David Wayne Loebsack (/ˈloʊbˌsæk/; born December 23, 1952) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for Iowa's 2nd congressional district from 2007 to 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he also is an emeritus professor of political science at Cornell College,[1] where he had taught since 1982. On April 12, 2019, Loebsack announced he would not seek reelection.[2]
Dave Loebsack | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Iowa's 2nd district | |
| In office January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Jim Leach |
| Succeeded by | Mariannette Miller-Meeks |
| Personal details | |
| Born | David Wayne Loebsack December 23, 1952 Sioux City, Iowa, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Terry Loebsack |
| Children | 4 |
| Education | Iowa State University (BA, MA) University of California, Davis (PhD) |
U.S. House of Representatives
editCommittee assignments
editCaucus memberships
edit- Congressional Cement Caucus
- Congressional Progressive Caucus[4]
- Congressional Arts Caucus[5]
- Afterschool Caucuses[6]
Political campaigns
edit2006
editIn 2006, Loebsack narrowly defeated 15-term Republican incumbent Jim Leach in one of the biggest upsets of the cycle. Loebsack was nominated by a special convention of the 2nd District after failing to get the required number of signatures to be on the primary ballot. Since there was no one qualified for the ballot, the convention was called to determine the nomination. The 2nd had been trending Democratic for some time (a Republican presidential candidate had not carried it since 1984), and was considered the most Democratic-leaning district in the state. It was taken for granted that Leach would be succeeded by a Democrat once he retired, but he was not considered particularly vulnerable due to his moderate voting record, popularity, and longtime incumbency. Loebsack won largely by running up an 8,395-vote margin in Johnson County, home to Iowa City.
2008
editLoebsack was easily reelected in 2008, taking 57 percent of the vote over Mariannette Miller-Meeks, a doctor from Ottumwa and the former president of the state medical society.
2010
editLoebsack faced Miller-Meeks again in 2010 and had a much more difficult time of it than he had two years earlier. He prevailed with only 51% of the vote, largely by running up a 13,900-vote margin in Johnson County. Terry Branstad easily carried the district in his successful bid to reclaim the governorship. Chuck Grassley carried every county in the district except Johnson; in fact, Johnson was the only county Grassley lost in his bid for another term.
2012
editAfter redistricting moved Loebsack's longtime home in Mount Vernon to the 1st District of fellow Democrat Bruce Braley, Loebsack moved to Iowa City in the reconfigured 2nd. The redrawn district is less Democratic than its predecessor; it regained Davenport, which had been the anchor of the 2nd and its predecessors for decades before being shifted out of the district in the 2000s round of redistricting.
Loebsack won the election with 55.4% of the vote. His Republican opponent, John Archer, got 42.5%; Alan Aversa, an Independent candidate, received 2.2%. Braley won the 1st district with 56.9% of the vote.[7]
2014
editLoebsack beat Miller-Meeks, 52.5% to 47.5%. The 1st district went Republican, leaving Loebsack the only Democratic House member from Iowa.[8]
2016
editIn October 2016, the Daily Iowan endorsed Loebsack, saying that while he was "not perfect" he displayed a "willingness to work with the other side" and had "maintained some degree of competence in office."[9] Loebsack defeated surgeon Christopher Peters, 54% to 46%. Again, Loebsack was the only Democrat that Iowa sent to the House in 2016. The state was won by Donald Trump by a comfortable margin, and Republican Chuck Grassley was re-elected to the U.S. Senate by a landslide.[10] Despite the Republican swing in Iowa, Loebsack managed to hold his position as a Democrat.
2018
editIn a rematch of the 2016 election, Loebsack defeated Peters by a comfortable margin with 54.8% of the vote. Democrats also flipped the 1st and 3rd districts in this election cycle; therefore, Loebsack was no longer the sole Democratic member of Iowa's congressional delegation.[11]
Tenure
editTaxation
editIn November 2017, Loebsack was the only House member from Iowa to vote against the GOP tax reform bill, claiming the "tax plan that was rushed through the House of Representatives will hurt everyday Iowans."[12]
Immigration
editIn September 2017, Loebsack told Ottumwa voters that he supports Dreamers. He said, "We've got to do everything we can to protect them."[13]
2020 presidential election
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Ahead of the 2020 Iowa Democratic caucuses, Loebsack endorsed former South Bend, Indiana, mayor Pete Buttigieg for President of the United States.[14] After Buttigieg withdrew from the primaries, he endorsed eventual Democratic nominee Joe Biden on March 12, 2020.[15]
Electoral history
edit2006
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Dave Loebsack | 107,683 | 51.38 | |||
| Republican | James A. Leach (incumbent) | 101,707 | 48.53 | |||
| No party | Others | 196 | 0.09 | |||
| Total votes | 209,586 | 100.00 | ||||
| Turnout | ||||||
| Democratic gain from Republican | ||||||
2008
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Dave Loebsack (incumbent) | 175,218 | 57.19 | |
| Republican | Mariannette Miller-Meeks | 118,778 | 38.77 | |
| Green | Wendy Barth | 6,664 | 2.18 | |
| Independent | Brian White | 5,437 | 1.78 | |
| No party | Others | 261 | 0.09 | |
| Total votes | 306,358 | 100.00 | ||
| Turnout | ||||
| Democratic hold | ||||
2010
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Dave Loebsack (incumbent) | 115,839 | 50.99 | |
| Republican | Mariannette Miller-Meeks | 104,319 | 45.92 | |
| Libertarian | Gary Joseph Sicard | 4,356 | 1.92 | |
| Constitution | Jon Tack | 2,463 | 1.08 | |
| No party | Others | 198 | 0.09 | |
| Total votes | 227,175 | 100.00 | ||
| Turnout | ||||
| Democratic hold | ||||
2012
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Dave Loebsack (incumbent) | 211,863 | 55.57 | |
| Republican | John Archer | 161,977 | 42.48 | |
| Independent | Alan Aversa | 7,112 | 1.87 | |
| No party | Others | 323 | 0.08 | |
| Total votes | 381,275 | 100.00 | ||
| Turnout | ||||
| Democratic hold | ||||
2014
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Dave Loebsack (incumbent) | 143,431 | 52.48 | |
| Republican | Mariannette Miller-Meeks | 129,455 | 47.36 | |
| Write-ins | 443 | 0.16 | ||
| Total votes | 273,329 | 100 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
2016
edit
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Dave Loebsack (incumbent) | 198,571 | 53.66 | |
| Republican | Christopher Peters | 170,933 | 46.19 | |
| Write-ins | 528 | 0.15 | ||
| Total votes | 370,032 | 100.00 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
2018
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Dave Loebsack (incumbent) | 171,446 | 54.8 | |
| Republican | Christopher Peters | 133,287 | 42.6 | |
| Libertarian | Mark Strauss | 6,181 | 2.0 | |
| Independent | Daniel Clark | 1,837 | 0.6 | |
| Write-ins | 162 | 0.0 | ||
| Total votes | 312,913 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
References
edit- ^ "Politics Faculty | Cornell College". www.cornellcollege.edu. Retrieved 2018-08-13.
- ^ Murphy, Dave (April 12, 2019). "Iowa Congressman Dave Loebsack to retire in 2020". DescriptionThe Quad-City Times. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
- ^ a b "U.S. Congressman Dave Loebsack". U.S. Government. Archived from the original on 2020-11-23. Retrieved 2011-06-24.
- ^ "Caucus Members". Congressional Progressive Caucus. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
- ^ "Membership". Congressional Arts Caucus. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
- ^ "Members". Afterschool Alliance. Retrieved 18 April 2018.
- ^ "Iowa". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-07-21.
- ^ "Iowa Election Results". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-03-31.
- ^ "Endorsement: Dave Loebsack". The Daily Iowan. Retrieved 2023-03-31.
- ^ "Iowa Election Results 2016". The New York Times. 2017-08-01. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-04-06.
- ^ "Iowa Election Results". The New York Times. 2018-11-06. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-07-21.
- ^ "Meyer, Elizabeth; Dave Loebsack, Iowa's lone Democrat, votes no on tax bill; The Hawk Eye; November 17, 2017".
- ^ Menon, Aish (September 17, 2017). "Congressman Dave Loebsack talks about DACA and other issues". KTVO.
- ^ Rodriguez, Barbara (January 12, 2020). "U.S. Rep. Dave Loebsack endorses Pete Buttigieg for president". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
- ^ Wiggins, Courtney (March 12, 2020). "Iowa Congressman Dave Loebsack Is Endorsing Presidential Candidate Joe Biden". KWWL.