United States House of Representatives elections in Iowa, 2006
Encyclopedia
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.
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.
The winners will serve from January 3, 2007 to January 3, 2009.
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 defeated Whalen by a solid margin.
Braley's victory meant that, for the first time since 1976, a Democrat will be serving the district.
When the Iowa Secretary of State's office posted its list of primary candidates online in March, there was no Democratic candidate. http://www.sos.state.ia.us/pdfs/Staff/PrimCandList.pdf. 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 http://www.sos.state.ia.us/pdfs/elections/2006/primary/2006PrimaryElectionOfficialResults.pdf. Incumbent Jim Leach was the sole GOP candidate in the primary.
The campaign eventually heated up , as Loebsack was hoping to ride what he viewed as voter discontent with the Bush administration. Leach supporters continued to point to his strong integrity and status as one of the most liberal Republicans in the House.
On election night, Loebsack stunned many political observers by defeating Leach by a thin margin. Leach's defeat made him the most senior House member to lose re-election in 2006 and the most senior member to lose re-election since 42-year incumbent Jack Brooks
lost to Steve Stockman
in the 1994 Republican Revolution
.
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 ultimately took advantage of the strong Democratic wave sweeping across the country and defeated Lamberti to win a sixth term.
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 quiet by comparison to other races in Iowa, the Iraqi War was a major point of contention between the candidates.
Though some political analyists expected the race to be a tough one, Latham defeated Spencer by a solid margin to win a seventh term.
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 in a small landslide to win another term.
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
, midterm elections for the state's five Congressional
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...
seats took place November 7, 2006. Each race was contested, each pitting the winners of the Republican and Democratic primaries conducted June 6.
The Democratic party gained control of three of the five seats up for grabs. In one of those races, 30-year incumbent Jim Leach
Jim Leach
James Albert Smith "Jim" Leach is a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Iowa. In August 2009, he became Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities ....
, a Republican, was unseated by newcomer Dave Loebsack, a Democrat.
The winners will serve from January 3, 2007 to January 3, 2009.
Overview
| United States House of Representatives elections in Iowa, 2006 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Votes | Percentage | Seats | +/– | |
| Republican | 522,388 | 50.57% | 2 | -2 | |
| Democratic | 492,937 | 47.72% | 3 | +2 | |
| Independents | 17,656 | 1.71% | 0 | — | |
| Totals | 1,032,981 | 100.00% | 5 | — | |
District 1
Regarded as one of the more hotly contested races in the nation, Republican nominee Mike Whalen of Bettendorf
Bettendorf, Iowa
Bettendorf is a city in Scott County, Iowa, United States. Bettendorf is the fifteenth largest city in the U.S. state of Iowa and the fourth largest city in the "Quad Cities". As of the 2010 United States Census the population grew to 33,217. Bettendorf is one of the Quad Cities, along with...
, the operator of the Heart of America Restaurants and Inns (HOARI) chain, took on Democratic candidate Bruce Braley
Bruce Braley
Bruce Braley is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2007. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district lies in northeastern Iowa and includes Davenport, Bettendorf, Cedar Falls, Waterloo, Dubuque, and Clinton....
, an attorney from Waterloo
Waterloo, Iowa
Waterloo is a city in and the county seat of Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census the population decreased by 0.5% to 68,406. Waterloo is part of the Waterloo – Cedar Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, and is the more populous of the two...
. The seat had been vacated when incumbent Jim Nussle
Jim Nussle
James Allen "Jim" Nussle is an American politician and was the director of the Office of Management and Budget. Nussle was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1991 to 2007...
announced his run for Iowa governor
Iowa gubernatorial election, 2006
The Iowa gubernatorial election of 2006 took place November 7, 2006. The incumbent governor, Tom Vilsack, a Democrat, had served two terms and decided not to seek a third term. In the election, Culver defeated Nussle to win the governorship, by a margin of 54.4 percent to 44.1 percent...
.
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 defeated Whalen by a solid margin.
Braley's victory meant that, for the first time since 1976, a Democrat will be serving the district.
District 2
When the Iowa Secretary of State's office posted its list of primary candidates online in March, there was no Democratic candidate. http://www.sos.state.ia.us/pdfs/Staff/PrimCandList.pdf. However, Dave Loebsack of Mount Vernon
Mount Vernon, Iowa
Mount Vernon is a city in Linn County, Iowa, United States, adjacent to the city of Lisbon. The city's population was 3,390 when the 2000 census figures were released, but that number was later revised to 3,808 because the Census Bureau had incorrectly reported that 418 residents of a Cornell...
, a political science professor at Cornell College
Cornell College
Cornell College is a private liberal arts college in Mount Vernon, Iowa. Originally called the Iowa Conference Seminary, the school was founded in 1853 by Reverend Samuel M. Fellows...
, received write-in votes in the June 6 primary to become the Democratic nominee http://www.sos.state.ia.us/pdfs/elections/2006/primary/2006PrimaryElectionOfficialResults.pdf. Incumbent Jim Leach was the sole GOP candidate in the primary.
The campaign eventually heated up , as Loebsack was hoping to ride what he viewed as voter discontent with the Bush administration. Leach supporters continued to point to his strong integrity and status as one of the most liberal Republicans in the House.
On election night, Loebsack stunned many political observers by defeating Leach by a thin margin. Leach's defeat made him the most senior House member to lose re-election in 2006 and the most senior member to lose re-election since 42-year incumbent Jack Brooks
Jack Brooks (politician)
Jack Bascom Brooks is a retired Democratic politician from the U.S. state of Texas, who served for more than 40 years in the U.S. House of Representatives. He was defeated for reelection in the 1994 election...
lost to Steve Stockman
Steve Stockman
Steve Stockman is a Republican politician who represented Texas's 9th Congressional District between 1995 and 1997.- Biography :Stockman was born in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, near Detroit. He graduated from Dondero High School....
in the 1994 Republican Revolution
Republican Revolution
The Republican Revolution or Revolution of '94 is what the media dubbed Republican Party success in the 1994 U.S. midterm elections, which resulted in a net gain of 54 seats in the House of Representatives, and a pickup of eight seats in the Senate...
.
District 3
Five-term 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:...
, a Democrat from Des Moines
Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines is the capital and the most populous city in the US state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small portion of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857...
, took on Republican challenger Jeff Lamberti
Jeff Lamberti
Jeff Lamberti is the former Republican Senate leader and two term state senator representing the 35th District of the Iowa Senate, and served two terms as State Representative. In the 2006 mid-term election, Lamberti was the Republican nominee for U.S...
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 ultimately took advantage of the strong Democratic wave sweeping across the country and defeated Lamberti to win a sixth term.
District 4
Seven term Republican incumbent Tom Latham
Tom Latham
Thomas "Tom" Latham is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1995. He is a member of the Republican Party.-Early life, education and career:...
of 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 ....
faced Democratic nominee Selden Spencer, a neurologist from Huxley
Huxley, Iowa
Huxley is a city in Story County, Iowa, United States. The population was 2,316 at the 2000 census. It is part of the 'Ames, Iowa Metropolitan Statistical Area', which is a part of the larger 'Ames-Boone, Iowa Combined Statistical Area'.-Geography:...
. Both candidates were unopposed in the June 6 primary. Although quiet by comparison to other races in Iowa, the Iraqi War was a major point of contention between the candidates.
Though some political analyists expected the race to be a tough one, Latham defeated Spencer by a solid margin to win a seventh term.
District 5
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....
of Kiron
Kiron, Iowa
Kiron is a city in Crawford County, Iowa, United States. The population was 273 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Kiron is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....
, a two-term incumbent, faced Democratic nominee Joyce Schulte of Creston
Creston, Iowa
Creston is a city in and the county seat of Union County, Iowa, United States. The population was 7,597 at the 2000 census. McKinley Lake lies within a large, multi-purpose municipal park within the city limits, and three additional recreational lakes are located within seven miles of Creston:...
. Schulte had defeated Robert Chambers in the June 6 primary, while King was unopposed.
In the November 7 election, King defeated Schulte in a small landslide to win another term.