U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley’s vacuum cleaner Beth, named after a former Senate staffer, has finally been retired after a life of service to the Grassley household.
In a tweet on Aug. 8, Grassley wrote that it’s been a sad day for the family. The vacuum, which is believed to be more than 40 years old, previously belonged to his mother-in-law.
His photo showed black charring on the power cord, which Grassley said was from electrical sparks.
Grassley has a history of posting moments from his life on X. He went viral in 2014 for saying the Windsor Heights Dairy Queen is a good place for “u kno what.”
He regularly posted about using Beth to prepare the house for hosting various holiday celebrations.
People in the comments of Beth’s eulogy offered free vacuum repairs for his beloved Hoover. Others berated Grassley for memorializing Beth instead of the U.S. people.
Beth’s eulogy has been viewed more than 3 million times on X, as of Monday, Aug. 10.
Other representatives, like Sen. Tim Scott and Rep. Jared Moskowitz, reached out to express their condolences. Clare Slattery, Grassley’s communications director, wrote a post saying, “Please respect Team Grassley’s privacy during this difficult time.”
In an update on Sunday, Grassley said he had accepted an offer from a “good Iowan” in Sioux City for a replacement Hoover that is a newer model.
Lucia Cheng is a service and trending reporter at the Des Moines Register. Contact her at lcheng@gannett.com or 515-284-8132.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Chuck Grassley mourns his trusty Hoover vacuum cleaner ‘Beth’
Reporting by Lucia Cheng, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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By Lucia Cheng, Des Moines Register | USA TODAY Network
