Shahab Khan (Opinions Columnist) : So, Sen. Chuck Grassley decided to run for an 8th term.

Yassie Buchanan(Opinions Columnist) : Wow, I’m surprised he still wants to run at 88 years old.

Hannah Pinski (Opinions and Amplify Editor) : He announced it last Friday on Twitter at 4:00 a.m. before he went out to run. I must admit, we sort of have to give credit for his finesse.

Sophie Stover (Opinions Contributor): Early polling shows he’s headed toward an easy reelection too. The Iowa poll indicates Grassley leads former Congresswoman Abby Finkenauer by 18 points. What are the chances his commanding lead holds?

Shahab : Considering recent trends in the electorate voting patterns and Grassley’s incumbency advantage, the Democrats could nominate anyone, but they won’t beat him — especially candidates without name brand recognition like Abby Finkenauer.

Hannah : Considering how abortion rights are being threatened across the country like Texas and Grassely’s stance, I think this is concerning for reproductive rights.

Yassie : I fully agree. Grassley is a pro-life legislator pushing to make the Hyde Amendment permanent — the Hyde Amendment stops taxpayer dollars from funding abortions.

Sophie : Like you said Hannah, Grassley would definitely support restricting access to abortion. I’d like to see my senators in support of reproductive justice initiatives.

Shahab : Not to mention, in his former capacity as chair of the Judiciary Committee, Grassley played an instrumental role in confirming and vetting judges determined to overturn Roe.

Hannah : Well not only is he threatening abortion rights, he’s also obstructing plans to hold Trump accountable. He voted against the Jan. 6 bipartisan commission alongside several other members of the Republican Party.

Shahab : Fair point Hannah, it is alarming to see old, established Republican politicians protect Donald Trump and his “Big Lie” about how the 2020 election was stolen.

Yassie : I think it’s time we get some younger representation in our senate, especially looking at his Twitter.

Shahab : To be fair, his Twitter account and beef with the History Channel is quite entertaining

Sophie : I wonder if he ever found the owner of the dead pidgin in his yard. I just don’t get why he is insistent on running his own Twitter account.

Shahab: Again, I think that it is kind of hilarious that he runs his own twitter account, it is the third funniest twitter feed after Trump’s and Kanye West’s.

Hannah : I think his Twitter account is representative of how his policy and views aren’t aligned with the times and how we need new representation for our country.

Sophie : I mean, he was first elected to Congress in 1975, when Gerald Ford was President.

Yassie : I agree, it’s time for the younger generation to step forward and be a new face for Iowa.

Shahab : But it also matters on the policies of those younger candidates. If Republicans were to nominate, say, Ashley Hinson — who would probably win a senate seat in Iowa pretty handedly — we would not get much policy change. Plus, the electoral woes of Democrats signify that Abby Finkenauer-adjacent candidates cannot win in Iowa.

Sophie : It’ll be interesting to see how it all plays out, between this Senate race and Iowa’s upcoming redistricting efforts. I’d bet on Grassley winning again next November.