Sen. Chuck Grassley and Rep. Randy Feenstra have been reelected to represent Iowa in Congress.

Grassley has held his position in the Senate since 1981 and will enter his 43rd year in office starting in 2023.

In a statement to The Daily, Democratic challenger Michael Franken’s team acknowledged the results of the election, saying that Franken and Grassley connected over the phone and that they respect the word of the voters.

This race was the closest in Grassley’s career, with October poll results before the election showing him leading by 3%. The Des Moines Register found this was his closest race since he defeated Democratic incumbent John Culver by 8% in 1980.

Grassley’s term will begin Jan. 3, 2023, and span until 2029, thus serving the six-year senatorial term. Should Grassley choose not to complete this term, the 17th amendment allows Gov. Kim Reynolds to appoint a temporary replacement.

Grassley’s campaign was endorsed by former President Donald J. Trump, as well as Sen. Joni Ernst, former Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, multiple Iowa representatives including Feenstra and 49 members of the Iowa House of Representatives according to Grassley’s website.

According to a statement given after the overturning of Roe v. Wade, Grassley said the legislation contained weak legal reasoning, and he supports the right to life for the unborn.

In his upcoming term, Grassley told The Daily over email he hopes to address gun violence by further funding law enforcement and expanding the U.S. Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center through the EAGLES Act.

Grassley also said he plans to address college costs and student loan debt by improving the transparency of the student loan market, encouraging financial literacy and working against President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness program. Grassley said this program would likely disproportionately benefit wealthy households rather than all students.

Grassley said he plans on addressing sustainability in his upcoming term. His plan includes further promoting the use of renewable energy, specifically wind energy, which will create jobs in Iowa.

He also said he plans to support Iowa biofuels, an industry that employs 48,000 Iowans. His plan also references his introduction of the Next Generation Fuels Act, which is intended to improve vehicle efficiency and help Americans with the price of gas, according to his website.

Feenstra will enter his second term holding this office on Jan. 3, 2023. He will represent Iowa’s fourth congressional district, which is the reddest district in the state.

Feenstra defeated Democratic candidate Ryan Melton, winning 67.32% of votes in comparison to Melton’s 30.4%.

This will be Feenstra’s second time representing the fourth district after defeating Republican Steve King in the 2020 primary election. King served in this position between 2003 and 2021.

Before representing the fourth district, Feenstra represented Iowa’s second congressional district between 2009 and 2021. He has also served as the Sioux City treasurer and the chairman of the Iowa Senate Ways and Means Committee under Reynolds. This committee created the largest tax reduction in Iowa history in 2017.

Feenstra currently serves on multiple committees, including the House Agriculture Committee, the House Committee on Budget, and the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology.

On Sunday, two days before the election, The Des Moines Register published a poll that Republican candidates were favored in the four congressional districts based on early ballots. Specifically, Feenstra appeared to have a significant advantage in the fourth district.

More information about these politicians can be found on Grassley’s and Feenstra’s websites.