Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abby Finkenauer pledges to serve just two terms if elected, calls for term limits

Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate Abby Finkenauer is calling for congressional term limits in Washington, D.C. — a point she's emphasizing by pledging to serve just two terms in office if she's elected this November.

"I didn't run for office so I could have a career in Washington spent cozying up to lobbyists or to get rich off the taxpayers' dime," she wrote in an open letter shared exclusively with the Des Moines Register. "Two terms in the Senate would be more than enough for me, and it should be more than enough for anyone else too."

Finkenauer is calling for a 12-year term limit for each chamber of Congress: two terms in the Senate and six in the House.

She is one of four Iowa Democrats vying for the chance to challenge U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley. Grassley, 88, has served in the Senate since 1981, and he has held elected office since 1959. He marked 63 years of service on Jan. 12.

Though Grassley faces a Republican primary challenger in state Sen. Jim Carlin, he's widely expected to reclaim the party's nomination in June.

Grassley has supported and voted in favor of term limits at multiple points throughout his career. During an August 2021 interview with the Register, Grassley said he would do so again.

"I think I'd have to vote for term limits again if it came up," he said. "But you hear in states where they have it that they say it increases the power of the bureaucrats, because they don't have term limits and then lobbyists have more power. Because once you're elected into a legislative body it takes a while to learn how to get everything done. Then by the time you learn, in certain states like California, you have to get out."

But Finkenauer, who has taken aim at Grassley's longevity since the start of her campaign, argues that his decades in Washington, D.C. have made him out of touch.

"Why has Sen. Grassley changed, even though he once promised he wouldn't?" Finkenauer wrote in the letter. "One has to look no further than the corporate special interests and lobbyists who now back him."

Jennifer Heins, a senior advisor to Grassley's campaign, said in a statement that Finkenauer has been inconsistent in her support for term limits and is only supporting it now "to score political points."

She pointed to a September 2020 debate on Iowa Press in which Finkenauer said "experience is important" and that candidates should only stay in office if they are "adding something."

"The fact is, until the law is amended to require term limits, which Chuck Grassley supports, self-imposed term limits would do nothing but empower other states with more senior representation at the expense of Iowa," Heins said. "Iowans have two senators in leadership roles who deliver for our state due to their seniority and expertise. Abby Finkenauer is effectively advocating for an artificial cap on Iowa’s influence and power in Washington. That’s no way to represent the interests of Iowans."

There are currently 18 sitting U.S. senators who will have served for at least 20 years by the time a new Congress is sworn in next January, though some have announced retirements.

The nonpartisan Cook Political Report forecasts the Iowa Senate race outcome to be "solidly Republican."

According to a September 2021 Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll, Grassley led Finkenauer by 18 percentage points among likely voters, 55% to 37%. Another 7% were not sure who they would vote for in a head-to-head matchup, and 1% said they would not vote.

More: Iowa Poll: Chuck Grassley leads Abby Finkenauer in test of possible US Senate matchup

Brianne Pfannenstiel is the chief politics reporter for the Register. Reach her at bpfann@dmreg.com or 515-284-8244. Follow her on Twitter at @brianneDMR.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Finkenauer pledges to serve just two terms, calls for term limits