By O. Kay Henderson (Radio Iowa)

Republican Senator Chuck Grassley and his Democratic opponent, Mike Franken, will meet in their only televised debate tonight.

The two have been debating from afar in comments this summer and fall. Grassley, who is seeking his eighth term in the U.S. Senate, has been telling audiences his opponent would be an ally of President Biden.

“What you’re seeing is a candidate that’s going to be a rubber stamp if he’s in the United Senate for everything this administration wants because it seems like he’s backed it to this point,” Grassley told reporters last week after touring a central Iowa business.

Franken, a retired Navy Admiral, often cites Grassley’s longevity in office.

“We’ve got real problems, but fixable problems and it’s not too late,” Franken said last weekend during a fundraiser. “It’s never too late. Why? Because Iowans are resilient. We deserve better than a senator for life who voted against our needs.”

Tonight’s debate between Grassley and Franken starts at 7 p.m. on Iowa PBS’s traditional channels. It will also be livestreamed here.

There’s another debate tonight between the candidates in Iowa’s third congressional district on KCCI Channel 8, the CBS affiliate in Des Moines. Congresswoman Cindy Axne, a Democrat from West Des Moines, and Zach Nunn, a Republican from Bondurant, are scheduled to debate again Sunday at 6 p.m. on KMA Radio.