Iowa's 3rd Congressional District election, 2016

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Iowa's 3rd Congressional District

General Election Date November 8, 2016

Primary Date June 7, 2016

November 8 Election Winner: David Young

Incumbent prior to election: David Young

Race Ratings Cook Political Report: Lean R Sabato's Crystal Ball: Lean R Rothenberg & Gonzales: Toss-up/Tilt R

Iowa U.S. House Elections District 1 • District 2 • District 3 • District 4

2016 U.S. Senate Elections

2016 U.S. House Elections

The 3rd Congressional District of Iowa held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 8, 2016.

Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as a race to watch. Incumbent David Young (R) defeated Jim Mowrer (D), Bryan Holder (L), Claudia Addy (I), and Joe Grandanette (I) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Young defeated Joe Grandanette in the Republican primary on June 7, 2016, while Mowrer defeated Desmund Adams and Mike Sherzan in the Democratic primary.

HIGHLIGHTS

Incumbent David Young (R) was a freshman representative who was first elected in the 2014 GOP wave.

Iowa's 3rd Congressional District narrowly supported Barack Obama in 2012 and 2008.

Heading into the election, polls showed Young to have a lead over challenger Jim Mowrer (D).

Candidate Filing Deadline	Primary Election	General Election
March 18, 2016	June 7, 2016	November 8, 2016

Primary: A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. In Iowa, state law provides for a closed primary where every voter must be affiliated with a party in order to participate in its primary. However, a voter can change his or her political party affiliation on the day of the primary.

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

Incumbent: Heading into the election the incumbent was David Young (R), who was first elected in 2014.

Iowa's 3rd Congressional District covers an area in the southwestern corner of Iowa. Polk, Dallas, Guthrie, Warren, Madison, Adair, Cass, Pottawattamie, Mills, Fremont, Page, Montgomery, Taylor, Adams, Union and Ringgold counties are included in this district.

Election results

General election

U.S. House, Iowa District 3 General Election, 2016

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	David Young Incumbent	53.4%	208,598
	Democratic	Jim Mowrer	39.7%	155,002
	Libertarian	Bryan Holder	3.9%	15,372
	Independent	Claudia Addy	1.6%	6,348
	Independent	Joe Grandanette	1.2%	4,518
	N/A	Write-in	0.1%	449
Total Votes				390,287
Source: Iowa Secretary of State

Primary election

U.S. House, Iowa District 3 Republican Primary, 2016

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
David Young Incumbent	85.2%	17,977
Joe Grandanette	14.8%	3,134
Total Votes		21,111
Source: Iowa Secretary of State

U.S. House, Iowa District 3 Democratic Primary, 2016

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Jim Mowrer	49.6%	13,024
Mike Sherzan	36.5%	9,573
Desmund Adams	13.9%	3,650
Total Votes		26,247
Source: Iowa Secretary of State

Candidates

General election candidates:

David Young a
Jim Mowrer
Bryan Holder
Claudia Addy
Joe Grandanette

Primary candidates:

Democratic

Desmund Adams - Businessman
Jim Mowrer - Iraq veteran a
Mike Sherzan

Republican

David Young - Incumbent a
Joe Grandanette

Race background

Incumbent David Young was a member of the NRCC's Patriot Program. The program is designed to help raise money and assist vulnerable incumbents seeking re-election.

Iowa's 3rd District race is one of the initial races listed on the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's Emerging Races. Emerging Races is the second tier of the Red to Blue program. According to the DCCC, it includes the districts "where campaigns are on track and working hard to put seats in play." Following the primary, the race was upgraded and Jim Mowrer was added to the Red to Blue program.

Presidential preference

David Young

See also: Republicans and their declared positions on Donald Trump

On May 5, 2016, Young told The Des Moines Register that he “would support Trump as the party's nominee.”

Endorsements

Jim Mowrer

• U.S. Rep. Dave Loebsack - "Jim has demonstrated his commitment to public service time and time again. After completing the longest tour of duty in Iraq of any military unit, he decided to return to Iraq as a civilian advisor. His selfless character and deep connection to hardworking Iowans are exactly what we need in Congress."

• The Iowa Federation of Labor - "With one in every five Iowans employed in agriculture and ag-related industries, it is essential to have a strong advocate for agriculture like David Young representing Iowa in Congress."

David Young

• The Iowa Farm Bureau

Polls

Iowa's 3rd District - David Young vs. Jim Mowrer
Poll	David Young	Jim Mowrer	Margin of Error	Sample Size
Greenberg Quinlan Rosner/DCCC October 13, 2016	49%	46%	+/-4.9	400
Loras College September 20-22, 2016	46%	36%	+/-5.4	327
Tarrance Group September 20-22, 2016	52%	37%	+/-4.9	400
Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org

Media

David Young

Support

"Pure Iowa" - Young's first ad, released August 2016

"Bedpan" - Young campaign ad, released September 2016

Opposition

"BEFORE COUNTRY" - DCCC ad tying Young to Donald Trump, released September 2016

Jim Mowrer

Support

"Chelsey" - Mowrer campaign ad, released September 2016

"Respect" - Mowrer campaign ad, released September 2016

"Politics First" - Mowrer campaign ad, released October 2016

"537" - Mowrer campaign ad, released October 2016

Opposition

"Syrians" - NRCC ad opposing Mowrer, released October 2016

"Veteran" - NRCC ad opposing Mowrer, released October 2016

Mike Sherzan

"Start" - Sherzan's first campaign ad, released April 2016

"Same" - Sherzan's second ad, released April 2016

Campaign themes

David Young

“	American Optimism: Optimism is at the center of America’s continued greatness, and it is the defining character of David’s public service and of his campaign to represent Iowa’s Third Congressional District. David spent the last 7 years working for the people of Iowa shoulder-to-shoulder with Senator Chuck Grassley as his Chief of Staff. David knows how to tackle tough issues and get results for Iowa. Balancing The Budget & Controlling Spending: David is courageous in his stand against the waste, fraud, abuse and mismanagement rampant in the federal government. He is not afraid to blow the whistle on government officials who act irresponsibly with the taxpayer’s dollars or trust. Holding Government Accountable: David has proposed a set of Better Budget Principles rooted in Iowa common sense, which will put the United States on a path toward getting our fiscal house in order. Strengthening Our Economy & Creating Jobs: Iowa’s manufacturing and agriculture industries are important to the American economy. David knows Iowa has what it takes to help make America’s economy stronger than ever. To be successful as a nation, to give job creators and families certainty for our future, we need to enact and promote common sense federal policies just like we have in Iowa. Improving Health Care & Lowering Costs: Trying to fix our healthcare system by a one-size-fits-all bureaucratic approach does not work. All Americans deserve the benefits of lower healthcare prices and better access to providers. Sadly, that is not what we have received from Obamacare. We need to enact market-based solutions that work for all Iowans and all Americans. These solutions should focus on you, the patient, not the government.	”
—David Young's campaign website, http://youngforiowa.com/solutions/

Jim Mowrer

“	Social Security & Medicare: When Jim was seven years old, his father was killed in a farming accident. With the help of Social Security survivor benefits, his family was able to avoid financial ruin. Jim has a great appreciation and understanding of the commitment that we have to our seniors and those that need help during tough times. While Republicans in Congress say that we do not have the money to fund Social Security, Jim supports lifting the cap on contributions to reach full funding of Social Security. Fighting for Our Jobs and Economy: Jim grew up on an Iowa farm so he knows how important agriculture and manufacturing are to the health of our state, our communities and our families. That’s why he’ll work to make sure we’re investing in the workers and small businesses that can rebuild our economy, secure our future, and ensure that all Iowans have a chance to share in the success that those investments create. Standing Up for Workers and Families: As the father of two boys, Jim knows that parents have to choose too often between caring for a sick child and supporting their family. That’s why he’ll fight for paid family leave—because the common cold should never be a tragedy. Cutting Waste: Jim has the experience to cut the waste out of Washington. During his time in the Pentagon, Jim worked to establish the Army Office of Business Transformation. This office implemented business best practices within the bureaucracy of the Army. Jim negotiated with the Generals, the defense industry, and members of the Senate and House Armed Services Committees on both sides of the aisle to create good policy and save tax dollars. Keeping Our Promise to Our Veterans and Service Members: Jim strongly believes that we have no greater responsibility than to take care of those who carry the emotional and physical scars of battle. Currently, the Veterans Administration has a backlog of cases extending more than a year. This is unacceptable. Jim will work starting the day he is sworn in to ensure that the VA is given the resources it needs in order to update its systems. No veteran should ever have to wait for his or her government to keep its promise.	”
—Jim Mowrer's campaign website, http://jimforiowa.com/issues/

Campaign contributions

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Source: This graphic was generated using data from the FEC.

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Source: This graphic was generated using data from the FEC.

David Young

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Source: This graphic was generated using data from the FEC.

Jim Mowrer

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Source: This graphic was generated using data from the FEC.

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The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may not represent all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer, and campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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District history

2014

See also: Iowa's 3rd Congressional District elections, 2014

The 3rd Congressional District of Iowa held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. David Young (R) defeated Staci Appel (D), Edward Wright (L) and Bryan Jack Holder (I) in the general election.

U.S. House, Iowa District 3 General Election, 2014

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Staci Appel	42.2%	119,109
	Republican	David Young	52.8%	148,814
	Libertarian	Ed Wright	3.2%	9,054
	Independent	Bryan Jack Holder	1.5%	4,360
	Write-in	Other	0.3%	729
Total Votes				282,066
Source: Iowa Secretary of State Official Results

2012

See also: Iowa's 3rd Congressional District elections, 2012

The 3rd Congressional District of Iowa held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 6, 2012. Tom Latham (R) won the election in the district.

U.S. House, Iowa District 3 General Election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Tom Latham Incumbent	52.3%	202,000
	Democratic	Leonard Boswell	43.7%	168,632
	Independent	David Rosenfeld	1.6%	6,286
	Independent	Scott G. Batcher	2.4%	9,352
Total Votes				386,270
Source: Iowa Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election"

Important dates and deadlines

See also: Iowa elections, 2016

The calendar below lists important dates for political candidates in Iowa in 2016.

Dates and requirements for candidates in 2016
Deadline	Event type	Event description
February 29, 2016	Ballot access	Primary candidate filing period opens
March 18, 2016	Ballot access	Primary candidate filing period ends
May 19, 2016	Campaign finance	Report due covering January 1 through May 14
June 3, 2016	Campaign finance	Special supplementary report due for certain contributions
June 7, 2016	Election date	Primary election
July 19, 2016	Campaign finance	Report due covering May 15 through July 14
August 1, 2016	Ballot access	General election candidate filing period opens
August 19, 2016	Ballot access	General election candidate filing period ends
October 19, 2016	Campaign finance	Report due covering July 15 through October 14
November 4, 2016	Campaign finance	Special supplementary report due for certain contributions
November 8, 2016	Election date	General election
January 19, 2017	Campaign finance	Report due covering October 15 through December 31
Sources: Iowa Secretary of State, "Three Year Election Calendar," accessed June 5, 2015 Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board, "Reporting Dates," accessed June 5, 2015

See also

• United States House of Representatives elections in Iowa, 2016
• United States House of Representatives elections, 2016

Footnotes

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Iowa's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Joni Ernst (R)

Chuck Grassley (R)

Representatives

District 1

Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R)

District 2

Ashley Hinson (R)

District 3

Zach Nunn (R)

District 4

Randy Feenstra (R)

Republican Party (6)