2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Iowa
← 2010 November 6, 2012 (2012-11-06) 2014 →
All 4 Iowa seats to the United States House of Representatives
  Majority party Minority party
 
Party Democratic Republican
Last election 3 2
Seats won 2 2
Seat change Decrease 1 Steady
Popular vote 772,387 726,505
Percentage 50.26% 47.27%
Swing Increase 6.89% Decrease 6.72%
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The 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Iowa were held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012, to elect the state's four U.S. representatives. The elections coincided with the elections of other federal and state offices, including a quadrennial presidential election. Primary elections were held on June 5, 2012.[1]

The new congressional map, drawn by the state's Legislative Services Agency and passed with bipartisan support in the state House of Representatives and Senate, was signed into law by Governor Terry Branstad on April 19, 2011. Reflecting population shifts recorded in the 2010 United States census, the new map decreases Iowa's representation from five congressional districts to four.[2]

Overview

United States House of Representatives elections in Iowa, 2012 [3]
Party Votes Percentage Seats before Seats after +/–
Democratic 772,387 50.26% 3 2 -1
Republican 726,505 47.27% 2 2 -
Socialist Workers 6,286 0.41% -
Independent 30,291 1.97% -
Write-In 1,380 0.09% -
Totals 1,536,849 100% 5 4 -1

District 1

2012 Iowa's 1st congressional district election
← 2010
2014 →
 
Nominee Bruce Braley Ben Lange
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 222,422 162,465
Percentage 56.9% 41.6%
County results
Braley:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%
Lange:      40–50%      50–60%
U.S. Representatives before election

Bruce Braley
Democratic

Elected U.S. Representatives

Bruce Braley
Democratic

See also: Iowa's 1st congressional district

Bruce Braley, a Democrat the incumbent representative from the 1st district in northeastern Iowa since 2007, ran in the new 1st district. Fellow incumbent Dave Loebsack, who lived within the boundaries of the new 1st district in Linn County, but who had represented southeastern Iowa's 2nd district since 2007, moved to Johnson County and ran in the new 2nd district.[4] The 1st district has become more favorable to Democrats with the inclusion of Linn County and its loss of Scott County.[5] Braley won the Democratic nomination unopposed.[6]

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee
Declined

Primary results

Democratic primary results
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Bruce Braley (incumbent) 11,912 99.2
Democratic Write-ins 92 0.8
Total votes 12,004 100.0

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee
Eliminated in primary
Withdrawn

Primary results

Republican primary results
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Ben Lange 13,217 52.9
Republican Rod Blum 11,551 46.2
Republican Write-ins 143 0.9
Total votes 24,991 100.0

General election

Endorsements

Ben Lange (R)
Organizations

Predictions

Source Ranking As of
The Cook Political Report[12] Likely D November 5, 2012
Rothenberg[13] Safe D November 2, 2012
Roll Call[14] Safe D November 4, 2012
Sabato's Crystal Ball[15] Likely D November 5, 2012
NY Times[16] Safe D November 4, 2012
RCP[17] Likely D November 4, 2012
The Hill[18] Likely D November 4, 2012

Results

Iowa's 1st congressional district, 2012
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Bruce Braley (incumbent) 222,422 56.9
Republican Ben Lange 162,465 41.6
Independent Gregory Hughes 4,772 1.2
Independent George Todd Krail II 931 0.2
n/a Write-ins 259 0.1
Total votes 390,849 100.0
Democratic hold

District 2

2012 Iowa's 2nd congressional district election
← 2010  () 2014 →
 
Nominee Dave Loebsack John Archer
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 211,863 161,977
Percentage 55.6% 42.5%
County results
Loebsack:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%
Archer:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%
U.S. Representative before election

Dave Loebsack
Democratic

Elected U.S. Representative

Dave Loebsack
Democratic

See also: Iowa's 2nd congressional district

None of Iowa's current members of Congress resided in the newly-drawn 2nd district; however, Democrat Dave Loebsack moved from Linn County to Johnson County in order to avoid a primary against Bruce Braley and continue representing southeastern Iowa.[4] The 2nd district became slightly more favorable to Republicans as a result of the inclusion of Scott County, but retains Democratic-leaning Johnson County.[5]

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee
Eliminated in primary

Primary results

Democratic primary results
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Dave Loebsack (incumbent) 17,467 81.5
Democratic Joe M. Seng 3,913 18.3
Democratic Write-ins 39 0.2
Total votes 21,419 100.0

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee
Eliminated in primary
Withdrew

Primary results

Republican primary results
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican John Archer 16,604 60.5
Republican Dan Dolan 10,775 39.3
Republican Write-ins 57 0.2
Total votes 27,436 100.0

General election

Endorsements

Dave Loebsack (D)
Organizations
John Archer (R)
Organizations

Polling

Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size 		Margin of
error 		Dave
Loebsack (D) 		John
Archer (R) 		Undecided
Tarrance (R-Archer) June 25–27, 2012 300 (LV) ± 5.7% 48% 43% 10%

Predictions

Source Ranking As of
The Cook Political Report Likely D November 5, 2012
Rothenberg[13] Likely D November 2, 2012
Roll Call[14] Likely D November 4, 2012
Sabato's Crystal Ball[15] Likely D November 5, 2012
NY Times[16] Safe D November 4, 2012
RCP[17] Likely D November 4, 2012
The Hill[18] Lean D November 4, 2012

Results

Iowa's 2nd congressional district, 2012
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Dave Loebsack (incumbent) 211,863 55.6
Republican John Archer 161,977 42.5
Independent Alan Aversa 7,112 1.8
n/a Write-ins 323 0.1
Total votes 381,275 100.0
Democratic hold

District 3

2012 Iowa's 3rd congressional district election
← 2010
2014 →
 
Nominee Tom Latham Leonard Boswell
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote 202,000 168,632
Percentage 52.8% 43.6%
County results
Latham:      50–60%      60–70%
Boswell:      40–50%
U.S. Representative before election

Tom Latham
Republican

Elected U.S. Representative

Tom Latham
Republican

See also: Iowa's 3rd congressional district and Iowa's 4th congressional district

Leonard Boswell, a Democrat who represented the 3rd district in central Iowa since 1997, and Tom Latham, a Republican who represented the 4th district in northern and central Iowa since 1995, both ran in the new 3rd district.[24] Latham, who lived in the new 4th district, moved south to avoid facing fellow Republican Steve King in a primary.[25]

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

Primary results

Democratic primary results
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Leonard Boswell (incumbent) 8,382 98.3
Democratic Write-ins 145 1.7
Total votes 8,527 100.0

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

Primary results

Republican primary results
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Tom Latham (incumbent) 27,757 99.2
Republican Write-ins 218 0.8
Total votes 27,975 100.0

General election

Campaign

Approximately half of the new 3rd district was at the time represented by Boswell, whereas the new 3rd district contained than 20 per cent of the area currently represented by Latham. However, Latham had $983,500 cash on hand at the end of March 2011, whereas Boswell had just $173,815.

Endorsements

Leonard Boswell (D)
Organizations
Tom Latham (R)
Organizations

Debates

The first debate was held October 10, 2012 at 7 pm, sponsored by KCCI and the Des Moines Register.[27]

Polling

Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size 		Margin of
error 		Leonard
Boswell (D) 		Tom
Latham (R) 		Scott
Batcher (I) 		Undecided
Benenson (D-DCCC) September 18–20, 2012 400 (LV) ± 3.9% 45% 45% 7% 3%

Predictions

Source Ranking As of
The Cook Political Report Lean R November 5, 2012
Rothenberg[13] Tilts R November 2, 2012
Roll Call[14] Tossup November 4, 2012
Sabato's Crystal Ball[15] Lean R November 5, 2012
NY Times[16] Tossup November 4, 2012
RCP[17] Tossup November 4, 2012
The Hill[18] Tossup November 4, 2012

Results

Iowa's 3rd congressional district, 2012
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Tom Latham (incumbent) 202,000 52.2
Democratic Leonard Boswell (incumbent) 168,632 43.6
Independent Scott G. Batcher 9,352 2.4
Socialist Workers David Rosenfeld 6,286 1.6
n/a Write-ins 572 0.2
Total votes 386,842 100.0
Republican gain from Democratic

District 4

2012 Iowa's 4th congressional district election
← 2010
2014 →
 
Nominee Steve King Christie Vilsack
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote 200,063 169,470
Percentage 52.9% 44.9%
County results
King:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%
Vilsack:      50–60%
U.S. Representative before election

Steve King
Republican

Elected U.S. Representative

Steve King
Republican

See also: Iowa's 4th congressional district and Iowa's 5th congressional district

Steve King, a Republican represented western Iowa's 5th district since 2003, ran in the new 4th district. The new 4th district comprises mostly territory which King represented and which tends to vote for Republican candidates.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee
Declined

Primary results

Republican primary results
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Steve King (incumbent) 38,238 98.9
Republican Write-ins 420 1.1
Total votes 38,658 100.0

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

Primary results

Democratic primary results
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Christie Vilsack 10,765 99.2
Democratic Write-ins 88 0.8
Total votes 10,853 100.0

Independents

Martin James Monroe also ran.

General election

Endorsements

Christie Vilsack (D)
Organizations

Debates

Polling

Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size 		Margin of
error 		Steve
King (R) 		Christie
Vilsack (D) 		Martin
Monroe (I) 		Undecided
Public Policy Polling (D-CREDO) September 24–25, 2012 577 (LV) ± % 48% 45% — 7%
Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research (D-Vilsack) September 22–25, 2012 400 (LV) ± 4.9% 46% 44% 4% 6%
American Viewpoint (R-American Future Fund) September 23–24, 2012 400 (LV) ± 4.9% 48% 41% — 11%
Public Policy Polling (D-House Majority PAC) Archived 2012-01-28 at the Wayback Machine January 18–23, 2012 974 (RV) ± 3.1% 49% 43% — 8%

Predictions

Source Ranking As of
The Cook Political Report Lean R November 5, 2012
Rothenberg[13] Tilts R November 2, 2012
Roll Call[14] Lean R November 4, 2012
Sabato's Crystal Ball[15] Lean R November 5, 2012
NY Times[16] Lean R November 4, 2012
RCP[17] Tossup November 4, 2012
The Hill[18] Lean R November 4, 2012

Results

Iowa's 4th congressional district, 2012
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Steve King (incumbent) 200,063 52.9
Democratic Christie Vilsack 169,470 44.9
Independent Martin James Monroe 8,124 2.1
n/a Write-ins 226 0.1
Total votes 377,883 100.0
Republican hold

References

  1. ^ "3 Year Election Calendar". Iowa Secretary of State. Retrieved August 16, 2011.
  2. ^ Wright, Allie (April 20, 2011). "Branstad signs redistricting bill". The Daily Iowan. Archived from the original on September 27, 2011. Retrieved April 21, 2011.
  3. ^ "Secretary of State - Election Night Results - November 6th, 2012". Iowa Secretary of State. Archived from the original on May 24, 2013. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  4. ^ a b Waddington, Lynda (April 14, 2011). "Loebsack makes re-election hopes in new 2nd District official". The Iowa Independent. Archived from the original on April 16, 2011. Retrieved April 21, 2011.
  5. ^ a b Toeplitz, Shira (May 26, 2011). "Race Ratings: Competitive Races On Tap in Iowa". Roll Call. Retrieved May 27, 2011.
  6. ^ "2012 Primary Election Canvass Summary" (PDF). Iowa Secretary of State. Retrieved November 17, 2012.
  7. ^ Lynch, James Q. (October 12, 2011). "Lange: Rematch with Braley in Iowa 1st like an open seat race". Eastern Iowa Government. Archived from the original on April 6, 2012. Retrieved October 13, 2011.
  8. ^ Clayworth, Jason (October 24, 2011). "Dubuque businessman to challenge Braley". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved October 26, 2011.
  9. ^ "Rathje seeks Republican nomination in northeast Iowa's 1st Congressional District". The Republic. July 20, 2011. Retrieved August 14, 2011.
  10. ^ Petroski, William (December 16, 2011). "Rathje quits Iowa's 1st District congressional race, returns nearly $100,000 to donors". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved January 7, 2012.
  11. ^ a b "CANDIDATES". gopyoungguns.com. Archived from the original on October 29, 2012. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  12. ^ "The Cook Political Report — Charts – 2012 House Competitive Races". Cookpolitical.com. November 5, 2012. Retrieved November 6, 2012.
  13. ^ a b c d "House Ratings". Rothenbergpoliticalreport.com. November 2, 2012. Retrieved November 4, 2012.
  14. ^ a b c d [1], as of November 4, 2012
  15. ^ a b c d Crystal Ball, as of November 5, 2012
  16. ^ a b c d House Race Ratings, The New York Times, as of November 4, 2012
  17. ^ a b c d [2], as of November 4, 2012
  18. ^ a b c d "House Ratings". The Hill. November 3, 2012. Retrieved November 4, 2012.
  19. ^ "Seng enters race for Congress". Quad-City Times. March 16, 2012. Retrieved March 17, 2012.
  20. ^ a b Lynch, James Q. (July 7, 2011). "Quad Cities attorney to challenge Loebsack". The Gazette (Cedar Rapids). Archived from the original on December 19, 2011. Retrieved September 10, 2011.
  21. ^ Lemmon, Dustin (June 20, 2011). "Dolan is Loebsack's first GOP challenger". Quad-City Times. Retrieved September 10, 2011.
  22. ^ Crippes, Christinia (February 21, 2012). "Gates withdraws from GOP race". The Hawk Eye. Retrieved March 17, 2012.
  23. ^ a b "2012 Frontline Democrats". actblue.com. DCCC. Archived from the original on July 29, 2012. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  24. ^ Price, Dave (April 18, 2011). "POSITIVE OUTLOOK: Boswell said he feels confident about his chances". WHO-DT. Retrieved April 21, 2011.
  25. ^ Cillizza, Chris (April 15, 2011). "Tom Latham to run in Iowa's 3rd district". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 21, 2011.
  26. ^ "Candidates". electgoppatriots.org/. NRCC. Archived from the original on October 16, 2012. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  27. ^ Watch tonight: Des Moines Register, KCCI host 3rd District debate, Des Moines Register, October 10, 2012
  28. ^ Shea, Bill (July 20, 2011). "Vilsack launches campaign". The Messenger. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
  29. ^ "RED TO BLUE 2012". DCCC. Archived from the original on October 26, 2012. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  30. ^ "Help Our Candidates Win!". emilyslist.org. Archived from the original on November 14, 2012. Retrieved January 31, 2023.

External links

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