Grassley faces race of his life

[Geee]

The Hill:

After decades of coasting to reelection, Sen. Chuck Grassley is facing his toughest race yet.

 

Iowa political observers say the 82-year-old Republican senator known for his independent streak could be in danger in a turbulent, no-holds-barred presidential election year.

 

A Loras College poll released Thursday had the Iowa lawmaker in a statistical dead heat against Patty Judge, his Democratic challenger. Grassley led by only one point, 46-45, against the former lieutenant governor. That nominal advantage was well within the poll’s four-point margin or error.

Public Policy Polling, a left-leaning firm, released a survey earlier last week showing Grassley with a 7-point lead. But even that margin hardly suggests safety for the incumbent.

“When I see a poll like the Loras poll or the [Public Polling Policy] poll, if I'm Grassley that makes me nervous. ...That's trouble,” said David Peterson, a political science professor at Iowa State University and editor of the academic journal Political Behavior. "I think he's clearly more vulnerable than he's been in past elections.”