Iowa congressional elections, 2006

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In Iowa, midterm elections for the state's five Congressional seats took place November 7, 2006. Each race was contested, each pitting the winners of the Republican and Democratic primaries conducted June 6.

Pending certification of results, the Democratic party gained control of three of the five seats up for grabs. In one of those races, 30-year incumbent Jim Leach, a Republican, was unseated by newcomer Dave Loebsack, a Democrat.^[1]

The winners will serve from January 3, 2007 to January 3, 2009.

Contents 1 District by district 1.1 First District 1.2 Second District 1.3 Third District 1.4 Fourth District 1.5 Fifth District 2 References 3 See also

[edit] District by district

[edit] First District

Regarded as one of the more hotly contested races in the nation, Republican nominee Mike Whalen of Bettendorf, the operator of the Heart of America Restaurants and Inns (HOARI) chain, took on Democratic candidate Bruce Braley, an attorney from Waterloo. The seat had been vacated when incumbent Jim Nussle announced his run for Iowa governor.

In the Democratic primary, Braley defeated Rick Dickinson, Bill Gluba and Denny Heath. Whalen got the GOP nod over Bill Dix and Brian Kennedy.

Following an election that was peppered with negative attack ads from both sides, Braley posted victories in all 12 counties in the First District to defeat Whalen, 55 percent to 43.3 percent. Two other challengers — James Hill of the Pirate Party and independent candidate Albert Schoeman — each received about 1 percent of the vote.

Braley's victory meant that, for the first time since 1976, a Democrat will be serving the district. ^[2]

[edit] Second District

When the Iowa Secretary of State's office posted its list of primary candidates online in March, there was no Democratic candidate. [1]. However, Dave Loebsack of Mount Vernon, a political science professor at Cornell College, received write-in votes in the June 6 primary to become the Democratic nominee [2]. Incumbent Jim Leach was the sole GOP candidate in the primary.

The campaign eventually heated up ^[3], as Loebsack was hoping to ride what he viewed as voter discontent with the Bush administration.

On election night, Loebsack stunned many political observers by defeating Leach, 51.3 percent to 48.6 percent. ^[4]

[edit] Third District

Five-term incumbent Leonard Boswell, a Democrat from Des Moines, took on Republican challenger Jeff Lamberti of Ankeny, a two-term state senator from the 35th District and the GOP's Senate leader. Both candidates were uncontested in the June 6 primary.

Like in the First Congressional District, the Third District race was characterized by negative attack advertising and attention from national committees seeking to elect their candidate of choice.

Boswell defeated Lamberti, 51.8 percent to 46.7 percent, to win a sixth term ^[5]. Helen Myers of the Socialist Workers party took 1.6 percent of the vote.

[edit] Fourth District

Seven term Republican incumbent Tom Latham of Alexander faced Democratic nominee Selden Spencer, a neurologist from Huxley. Both candidates were unopposed in the June 6 primary.

Although some political analyists expected the race to be a tough one, Latham defeated Spencer 57.2 percent to 42.8 percent to win a seventh term. ^[6] Although quiet by comparison to other races in Iowa, the Iraqi War was a major point of contention between the candidates. ^[7]

[edit] Fifth District

Republican Steve King of Kiron, a two-term incumbent, faced Democratic nominee Joyce Schulte of Creston. Schulte had defeated Robert Chambers in the June 6 primary, while King was unopposed.

In the November 7 election, King defeated Schulte 58.4 percent to 35.7 percent. He also outdistanced two independent challengers: Roy Nielsen (4.5 percent) and Cheryl Brodersen (1.4 percent). ^[8]

[edit] References

1. ^ McWilliams, Mike. "Loebsack ousts Leach: Challenger ousts 30-year incumbent", Iowa City Press-Citizen, November 8, 2006. Retrieved on 2006-11-08.
2. ^ Tibbetts, Ed. "Braley win caps 2-year quest", Quad-City Times, 2006-11-07. Retrieved on 2006-11-08.
3. ^ Jordan, Erin. "Loebsack-Leach race warms up", Des Moines Register, September 30, 2006. Retrieved on 2006-11-08.
4. ^ McWilliams, Mike. "Loebsack ousts Leach: Challenger ousts 30-year incumbent", Iowa City Press-Citizen, November 8, 2006. Retrieved on 2006-11-08.
5. ^ Higgins, Tim. "Boswell tops Lamberti to keep House seat", Des Moines Register, 2006-11-08. Retrieved on 2006-11-08.
6. ^ Shea, Bill. "Tom Latham re-elected over Selden Spencer", Fort Dodge Messenger, November 8, 2006. Retrieved on 2006-11-08.
7. ^ "Braley rides party's wave, says Bush was 'major issue'", Des Moines Register, November 8, 2006. Retrieved on 2006-11-08.
8. ^ Hayworth, Bret. "King wins third term in Congress", Sioux City Journal, November 8, 2006. Retrieved on 2006-11-08.

• Iowa Secretary of State — Statewide results from Iowa.

[edit] See also

• Iowa gubernatorial election, 2006