With five days to go until Election Day and Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley facing a tougher than expected challenge from Democratic Senate nominee and former admiral Mike Franken, the longest serving Republican in the chamber is getting a helping hand from former President Trump.
Trump, who nearly two years after his 2020 election loss to now-President Biden remains the most popular and influential politician in the GOP, will headline a Thursday night rally for Grassley and Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds, who according to the latest public opinion polls, appears to be cruising to re-election against Democratic challenger and businesswoman Deidre DeJear.
The rally is being held in Sioux City, a heavily red northwest part of Iowa, where driving up turnout will be crucial for Grassley to make up for potential deficits in other parts of the state.
“He’s certainly going to the right part of the state, heavily Republican northwest Iowa,” longtime GOP consultant David Kochel, a veteran of Iowa political campaigns, told Fox News. “In an election where it looks like Republicans are really cruising to a strong finish, you can’t take anything for granted.”
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Sen. Chuck Grassley during a Fox News interview at former President Trump’s rally in Des Moines, Iowa on Oct. 9, 2021
(Fox News)
Kochel said the former president’s apparent goal “is to fire up the base and juice turnout in northwest Iowa. It’s probably good for Grassley, who I think, has underperformed a little bit with Republicans. This is good for him that Trump comes in to fire up the crowd and gets people out.
“Trump’s most effective when he goes to places where he’s really popular and able to draw people out and pump up the enthusiasm,” Kochel noted.
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The former president, who has been crisscrossing the country for more than a year, has picked up the pace in recent weeks, holding a slew of rallies for Trump-backed Republican candidates running in competitive Senate, House and gubernatorial contests in the midterm elections.
Former President Trump reacts after his speech during a rally at the Iowa States Fairgrounds in Des Moines, Iowa, on Oct. 9, 2021
(REUTERS/Rachel Mummey/File Photo)
However, unlike his other rallies, the stop in Iowa — the state whose caucuses for half a century have kicked off the presidential nominating calendar — is sure to spark more…
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