Mike Franken is in a statistical tie with Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), according to polls by the Des Moines Register. Grassley is one of few incumbents left in office that has been there since many of their voters have been alive. In the case of Grassley, it's 42 years. He was elected in 1980 and before that, in 1974, he was elected to Congress. In 1959 he was elected to the Iowa House of Representatives. It means that Grassley has been in public office for 62 years.
MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell explained that while there are a lot of U.S. Senate races where Democrats are desperately trying to hold onto their seats, it turns out Republicans like Chuck Grassley are in the same boat. While candidates like Herschel Walker and Mehmet Oz might be fun to laugh at, there are races that are flying under the radar like the one in Iowa, which should have been a cakewalk for someone who has been in office for six decades.
O'Donnell explained that Franken "has never been on this program before because it never seemed he had a chance of winning, since no Democrat has ever come close to beating 89-year-old Sen. Chuck Grassley. But now Mike Franken is polling in a statistical tie with Chuck Grassley in Iowa. And Chuck Grassley's public comments indicate he knows for the first time in his political career he's in big trouble."
Franken is a retired Navy admiral who commanded the Destroyer Squadron 28 and the USS Winston S. Churchill. He was the first director of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, which combined existing agencies to continue the ongoing efforts to locate the remains of fallen Americans of foreign wars.
Franken said that Grassley's efforts are part of the loss of over 30,000 farmers in the state that is responsible for American food. Grassley's anti-immigration policies have made it harder for farmers and ranchers to have access to workers willing to work in physically difficult jobs for low wages.
At the same time, Grassley is either confused or lying on the campaign trail about what he has and hasn't supported. In one comment, the Iowa Senator falsely claimed he supported the cap on the cost of insulin, which many need to live. Videos show Grassley voting against that measure.
"He has changed with the passage of time and it is time for him to retire," said Franken.
See the interview below:
Chuck Grassley knows for the first time in his 62-year political career 'he's in big trouble' youtu.be
