Tom Latham
Encyclopedia
Thomas "Tom" Latham is the U.S. Representative
for , serving since 1995. He is a member of the Republican Party
.
, south of Mason City
, but was raised on a farm in nearby Alexander
. 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.
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.
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. 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. Latham opted to move to the reconfigured 3rd and challenge Democratic incumbent Leonard Boswell
in the 2012 election.
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
for , serving since 1995. He is a member of the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
.
Early life, education and career
Latham was born in Hampton, IowaHampton, Iowa
Hampton is a city in Franklin County, Iowa, United States. The population was 4,461 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Franklin County...
, south of Mason City
Mason City, Iowa
Mason City is the county seat of Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, United States. The population was 28,079 in the 2010 census, a decline from 29,172 in the 2000 census. The Mason City Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Cerro Gordo and Worth counties....
, but was raised on a farm in nearby Alexander
Alexander, Iowa
Alexander is a city in Franklin County, Iowa, United States. The population was 165 at the 2000 census.Alexander is the hometown of Iowa Congressman Tom Latham.-Geography:Alexander is located at ....
. He was educated at Iowa State University
Iowa State University
Iowa State University of Science and Technology, more commonly known as Iowa State University , is a public land-grant and space-grant research university located in Ames, Iowa, United States. Iowa State has produced astronauts, scientists, and Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, along with a host of...
, and was a business owner before entering the House. He and his brothers run a family seed company called Latham Seeds.
Committee assignments
- Committee on AppropriationsUnited States House Committee on AppropriationsThe Committee on Appropriations is a committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is in charge of setting the specific expenditures of money by the government of the United States...
- Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
- Subcommittee on Homeland SecurityUnited States House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland SecurityThe House Subcommittee on Homeland Security is a standing subcommittee within the House Appropriations Committee.-Members, 112th Congress:-External links:**...
- 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
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
. In 2006, he cosponsored H.R. 4411, the Goodlatte-Leach Internet Gambling Prohibition Act.
Political campaigns
Latham was elected as the congressman for in 1994 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.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
Cook Partisan Voting Index
The Cook Partisan Voting Index , sometimes referred to as simply the Partisan Voting Index , is a measurement of how strongly an American congressional district or state leans toward one political party compared to the nation as a whole...
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. 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
Ames, Iowa
Ames is a city located in the central part of the U.S. state of Iowa in Story County, and approximately north of Des Moines. The U.S. Census Bureau designates that Ames, Iowa metropolitan statistical area as encompassing all of Story County, and which, when combined with the Boone, Iowa...
, 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
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
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
Steve King
Steven Arnold "Steve" King is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party.The district is located in the western part of the state and includes Sioux City and Council Bluffs....
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. Latham opted to move to the reconfigured 3rd and challenge Democratic incumbent Leonard Boswell
Leonard Boswell
Leonard L. Boswell is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1997. He is a member of the Democratic Party.The district is based in Des Moines.-Early life, education and career:...
in the 2012 election.
External links
- U.S. Congressman Tom Latham official U.S. House site
- Tom Latham for US Congress official campaign site
- Profile at SourceWatchSourceWatchSourceWatch is an internet wiki site that is a collaborative project of the liberal Center for Media and Democracy...