According to the Western Journal, Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley has rejected any suggestion he will step down early. The 93-year-old Republican intends to serve the full term voters gave him in 2022, which ends in January 2029
His office says he remains focused on his work and has no plans to leave before then. Grassley is currently the oldest member of the United States Senate.
Democrat Rob Sand won the Iowa gubernatorial race on Tuesday by roughly 11 points and is expected to take office in January. Iowa law lets the sitting governor fill any United States Senate vacancy.
Once Sand is sworn in, any opening in Grassley's seat over the following two years would be filled by a Democrat. If Grassley resigned now, outgoing Republican Governor Kim Reynolds could appoint a GOP successor before Sand takes office.
A spokesperson said, "Senator Grassley is not resigning." The statement added that he remains committed to delivering for the people of Iowa, who overwhelmingly elected him to a six-year term in 2022.
Grassley recognized the risk months ago while campaigning for the GOP gubernatorial nominee. At a September event, he said he does not expect to die in office but made clear he does not want a Democratic governor naming his replacement.
"One of the reasons that 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 said. Tuesday's results turned that abstract concern into a live possibility as Sand prepares to take the governorship.
By remaining in place, Grassley is counting on his health holding through early 2029, when he would be 95 at the end of his term. Some Iowa conservatives have urged him to resign so Reynolds can lock in a Republican replacement before January.
Speculation has named figures such as Representative Ashley Hinson or House Speaker Pat Grassley as possible appointees. Grassley's office has shut those resignation calls down.
Governor-elect Sand said earlier that if a vacancy arose during his term, he would be interested in appointing an independent. Grassley's choice to stay means any future vacancy would fall under Sand's appointment power.
The senator has served Iowa in the Senate since 1981 and currently chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee. He is set to lose that gavel when Democrats take the Senate majority next year.
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