Grassley nominated Senate pro tem, making him third in line for U.S. presidency
U.S. Senate Republicans have unanimously nominated Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, Senate president pro tempore.
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, stands on stage at the Second Annual Harvest Festival on Saturday, Oct. 13, 2018. He serves as the Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
November 14, 2018
After the retirement of Sen. Orin Hatch, R-Utah, Iowa’s senior senator, Chuck Grassley, a Republican, is set to assume a position that will put him third in line of succession for the presidency.
The position of Senate Pro Tempore is traditionally held by the longest-serving member of the Senate from the majority party. The position puts him third in the line of succession for the presidency, following the Vice President and the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Grassley will be officially elected to the position by the full Senate on Jan. 3.
Grassley, 85, was elected to the Senate in 1980 after serving in the U.S. House of Representatives and the state Legislature in Iowa.
Hatch will retire from the Senate, leaving his chairmanship of the Senate Finance Committee open. Grassley is currently a senior member of the committee and chaired it from 2001 to 2010, and is expected to soon announce whether or not he will leave his position as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee for the Finance Committee.