Sen. Chuck Grassley (R) has his first Democratic opponent for 2010.

Democratic activist Bob Krause announced Saturday that he is forming an exploratory committee to run against Grassley.

“As a good farmer, Sen. Grassley must recognize that 51 years, or 58 years at the end of his term, is a long time to go without rotating crops,— Krause told supporters, according to the Des Moines Register.

Krause, a former Representative in the Iowa state House, announced his bid at the Fort Des Moines Historical Museum in Des Moines.

Grassley has not had a difficult election challenge since he was elected to the Senate, winning with at least 66 percent of the vote in every re-election since 1980. And with more than $2.5 million in his campaign account, he is the odds-on favorite to win again in 2010.