State of the Race: Iowa’s Republican Senate Primary

June 7, 2022

Incumbent Senator Chuck Grassley will face off against Jim Carlin in the GOP primary for one of Iowa’s seats in the U.S. Senate. Sen. Grassley has been a significant advocate for causes of importance to the Jewish community – fighting to eradicate BDS, calling out heinous, antisemitic undertakings, and being an unwavering voice for strengthening the U.S.-Israel relationship. Jim Carlin, who is a U.S. military veteran and current member of the Iowa State Senate, does not appear to hold a record of position or history of comment on Jewish issues.

• Senator Grassley opposed the Iran nuclear deal and supported the move of the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem. He opposes the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement and cosponsored the Israel Anti-Boycott Act and the Combating BDS Act of 2017, two bills that aim to fight discriminatory boycotts that target Israel.

• Senator Grassley cosponsored legislation objecting to the UN Security Council Resolution 2334, which claimed that Israel’s settlements have no legal validity. He cosponsored the United States-Israel Security Assistance Authorization Act, a legislation that supported total funding of security assistance to Israel as outlined in the 2016 U.S.-Israel Memorandum of Understanding.

• In 2019, he voted for the Strengthening America’s Middle East Security Act which, among other things, strengthened Israel’s security and allowed a state or local government to adopt measures to divest its assets from entities that boycott Israel.

Senator Grassley responded to our invitation to address the Jewish community through the Jewish Political Guide.