DES MOINES, Iowa – U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, won the Republican nomination and Admiral Michael Franken (USN, ret.) won the Democratic primary in Iowa’s U.S. Senate race.
With 98 out of 99 counties reporting, Grassley easily defeated State Senator Jim Carlin, R-Sioux City, winning 73.36 percent of the vote (142,200) to Carlin’s 26.48 percent (51,340).
Franken defeated former U.S. Rep. Abby Finkenauer and Glenn Hurst. He won 55.12 percent of the vote (85,984). Finkenauer followed with 39.94 percent (62,308), and Hurst trailed with 4.83 percent (7,540).
“I’m grateful for the tremendous support & GOP nomination for re-election to the U.S. Senate. I’m working as hard as ever to represent IOWA + keep the reckless Biden agenda in check. Iowans are fed up w inflation, soaring gas prices & open borders. Onto victory in November!” Grassley tweeted along with a video message to his supporters.
The 88-year-old senior senator from Iowa was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1980, defeating the incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator John Culver. He is serving his 7th term. Before the U.S. Senate, Grassley served in the U.S. House of Representatives for three terms from 1975 to 1981. He also served in the Iowa House of Representatives for 16 years, from 1959 to 1975.
While serving in the U.S. Senate, Grassley had chaired the Senate Aging, Finance, and Judiciary Committees when Republicans held the majority. He also was the Senate President Pro-Tempore from 2019 to 2021, putting him fourth in the presidential succession line.
He currently serves as the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and serves as a member of the Senate Finance, Budget, and Agriculture committees. He is also a member of the Joint Committee on Taxation.
He is the co-chair of the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control. Grassley co-founded and co-chairs the Senate Caucus on Foster Youth. He founded and co-chairs the Senate Whistleblower Protection Caucus. He founded the Senate Cystic Fibrosis Caucus and is a member of the Rural Broadband Caucus.
Grassley was also the first to commit to traveling to each of Iowa’s 99 counties every year and has done so every year. As a result, it has become the gold standard for connecting with constituents for statewide elected officials and voters for other statewide candidates and presidential candidates. As a result, completing a 99-county tour is known as doing the “full Grassley.”
Since his election in 1980, Grassley has won re-election by a margin of no less than 24 percent of the vote.
Franken thanked his supporters and volunteers, pledging to outwork Grassley.
“You bestowed me and a great honor and I intend to follow through on it,” Franken said. “We’re going to work very hard and the central premise of this campaign is leadership. It is our time to lead the nation into a better tomorrow.”
Franken grew up in Sioux Center, Iowa, but moved to Sioux City, Iowa, in 2019, shortly after retiring from the Navy on October 1, 2018.
Franken most recently served as the U.S. Africa Command’s deputy for military operations. In that role, he was responsible to the commander for promoting the national security interests of the United States by strengthening the security capabilities of African nations.
He also served as the initial director of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), special assistant to the director of the Navy Staff, the Joint Staff J5 (Strategic Plans and Policy) interim chief of staff, the Department of the Navy Chief of Legislative Affairs, command of the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa (CJTF-HoA) in Djibouti, Africa, and nearly three years as vice director, Strategy, Plans and Policy (J5) at U.S. Central Command.
Franken was the first commanding officer of USS Winston S. Churchill, a missile destroyer, and served with three other destroyers: USS King, USS Dahlgren, and USS Barry. He commanded Destroyer Squadron 28 and Task Group 152.0 for the Eisenhower Strike Group.
Franken was runner-up to Theresa Greenfield in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in 2020.
