Iowa's Chuck Grassley continues his Senate tenure

Sen. Chuck Grassley beat Democrat Michael Franken in Tuesday's election, extending his record as one of the longest-serving U.S. Senators in history, according to the Associated Press.

Why it matters: The race will help determine which party holds majority control of the U.S. Senate.

Grassley has voiced optimism that he will reclaim the chairmanship of the Judiciary Committee, a position he held when the committee blocked Merrick Garland, former President Obama's U.S. Supreme Court nominee in 2016.

What happened: Franken's campaign lost momentum in the final weeks before the election.

The retired U.S. Navy vice admiral was within three percentage points of Grassley in October but fell behind by double digits in a subsequent Iowa Poll.

By the numbers: Grassley, 89, is the second oldest member of the Senate. He's three months younger than Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.

He has held one of Iowa's Senate seats since 1981 and has never received less than 60% of the votes in his re-election bids.

Yes, but: Franken may have come closer to winning than Grassley’s previous challengers.

The senator had 56% of the vote as of 6am with 1% of precincts not yet reported by the Iowa Secretary of State.