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Chuck Grassley
Republican · U.S. Senate, Iowa · Incumbent since 1981
2026 General Election
Chuck Grassley has represented Iowa in the U.S. Senate since 1981, making him the longest-currently-serving senator. He will be 93 years old on election day 2026. His longevity has prompted public discussion about age and fitness for office, and he has not yet confirmed whether he will seek an eighth full term. He previously served in the U.S. House and Iowa state legislature. As President Pro Tempore of the Senate and senior member of the Judiciary Committee, he remains a significant figure in the institution.
Official website →Views on the Issues
Sen. Grassley’s stated positions alongside Democratic and Republican party platforms. Sources cited below each position. Polis does not editorialize.
Democratic Platform
Chuck Grassley
Republican Platform
Economy & Taxes
Democratic Platform
Democrats support progressive taxation, with higher rates on top earners and corporations to fund public investment. The party favors raising the minimum wage, strengthening unions, and expanding worker protections. Democrats generally support government investment in infrastructure, education, and social programs as drivers of broad economic growth.Chuck Grassley
Senator Grassley has been a consistent advocate for low taxes, fiscal discipline, and free market economic policy throughout his Senate tenure. He was a key architect of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (2017) in his role on the Finance Committee and has been a longstanding champion of Iowa's agricultural economy and renewable fuels industry.Source →Republican Platform
Republicans favor lower taxes across income levels, with particular emphasis on cutting corporate and capital gains taxes to stimulate investment and job creation. The party supports deregulation, reduced government spending, and free market solutions over federal programs as the primary engine of prosperity.Healthcare
Democratic Platform
Democrats support expanding access to affordable healthcare, including protecting the Affordable Care Act and moving toward a public option or expanded Medicare coverage. The party broadly favors government negotiation of prescription drug prices and opposes removing protections for pre-existing conditions.Chuck Grassley
Senator Grassley has opposed the Affordable Care Act and supports market-based healthcare reforms. He has engaged seriously on prescription drug pricing through his Judiciary Committee work, co-authoring bipartisan legislation to limit anticompetitive pharmaceutical practices and improve drug cost transparency.Source →Republican Platform
Republicans have generally sought to repeal or significantly reform the Affordable Care Act, favoring market-based solutions. The party supports expanding health savings accounts, increasing competition among insurers across state lines, and reducing federal mandates on coverage requirements.Immigration
Democratic Platform
Democrats generally support pathways to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, including DACA recipients, and favor comprehensive immigration reform. The party supports increased resources for legal immigration processing and a humanitarian approach to asylum seekers at the border.Chuck Grassley
Senator Grassley supports border security and enforcement-first immigration policy. He has backed agricultural worker visa reforms important to Iowa's farming economy while maintaining a generally restrictive approach to unauthorized immigration and opposing amnesty programs.Source →Republican Platform
Republicans prioritize border security and strict enforcement of existing immigration law. The party broadly supports completing physical border barriers, ending policies they view as incentivizing illegal entry, and reforming legal immigration to favor applicants with marketable skills.Education
Democratic Platform
Democrats favor robust federal investment in public K-12 education and higher education, along with policies to reduce or eliminate student loan debt. The party generally opposes using public funds for private school vouchers and supports universal pre-K and affordable childcare.Chuck Grassley
Senator Grassley supports school choice, local control over education, and reducing federal mandates on state and local school decisions. He has backed vocational and agricultural education programs that prepare Iowans for the state's farm and manufacturing economy.Source →Republican Platform
Republicans support school choice, including voucher programs for private and religious schools, and local control over curriculum decisions. The party generally opposes federal education mandates and broadly supports parental rights in schooling. Many Republicans oppose student loan forgiveness as unfair to borrowers who repaid their loans.Gun Policy
Democratic Platform
Democrats broadly support stricter gun safety measures, including universal background checks, red flag laws, and restrictions on assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazines. The party frames these regulations as consistent with the Second Amendment and necessary to reduce mass shootings.Chuck Grassley
Senator Grassley is a consistent defender of Second Amendment rights and has opposed new gun control legislation throughout his Senate career. He has argued that mental health intervention, not new restrictions, is the proper response to gun violence and has defended the rights of Iowa's large hunting community.Source →Republican Platform
Republicans strongly defend Second Amendment rights and generally oppose new gun control legislation, arguing that existing laws should be enforced more effectively. The party emphasizes mental health intervention, the right to self-defense, and opposes what they view as infringement on law-abiding gun owners.Climate & Energy
Democratic Platform
Democrats view climate change as an urgent crisis requiring immediate government action. The party supports transitioning to clean energy through federal investment and regulation, reducing carbon emissions across the economy, and meeting international climate commitments. Democrats generally oppose expanding fossil fuel development on public lands.Chuck Grassley
Senator Grassley has been a longtime supporter of ethanol and agricultural biofuels as both an energy and economic development issue for Iowa. He has been skeptical of aggressive federal climate mandates while supporting renewable fuels standards that benefit Iowa corn and soybean farmers.Source →Republican Platform
Republicans emphasize American energy independence through domestic production of oil, gas, and coal alongside renewable development. Many in the party are skeptical of aggressive climate regulations they argue harm economic growth and jobs. Republicans generally prefer market-based energy solutions over government mandates and oppose restrictions that raise energy costs for families.Foreign Policy
Democratic Platform
Democrats generally support a multilateral approach to foreign policy, emphasizing alliances, international institutions, and diplomacy as the first line of engagement. The party broadly supports maintaining NATO commitments, providing aid to democratic allies, and engaging international bodies to address shared challenges.Chuck Grassley
Senator Grassley supports a strong U.S. military and has backed robust defense spending throughout his tenure. He has engaged on international trade issues important to Iowa's export-dependent agricultural economy and has supported U.S. alliances while also pressing allies on trade reciprocity.Source →Republican Platform
Republicans emphasize American sovereignty, a strong military as a deterrent, and bilateral relationships over multilateral institutions. The party broadly supports robust defense spending and is skeptical of international agreements they view as constraining American action or requiring open-ended foreign commitments.Social Security
Democratic Platform
Democrats oppose cuts to Social Security or Medicare benefits and support expanding both programs. The party generally favors raising the Social Security payroll tax cap on high earners to ensure long-term solvency and opposes any form of privatization.Chuck Grassley
Senator Grassley has expressed support for structural reforms to ensure Social Security's long-term solvency and has historically been willing to engage seriously on entitlement reform. He opposes tax increases as the primary solution and has discussed potential adjustments for younger workers.Source →Republican Platform
Republicans support reforming Social Security and Medicare to ensure long-term fiscal solvency, which some in the party argue requires adjusting benefits or eligibility ages. The party opposes tax increases to fund the programs and some members have supported personal investment account options.Criminal Justice
Democratic Platform
Democrats broadly support criminal justice reform, including reducing mandatory minimum sentences, addressing racial disparities in policing and incarceration, and investing in community-based alternatives. The party generally supports police accountability measures and evidence-based approaches to reducing recidivism.Chuck Grassley
Senator Grassley co-authored the First Step Act (2018), a landmark bipartisan criminal justice reform law that reduced mandatory minimum sentences for certain nonviolent federal offenses. He has also used his Judiciary Committee role to investigate federal prosecutorial conduct and advocate for whistleblower protections.Source →Republican Platform
Republicans emphasize law and order, strong support for law enforcement, and tough penalties for crime. The party generally opposes reducing mandatory minimum sentences for violent offenses and supports prosecutors pursuing strong sentences. Republicans broadly oppose policies they view as undermining police authority or creating leniency for criminals.About these profiles. Party platform positions are drawn from the 2024 Democratic and Republican national platforms. Candidate positions are sourced from official statements, voting records, and campaign websites. Polis does not editorialize or endorse any candidate.