Iowa’s 90-year-old Republican U.S. senator says he will not join in calls for Democratic President Joe Biden, 81, to end his bid for re-election.
U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley was asked Wednesday about increasing calls, including within the Democratic Party, for Biden to bow out amid concerns over his viability as the party's nominee following last month’s dismal debate performance.
Questions have arisen over Biden’s ability to run and serve out a second term after stumbling through his first televised debate of the election cycle against Donald Trump, the 78-year-old former president and presumptive 2024 Republican presidential nominee.
"I don't want to dump on Biden as either a presidential candidate or any accusations about his health," Grassley said, responding to a question during a weekly conference call with Iowa reporters. "And that's a family matter within the Biden family. That's a family matter within the Democrat family."
Grassley said he is focusing on Biden's policies and leadership, arguing that they have led to a significant increase in the cost of living and lack of enforcement at the Southern border.
“So bottom line is we need a Republican president, and I'm going to concentrate on those two things and several other bad policies,” Grassley said.
Biden has emphatically refused to step aside as many Democrats worry they could lose the White House and Congress and watch the rise of a second term Trump and conservative agenda with plans to weaken the federal government.
Tom Harkin, an Iowa Democrat who served 30 years in the U.S. Senate, was among those suggesting Biden should release his delegates and step aside ahead of the Democratic National Convention in August. But so far, other Iowa Democratic leaders have stopped short of calling on Biden to end his candidacy.
Biden and his campaign have tried to quell concerns, pointing to the lies Trump told during the debate and shifting attention to Biden’s record rather than his age and debate performance.
Iowa AG urges justices to hear Trump challenge
Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird co-led a court brief asking the U.S. Supreme Court to consider a lawsuit filed by Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey challenging former President Donald Trump's hush-money prosecution in New York.
The brief argues the Supreme Court is obligated to take up the challenge because it is a conflict between two states.
Bailey sued the state of New York last week, arguing Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg was politically motivated in bringing business fraud charges against Trump. His lawsuit alleges the prosecution was intended to boost President Joe Biden's campaign, calling it "lawfare."
Trump was convicted by a jury on 34 counts of falsifying business records related to hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. In the wake of a Supreme Court decision granting wider criminal immunity to the president for official acts, Trump's lawyers are seeking to overturn the conviction. He also faces prosecution at the federal level and in Georgia for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election and for retaining classified documents after leaving office.
“As a prosecutor, I know that politics has no place in criminal prosecutions,” Bird said in a statement. “I am calling on the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case against New York’s political prosecution, gag order, and sentencing of President Trump that interfere with the presidential election. We must protect free and fair elections and the rule of law.”
Bird has been an ardent defender of Trump as he's faced multiple criminal prosecutions. She visited his New York trial in May, calling the charges "ascamandasham."
The amicus brief is led by Bird and Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, and joined by attorneys general in Alaska and Montana.
Bohannan raises $1.2M in 2nd quarter
Democratic U.S. House candidate Christina Bohannan’s campaign announced Wednesday she raised $1.2 million during April, May and June and will report having $2.4 million in cash on hand.
Bohannan, a law professor from Iowa City, is challenging Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, a retired ophthalmologist from Ottumwa, to represent Southeast Iowa’s 1st Congressional District.
The Bohannan campaign has outraised Miller-Meeks in the past three quarters, according to Federal Election Commission filings, and has caught up to Miller-Meeks’ availability of cash on hand.
Candidates had to file pre-primary financial reports with the FEC covering April 1 to May 15. That report says Miller-Meeks raised about $265,000 during those 45 days and had about $1.86 million on hand on May 15.
Bohannan outraised Miller-Meeks during that 45-day time period, reporting to the FEC about $442,000 in contributions and a similar amount of cash-on-hand to Miller-Meeks on May 15, at about $1.82 million.
Here’s data from the past three fundraising quarters of the campaign, according to FEC filings:
Bohannan
Jan. 1-March 31: Net contributions: $820,000. Cash on hand at end of period: $1.63 million
Oct. 1, 2023-Dec. 31, 2023: Net contributions: $650,000. Cash on hand at end of period: $1.12 million
July 1, 2023-Sept. 30, 2023: Net contributions: $660,000. Cash on hand at end of period: $630,000
Mariannette Miller-Meeks
Jan. 1-March 31: Net contributions: $320,000. Cash on hand at end of period: $1.77 million
Oct. 1, 2023-Dec. 31, 2023: Net contributions: $430,000. Cash on hand at end of reporting period: $1.58 million
July 1, 2023-Sept. 30, 2023: Net contributions: $368,000. Cash on hand at end of reporting period: $1.38 million
