Tom Latham

Thomas "Tom" Latham (born July 14, 1948)^[1] is the U.S. Representative for Iowa's 4th congressional district, serving since 1995. He is a member of the Republican Party.

Early life, education and career

Latham was born in Hampton, Iowa, south of Mason City, but was raised on a farm in nearby Alexander.^[1][2] He was educated at Iowa State University, and was a business owner before entering the House. He and his brothers run a family seed company called Latham Seeds.^[2]

U.S. House of Representatives

Committee assignments

• Committee on Appropriations
  • Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
  • Subcommittee on Homeland Security
  • Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (Chairman)

Leadership roles and Caucus memberships

• Congressional COPD Caucus
• Dean of Iowa's delegation in the U.S. House of Representatives
• Task Force for a Drug-Free America
• Prescription Drug Action Leadership Team
• Congressional Task Force for Affordable Natural Gas

Latham has made fiscal and military issues the key points of his tenure in Washington. He is considered to be one of the most fiscally conservative members of the House and his voting record has been strongly anti-tax and heavily in favor of cutting spending to social programs.

Latham is a staunch advocate of a federal prohibition of online poker. In 2006, he cosponsored H.R. 4411, the Goodlatte-Leach Internet Gambling Prohibition Act.^[3]

Political campaigns

Latham was elected as the congressman for Iowa's 5th congressional district in 1994^[1] as part of the wave that allowed Republicans to take over the House for the first time since 1955. The 5th, based in western Iowa, was far and away the most Republican district in the state, and Latham never faced a serious challenge as the 5th District's congressman. In 1994 he defeated Democrat Sheila McGuire garnering 61 percent of the vote. In 1996 he won 65 percent of the vote in defeating Democrat MacDonald Smith, and he ran unopposed in the 1998 election.^[1]

The 2000 round of redistricting, however, significantly altered Iowa's congressional map. Latham's home in Alexander, along with most of the eastern third of his old district, was placed in the new 4th District in the north-central part of the state. This district is considered much more competitive than Latham's old district; with a Cook Partisan Voting Index of D+0.4, on paper it is one of the most marginal districts in the nation. However, he has been reelected four times from this district without much difficulty. This may be because he is the only Iowan on the powerful House Appropriations Committee.^[1] It is considered very difficult to unseat an Appropriations Committee member.

In the 2006 election, neither the Republican nor Democratic parties had a contested primary. His opponent in the 2006 general election was Selden Spencer, a neurologist from Huxley. Latham, who had moved to Ames, closer to the center of the district, earned 57.3% of the vote as he won reelection.

In the 2008 election Latham won against Democratic nominee Becky Greenwald with 61 percent of the vote even as Barack Obama carried the district by eight points.

In 2010, Latham won against Democratic nominee Bill Maske, a school administrator.

Iowa is due to lose a district as a result of the 2010 census. The new congressional map placed Latham and fellow Republican Steve King into the same district. While it retained Latham's district number, it contains more of King's old territory. Indeed, it closely resembled the territory Latham represented for his first four terms.^[4] Latham opted to move to the reconfigured 3rd and challenge Democratic incumbent Leonard Boswell in the 2012 election.^[5]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e} "Thomas Paul Latham (R)". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/elections/2004/candidates/22423/. Retrieved 2010-01-28. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "Biography". http://www.tomlatham.house.gov/Biography/. Retrieved 2010-01-28. 
3. ^ Thomas (Library of Congress): HR 4411
4. ^ Cilizza, Chris. Iowa redistricting proposal matches two pairs of incumbents against each other. The Washington Post, 2011-03-18.
5. ^ Petroski, William. U.S. Rep. Latham will move to Iowa’s 3rd District, challenge Boswell in 2012. The Des Moines Register, 2011-04-15.

External links

• U.S. Congressman Tom Latham official U.S. House site
• Tom Latham for US Congress official campaign site
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
• Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
• Congressional profile at GovTrack
• Congressional profile at OpenCongress
• Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
• Financial information at OpenSecrets.org
• Staff salaries, trips and personal finance at LegiStorm.com
• Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
• Appearances on C-SPAN programs
• Profile at SourceWatch