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Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), the oldest member of the Senate, has said that he worries Iowa may elect a Democratic governor because that person would pick his replacement if he dies while in office, amid renewed attention on fitness-related concerns due to Sen. Mitch McConnell’s (R-Kentucky) prolonged absence from the Senate.
“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. I want to take advantage of it,” Grassley said in remarks at Iowa Republicans’ annual Reagan Dinner last week.
“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 Democratic governor choosing my successor,” he went on.
Grassley, the Senate’s president pro tempore, was born on September 17, 1933, and will be 95 when his term expires in January 2029. He has declined to rule out running for reelection again; if he won another term, he would be 101 when his next term would end.
Grassley has held his seat in the Senate since 1981; before that, he was a member of the House starting in 1975. In all, Grassley has been a member of Congress for over half a century.
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When a U.S. senator dies, the governor in their state chooses a temporary replacement until a special election can be held, meaning that a Democrat could potentially pick Grassley’s successor if he dies next year or in 2028.
There is a chance of this happening. Polls show that the Democratic candidate, Rob Sand, is leading in the Iowa gubernatorial election over his opponent, Zach Lahn. They are fighting to replace current Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds, who announced last year that she is stepping down to spend more time with her family.
Grassley’s comments come amid renewed scrutiny over age- and health-related concerns for members of Congress. During his three-month absence this summer after he suffered a fall at his residence, McConnell faced numerous calls to resign. McConnell, who is 84 years old, and his office gave very few updates or even proof of life during his absence, fueling further concerns about his health after other recent incidents raised concerns about his fitness.
This episode came after public scrutiny in 2023 over now-deceased Sen. Dianne Feinstein, of California, when reports found that the 90-year-old was potentially facing elder abuse and was refusing to leave office despite appearing extremely frail after a prolonged absence due to shingles. Feinstein died while in office three years ago on Monday.
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