Pat Grassley

Voting Accessibility

During the 2017 legislative session, Grassley voted to shorten both the amount of time one may cast an absentee ballot and the number of days one can vote at satellite polling sites, and he voted to require all voters to present a state-issued ID. Though he voted for the measure, the bill was opposed by the Iowa State Association of Counties, an advocacy group for Iowa's disabled, and Iowa's Department on Aging opposed the bill.

Elections

In 2006, Grassley decided to run for Iowa's 17th house district, at the age of 22. He defeated Alek Wipperman 57%-43%. In 2008, Grassley won re-election to a second term, defeating Democrat Cayla Baresel 66%-34%. In 2010, he won re-election to a third term unopposed.

After redistricting, he decided to run in the newly redrawn 50th house district, which had a southern portion of Butler County, a northern portion of Hardin County, and all of Grundy County. Fellow Republican State Representative Annette Sweeney also decided to run in the newly redrawn 50th district. He defeated Sweeney 61%-39%. In November, he won re-election to a sixth term.

Committee assignments

Political future

Grassley is the grandson of Chuck Grassley, who has represented Iowa in the United States Senate since 1981. There has been speculation that Pat was being groomed to succeed his grandfather in 2016, or whenever he decides to retire. In 2013, Senator Grassley stated "[Pat] and I have never had that discussion and he's never told me that he wanted to run for the United States Senate."

Electoral history

*incumbent

Personal life

Grassley was born in Cedar Falls, Iowa. He was raised in New Hartford, Iowa. His father, Robin, is a farmer and his mother, Diane, is a T.A. in the Dike-New Hartford School District in Dike, Grundy County, Iowa. Pat has two younger sisters. He graduated from Dike-New Hartford High School in 2002 and from Hawkeye Community College in 2004.

Pat farms the family farm with his father and grandfather. He is a member of the Farm Bureau.

Pat and his wife, Amanda, were married in 2005. She is an RN. They are the parents of two daughters, Indee and Reagan, and one son, Chancellor.