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Iowa's 3rd Congressional District elections, 2014

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Iowa's 3rd Congressional District
General Election Date
November 4, 2014
Primary Date
June 3, 2014
November 4 Election Winner:
David Young Republican Party
Incumbent prior to election:
Tom Latham Republican Party
Tom Latham.jpg
Race Ratings
Cook Political Report: Toss Up[1]

Sabato's Crystal Ball: Toss Up[2]

Fairvote's Monopoly Politics: Lean R[3]
Iowa U.S. House Elections
District 1 • District 2 • District 3 • District 4
2014 U.S. Senate Elections
2014 U.S. House Elections
Flag of Iowa.png

The 3rd Congressional District of Iowa held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014.

SimmeringRace.jpg

David Young (R) defeated Staci Appel (D) in the general election, along with third party candidates Edward Wright, of the Libertarian Party, and Bryan Jack Holder, running as an independent.

Polls on September 15th showed Appel with a small lead over Young in the district.[4] Various polls had however shown mixed results, further emphasizing the narrow results of the election. Many Republicans successfully trusted that Young would carry the district. “I do think it looks to be like a pretty good year for Republicans in Iowa,” said John Stineman, an Iowa Republican operative. “It’s kind of a nail biter, but both Young and Ernst should be able to pull this out if we keep the momentum.”[5]

Former Democratic incumbent Leonard Boswell was unseated by Tom Latham (R) in the 2012 general election, but President Obama still won the district. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee believed that the 3rd District could be reclaimed in 2014. Tom Latham announced on December 17, 2013, that he would not run for re-election in 2014 and left the seat open.[6]

Staci Appel ran unopposed in the Democratic primary.[7]

Republican David Young defeated six challengers for the Republican nomination--Iowa Secretary of State Matt Schultz, Joe Grandanette, former chief of staff to Sen. Chuck Grassley, David Young, state Senator Brad Zaun, Robert Cramer and Monte Shaw.

Candidate Filing Deadline Primary Election General Election
March 14, 2014
June 3, 2014
November 4, 2014

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.[8]

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

Voter registration: To vote in the primary voters were required to register by either May 26, 2014, to pre-register, or on election day. For the general election, the voter registration deadline was October 25, 2014 (10 days before election day).[9]

See also: Iowa elections, 2014

Incumbent: Heading into the election the incumbent was Tom Latham (R), who was first elected in 1994. Latham announced on December 17, 2013, that he would not run for re-election in 2014.[10]

The Republican nomination will be decided by a convention after none of the six candidates reached the 35 percent threshold required to make the general election ballot.[11][12][13][14]

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.[15]

Candidates

General election candidates


June 3, 2014, primary results

Republican Party Republican Primary

Note: The Republican nomination was decided by a convention after none of the six candidates reached the 35 percent threshold in the primary required to make the general election ballot.[25][26]

Democratic Party Democratic Primary

Considered but withdrew

Declined to run

Race background

Democratic incumbent Leonard Boswell was unseated by Republican Tom Latham in the 2012 general election, but President Obama still won the district, signaling to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee that the 3rd District could be reclaimed in 2014.

As of January, 2013, the DCCC was already at work recruiting Democratic candidates. The DCCC reportedly capitalized on the elite guest lists at events surrounding the presidential inauguration to vet prospects in three promising congressional districts, including businessman Michael Sherzan for Iowa's 3rd District. Sherzan is the chairman of Broker Deal Financial Services Corp, and had not been on the radar before his arrival in Washington for inaugural weekend.[36] The report proved to be accurate when, on February 11, 2013, Sherzan formally announced his bid for the seat.[37][38] He withdrew from the race in April 2013.[39] Democratic candidate Staci Appel eventually declared her candidacy.

Appel was a member of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's Jumpstart program, which was designed to provide early support to top-tier Democratic challengers.[40]

Polls

Staci Appel vs. David Young
Poll Staci Appel David YoungMargin of ErrorSample Size
Greenberg Quinlan Rosner
(September 15-17, 2014)		 47%44%+/-5400
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

Elections

General election results

The 3rd Congressional District of Iowa held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. David Young (R) defeated challengers 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 Green check mark transparent.pngDavid 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

Primary results

U.S. House, Iowa District 3 Republican Primary, 2014
Candidate Vote % Votes
Brad Zaun 24.8% 10,522
Robert Cramer 21.3% 9,032
Matt Schultz 19.9% 8,464
Monte Shaw 17% 7,220
David Young 15.5% 6,604
Joe Grandanette 1.6% 661
Total Votes 42,503
Source: Iowa Secretary of State

Brad Zaun was the first-place vote-getter in the primary in the six-way battle, but did not win the necessary 35% to be declared the victor. At a later special convention, Zaun led in the first four ballots. After a series of events that hinged on personalities and inter-party rivalries, the fifth place finisher, David Young, ended up being the nominee.[41]

Endorsements

Robert Cramer

  • Former Governor of Arkansas Mike Huckabee endorsed Robert Cramer on May 20, 2014.[42]
    • "We need Christian businessmen like Robert Cramer in Congress. His no-nonsense approach and traditional values will make him an effective leader for Iowa families. We need his help as soon as possible to take on the broken, insider culture of Washington. Robert is the right man to take on the career politicians and their special interests because he serves a higher calling, and won't compromise his values. I'm proud to support him," Huckabee said in a statement.[42]

Media

Robert Cramer's first ad, released in March 2014, "Blueprint."
Matt Schultz's first ad, released in April 2014, "Done it."
David Young's first ad, released in April 2014, "Young for Iowa."

Robert Cramer

Robert Cramer released his first ad on March 20, 2014, the first ad released by any of the congressional campaigns in the race.[43]

Matt Schultz

Iowa Secretary of State Matt Schultz released his first ad on April 14, 2014.[44] Schultz said he spent $1 million less than the previous Iowa Secretary of State and would return $200,000 in unspent elections office money to the state's general fund in July 2014. Schultz also said he fought "the Democrats and the media" on requiring government IDs to vote.[44]

David Young

David Young (R) released his first television commercial in April 2014, which showed him transforming an Obama HOPE bumper sticker into an American flag.[45]

Young said in the ad that while President Barack Obama promised us hope, he had instead "ripped apart our economy, shredded our healthcare system, and crumbled our national security."[45]

"If we band together and fight for our conservative principles, we can put our economy and our country back together again," he said at the end of the ad.[45]

Polls

General election
Poll Staci Appel David YoungUndecidedMargin of ErrorSample Size
Loras College (September 2-5, 2014)
 40.3%34.3%25.4%+/-5.6300
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
Republican primary
Poll Brad Zaun Robert CramerDavid YoungMatt SchultzMonte ShawJoe GrandanetteUndecidedMargin of ErrorSample Size
Loras College
May 20, 2014
 17.4%8.3%8%7.6%5.3%2.0%50.3%+/-5.65300
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

Key votes

Below are important votes the incumbent cast during the 113th Congress.

HR 676

See also: Boehner's lawsuit against the Obama administration

Yea3.png On July 30, 2014, the U.S. House approved a resolution 225 to 201 to sue President Barack Obama for exceeding his constitutional authority. Five Republicans—Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Paul Broun of Georgia, Scott Garrett of New Jersey, Walter Jones of North Carolina and Steve Stockman of Texas—voted with Democrats against the lawsuit.[46] Latham joined the other 224 Republicans in favor of the lawsuit. All Democrats voted against the resolution.[47][48]

Government shutdown

See also: United States budget debate, 2013

Yea3.png On September 30, 2013, the House passed a final stopgap spending bill before the shutdown went into effect. The bill included a one-year delay of the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate and would have also stripped the bill of federal subsidies for congressional members and staff. It passed through the House with a vote of 228-201.[49] At 1 a.m. on October 1, 2013, one hour after the shutdown officially began, the House voted to move forward with going to a conference. In short order, Sen. Harry Reid rejected the call to conference.[50] Tom Latham voted to approve the stopgap spending bill that would have delayed the individual mandate.[51]

Yea3.png The shutdown ended on October 16, 2013, when the House took a vote on HR 2775 after it was approved by the Senate. The bill to reopen the government lifted the $16.7 trillion debt limit and funded the government through January 15, 2014. Federal employees also received retroactive pay for the shutdown period. The only concession made by Senate Democrats was to require income verification for Obamacare subsidies.[52] The House passed the legislation shortly after the Senate, by a vote of 285-144, with all 144 votes against the legislation coming from Republican members. Tom Latham voted for HR 2775.[53]

Campaign contributions

David Young

Tom Latham

Staci Appel

Staci Appel (2014) Campaign Finance Reports
ReportDate FiledBeginning BalanceTotal Contributions
for Reporting Period		ExpendituresCash on Hand
October Quarterly[63]October 14, 2013$0.00$238,878.28$(39,215.24)$199,663.04
Year End[64]January 31, 2014$199,663$260,703$(90,876)$369,490
April Quarterly[65]April 15, 2014$369,490$263,591$(162,665)$470,416
July Quarterly[66]July 15, 2014$466,564$316,834$(61,195)$725,613
October Quarterly[67]October 15, 2014$725,612$596,097$(952,654)$369,055
Running totals
$1,676,103.28$(1,306,605.24)

Fundraising

Republican candidates

District history

Candidate ballot access
Ballot Access Requirements Final.jpg
Find detailed information on ballot access requirements in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.

2012

On November 6, 2012, Tom Latham (R) won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Leonard Boswell, David Rosenfeld, and Scott G. Batcher in the general election.

U.S. House, Iowa District 3 General Election, 2012
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngTom 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"

2010

On November 2, 2010, Leonard L. Boswell won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Brad Zaun (R) and Rebecca Williamson (Socialist Workers) in the general election.[70]

U.S. House, Iowa District 3 General Election, 2010
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngLeonard L. Boswell incumbent 50.7% 122,147
     Republican Brad Zaun 46.5% 111,925
     Socialist Workers Rebecca Williamson 2.6% 6,258
     N/A Write-In 0.2% 426
Total Votes 240,756

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Cook Political Report, "2014 HOUSE RACE RATINGS FOR June 26, 2014," accessed August 5, 2014
  2. ↑ Sabato's Crystal Ball, "2014 House Races," accessed August 5, 2014
  3. ↑ Fairvote, "FairVote Releases Projections for the 2014 Congressional Elections," accessed August 5, 2014
  4. ↑ The Des Moines Register, "Poll: Staci Appel leads David Young, 47-44," September 23, 2014
  5. ↑ Roll Call, "Iowa Senate Race Becomes Headache for House Democrats," October 17, 2014
  6. ↑ The Hill, "Rep. Latham won't run for re-election," accessed December 17, 2013
  7. ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "Candidate List," accessed June 1, 2014
  8. ↑ Iowa Secretary of State Website, "Voter Registration FAQ," accessed September 17, 2025
  9. ↑ Iowa Secretary of State Website, "Voter Pre-Registration," accessed January 3, 2014
  10. ↑ The Hill, "Rep. Latham won't run for re-election," accessed December 17, 2013
  11. ↑ Quad City Times, "Iowa 3rd District GOP race will go to convention," accessed June 3, 2014
  12. ↑ Roll Call, "Rare Convention Presents Hurdle in Iowa Senate Race" accessed July 9, 2013
  13. ↑ Miami Herald, "A rundown of Iowa's primary election races," accessed May 26, 2014 (dead link)
  14. ↑ Des Moines Register, "Poll: 3rd District GOP likely to be undecided by primary," accessed May 21, 0214
  15. ↑ Iowa Redistricting Map "Map" accessed July 24, 2012
  16. ↑ Des Moines Register, "Des Moines teacher seeks to oust Congressman Latham in 3rd District GOP primary," accessed December 2, 2013
  17. ↑ Des Moines Register, "Elections chief Matt Schultz jumps into race for Congress," accessed February 5, 2014
  18. ↑ Facebook, "Matt Schultz," accessed January 28, 2014
  19. ↑ Roll Call, "Iowa Republican Drops Senate Bid, Will Run for Open House Seat," accessed January 2, 2014
  20. ↑ The Iowa Republican, "Grassley Chief of Staff David Young set to enter U.S. Senate race," May 23, 2013
  21. ↑ Des Moines Register, "State Sen. Brad Zaun: I’ll definitely enter 3rd Congressional District race soon," accessed January 22, 2014
  22. ↑ Iowa Republican, "Robert Cramer Announces his Candidacy for Congress," accessed February 3, 2014
  23. ↑ Des Moines Register, "GOP’s Robert Cramer jumps into Des Moines-area U.S. House race," accessed February 3, 2014
  24. ↑ KMA Land, "Shaw formally entering Congressional race this week," accessed February 3, 2014
  25. ↑ Quad City Times, "Iowa 3rd District GOP race will go to convention," accessed June 3, 2014
  26. ↑ Iowa Republican, "Shocker: David Young wins GOP Nomination on Fifth Ballot (VIDEO ADDED)," accessed June 23, 2014
  27. ↑ Des Moines Register "Democrat Staci Appel opts against challenging Tom Latham for Congress" accessed April 16, 2013
  28. ↑ Roll Call "Democratic Recruit Files to Challenge Latham #IA03" accessed July 9, 2013
  29. ↑ Roll Call, "DCCC uses inauguration to tout potential house recruits," January 22, 2013
  30. ↑ Omaha World Herald "Democrat to seek Iowa's 3rd District House seat" accessed February 28, 2012
  31. ↑ Daily Kos "Daily Kos Elections Morning Digest: It begins: The first fundraising numbers of 2013 are here" accessed April 16, 2013
  32. ↑ Roll Call "Iowa: Democrat Sherzan Drops Bid to Challenge Latham" accessed July 9, 2013
  33. ↑ Des Moines Register, "One more woman in DM-area congressional race?" accessed February 4, 2014
  34. ↑ Des Moines Register, "GOP’s Brenna Findley rules out run for Congress this year," accessed February 4, 2014
  35. ↑ Des Moines Register, "State Rep. Mary Ann Hanusa will not run for Congress," accessed January 22, 2014
  36. ↑ Roll Call, "DCCC Uses Inauguration to Tout Potential House Recruits," January 22, 2013
  37. ↑ Waukee-Patch, 'West Des Moines Democrat to Challenge Tom Latham for Congressional Seat," February 11, 2013 (dead link)
  38. ↑ National Journal, "Iowa Democrat Mike Sherzan Declares House Bid Against Latham," February 11, 2013
  39. ↑ Roll Call, "Iowa: Democrat Sherzan Drops Bid to Challenge Latham" accessed July 9, 2013
  40. ↑ The Washington Post, "DCCC adds nine names to program for top recruits," September 9, 2013
  41. ↑ Des Moines Reigster, "Republican some say was 'robbed' in election weighs abandoning GOP," accessed July 9, 2014
  42. ↑ 42.0 42.1 Des Moines Register, "Mike Huckabee endorses Robert Cramer for Congress," accessed May 21, 2014
  43. ↑ Des Moines Register, "Congressional candidate Robert Cramer raises $164,000 for DM-area seat," accessed May 5, 2014
  44. ↑ 44.0 44.1 Des Moines Register, "Congressional candidate Matt Schultz raises $171,000, airs first TV ad," accessed April 16, 2014
  45. ↑ 45.0 45.1 45.2 Des Moines Register, "David Young's sleight of hand turns Obama sticker in U.S. flag," accessed April 30, 2014
  46. ↑ U.S. House, "House Resolution 676," accessed July 30, 2014
  47. ↑ Associated Press, "Suing Obama: GOP-led House gives the go-ahead," July 31, 2014
  48. ↑ Washington Post, "House clears way for lawsuit against Obama," accessed July 30, 2014
  49. ↑ Clerk of the U.S. House, "Final vote results for Roll Call 504," accessed October 31, 2013
  50. ↑ Buzzfeed, "Government Shutdown: How We Got Here," accessed October 1, 2013
  51. ↑ Clerk of the U.S. House, "Final vote results for Roll Call 504," accessed October 31, 2013
  52. ↑ The Washington Post, "Reid, McConnell propose bipartisan Senate bill to end shutdown, extend borrowing," accessed October 16, 2013
  53. ↑ U.S. House, "Final vote results for Roll Call 550," accessed October 31, 2013
  54. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "July Quarterly" accessed July 31, 2013
  55. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "October Quarterly," accessed November 12, 2013
  56. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "July Quarterly," accessed October 23, 2014
  57. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "October Quarterly," accessed October 23, 2014
  58. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "April Quarterly" accessed July 25, 2013
  59. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "July Quarterly" accessed July 25, 2013
  60. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "October Quarterly," accessed October 24, 2013
  61. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Year End Report," accessed February 17, 2014
  62. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "April Quarterly," accessed April 21, 2014
  63. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "October Quarterly," accessed November 7, 2013
  64. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Year End Report," accessed March 3, 2014
  65. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "April Quarterly," accessed May 12, 2014
  66. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "July Quarterly," accessed October 23, 2014
  67. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "October Quarterly," accessed October 23, 2014
  68. ↑ Des Moines Register, "GOP congressional candidate Monte Shaw lines up top financial backers," accessed March 24, 2014
  69. ↑ Des Moines Register, "Congressional candidate Matt Schultz lands some GOP heavy hitters," accessed March 24, 2014
  70. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010," accessed March 28, 2013
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