a year, maybe a year and a half,” Grassley told the Daily Iowan.
The senator noted that there are several factors to consider, including how he has been “through several reelections, and that is family considerations and whether or not I can do the job.”
The senator will be 95 by the time his current term ends, and 101 by the end of his ninth term if he runs for reelection.
While Grassley hasn’t definitively indicated his 2028 plans yet, he has already filed a statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission.
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“I’m hearing now about prescription drug prices, the five-year Farm Bill, E15, maybe some things on what we call transportation, the Highway Bill, the Infrastructure Bill, which we do every five years, and runs out at the end of this year,” the Iowa senator noted on how he would see voter priorities shifting in the upcoming election cycles. “I let them set the agenda on their Q&As.”
Currently, Grassley serves as president pro tempore of the Senate, in addition to being the Senate Judiciary Committee chairman. He has recently been in a standoff with President Donald Trump over the Judiciary Committee’s “blue slip” practice, which allows senators to block judicial nominees who would serve in their home states.
Grassley is also the co-author of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, which seeks to require voter ID at the polls and proof of citizenship when registering to vote.
Grassley referred to Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) when asked whether it will clear the Senate: “You’ll have to ask Senator [John] Thune that whenever he forces the vote, and I think he’s looking forward to getting it passed,” adding, “I think it’s pretty simple for people that can’t show the documents that you [prove] your citizenship.”
The voter identification bill has sparked partisan debate, with a standoff between House conservatives and Senate Republicans as allies of Trump push to block other legislation until the bill reaches the president’s desk.
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The senator faced Democratic challenger Michael Franken in 2022 during his eighth reelection campaign, winning 56% of the vote — a narrower margin than in many of his previous elections.
“I do the same thing all six years of a term,” Grassley said regarding his campaign strategy. “I just travel the counties every year and have a Q&A in every county.”
In social media statements, Trump has repeatedly claimed he secured Grassley’s reelection to the Senate “when he was down, by a lot.”