Iowa U.S. Senate Race

Race of the Day

Iowa U.S. Senate

August 22, 2010
72 Days Until Election Day

Status: Republican Incumbent
2008 Presidential Result: Blue State (Midwest)

Outlook: Safe Republican

Having never lost an election, Republican Chuck Grassley has held elective office continuously since his first campaign win in 1958. First moving to Washington D.C. in 1974, he advanced to the Senate six years later and this year, is heavily favored to at the age of 77, to win a sixth term.

Grassley is the ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee and hopes to yield even greater power in the next Congress, especially if Republicans manage to take over the Senate. Since Barack Obama became President, Grassley has been a vocal opponent of the Administration during the health care debate, and at one point, Democrats thought they could seriously challenge Grassley in the state that Obama achieved so much political success in during his 2008 election campaign.

The easy winner of the Democrat nomination to take on Grassley was attorney Roxanne Conlin, who had gotten into the race, after some more touted Democrats decided to stay out of the fray. This is Conlin's first race for public office, since losing as her party's candidate for Governor back in 1982. Ironically enough, the man who defeated Conlin that year, when both were in their 30s, Terry Branstad, is making his own political comeback this year and is favored to take back his old job as Governor, 12 years after leaving.

Democrats have fared well in the last two political cycles in Iowa, but have no realistic chance of taking out Grassley in 2010. Polls show the incumbent with a lead of about 20 points, over the 50 percent threshold, and with an enormous advantage in campaign money.

Grassley campaign link:

http://www.grassleyforsenate.com

2010 U.S. Senate races predicted thus far: 3 D, 12 R
Predicted U.S. Senate Balance of Power thus far: 43 D, 35 R