Harkin & Grassley both are Watergate babies, having both been elected to the House in 1974. At the time Grassley came in, succeeding the legendary Conservative-Libertarian H.R. Gross, he was the only Republican in the entire IA delegation (out of 8 members, 6 from the House). The Governor was a Republican, Bob Ray, but he was a liberal. It would take 10 years for the GOP to regain a House majority again, but alas, it was Sen. Roger Jepsen’s subpar performance in 1984 (of all years) that allowed Harkin to waltz into his seat (despite having thrown up some promising Congressmen that would’ve all made good or great Senators, Tom Tauke in 1990, Jim Ross Lightfoot in 1996, and Greg Ganske in 2002). Hopefully, Jodi Ernst will finally take the seat back after 30 years.
Many thanks for your detailed, and informative comments.