Democrat announces he’s running for Chuck Grassley’s Senate seat

Dave Muhlbauer, a farmer and former county supervisor from Western Iowa’s Manning, has announced his campaign for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Republican Chuck Grassley.

Muhlbauer is the first Democrat to officially declare in Iowa’s 2022 U.S. Senate race. Grassley has not yet announced whether he intends to seek an eighth six-year term.

Muhlbauer, 37, is a fifth-generation family farmer, which he highlights in a campaign announcement video. In a phone interview, Muhlbauer said while Grassley has been serving Iowa in the Senate for the past 40 years, he wants to be a candidate for “the next generation” to help shape Iowa for the next 40 years.

“My message is going to be one of uniting and working together and finding those solutions,” Muhlbauer said.

Muhlbauer said he would like to work on issues like sustainable farming as a means to help address climate change; infrastructure, including roads, bridges and broadband internet; and health care, including mental health care.

In a news release, Muhlbauer’s campaign said he is running to be a voice for working families, farmers and rural communities who, the release said, have been left behind by federal politicians and devastated by policies that “cater to corporate interests and profits instead of working people.”

Muhlbauer’s campaign said he plans to cross the state in the coming days, making stops in Mason City, Cedar Falls and Waterloo, Cedar Rapids and Iowa City, Dubuque, Davenport, Des Moines, and Sioux City.

Dave Muhlbauer’s father, Dan Muhlbauer, was a former state legislator who died in October 2020.

On the Republican side, state Sen. Jim Carlin announced earlier that he’ll run for the seat.