Bob Krause a former state representative and longtime activist for Iowa veterans, announced yesterday that he is exploring a challenge to U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley in 2016. I’ve posted his statement after the jump.

Krause sought the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in 2010 and finished second with just under 13 percent of the vote. Last year he considered running for governor in 2014 but declined to move forward, saying he had decided to run against Grassley instead.

Grassley announced last year that he plans to seek a seventh term in the U.S. Senate. He would be 83 years old in November 2016 election and 89 years old if he served out a full term. Nevertheless, he will be the prohibitive favorite against any Democratic challenger. I believe Grassley plans to retire in 2022 and hopes his grandson, State Representative Pat Grassley, will be well-positioned to succeed him by then. If Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey runs for governor in 2018, as many Iowa politics-watchers expect, Pat Grassley will likely leave the Iowa House to run for secretary of agriculture that year.

Statement from Bob Krause on September 11

VETERAN ANNOUNCES  SENATE EXPLORATORY COMMITTEE ON VETERANS DAY

Veterans Activist Bob Krause today announced that he is forming an exploratory committee to run for the Democratic nomination for United States Senate against Charles Grassley in 2016. Krause states that he will use the next several months to seek out Iowan’s opinions on what is important to them before formally announcing. Krause said that while it is was early in the season to announce, Senator Grassley has already announced his intentions, and as the underdog, he will need time to spread his message.

“Personally, today I think that the number one issue of concern to most Iowans is stagnant incomes,” said Krause. “It is certainly an issue with the minimum wage, and has also impacted middle-class Iowans and blue collar workers. Farmers have also been hit hard as corn prices have fallen.”

“My concern is that Senator Grassley is out of touch with real Iowans facing real incomes issues. He was first elected to public office in 1958 and to the Senate in 1980. That is 56 years of consecutive public service. While I congratulate the Senator on this accomplishment and the other things he has done, it is 56 years in which people have treated him with deference. Deference can be addictive and can lead a failure to see how national actions impact the income of all Iowans,” stated Krause.

“Senator Grassley, Senator Elect Joni Grassley [sic] and I have a lot in common. We were all raised on Iowa farms, and consider ourselves to be dedicated Iowans. Two out of three of us served in  the military, at least two out of three of us worked at castrating hogs (I did, I am not sure about Senator Grassley), and all of us served in the state legislature at one time. But for all our commonalities, we have profoundly different philosophies of governance. As I gather the opinions of Iowans, I will ask them their views on what they want in life for them and their children and how decisions in Washington can help or hurt them.”

“For the veterans that are honored this day, I want you to know that you are in my heart. My work with the Veterans National Recovery Center has been a labor of love. My work on veterans issues is from the heart, and not for my own personal profit. Should I run, and should I be elected, you will be in the forefront of my interests,” concluded Krause.