Dave Loebsack
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Iowa's 2nd district
In office
January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2021
Preceded byJim Leach
Succeeded byMariannette Miller-Meeks
Personal details
Born
David Wayne Loebsack

(1952-12-23) December 23, 1952
Sioux City, Iowa, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseTerry Loebsack
Children4
EducationIowa State University (BA, MA)
University of California, Davis (PhD)

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]

U.S. House of Representatives

Committee assignments

Caucus memberships

Voting record

Out of 1,551 total votes, Loebsack voted with the Democratic Party 90% of the time. He has voted consistently to protect legal access to abortion and to pass measures that instill regulations that aim to protect the environment.

Political campaigns

2006

In 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

Loebsack 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

Loebsack 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

After 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

Loebsack beat Miller-Meeks, 52.5% to 47.5%. The 1st district went Republican, leaving Loebsack the only Democratic House member from Iowa.[8]

2016

In 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

In 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

Taxation

In 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

In 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

Loebsack speaking at a rally for Pete Buttigieg, January 2020

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

2006

Iowa's 2nd congressional district election, 2006
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

Iowa's 2nd congressional district election, 2008
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

Iowa's 2nd congressional district election, 2010
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

Iowa's 2nd congressional district election, 2012
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

Iowa's 2nd congressional district election, 2014
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

Map showing the results of the 2016 election in Iowa's second congressional district by county
Iowa's 2nd congressional district election, 2016
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

Iowa's 2nd congressional district, 2018
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

  1. ↑ "Politics Faculty | Cornell College". www.cornellcollege.edu. Retrieved 2018-08-13.
  2. ↑ Murphy, Dave (April 12, 2019). "Iowa Congressman Dave Loebsack to retire in 2020". DescriptionThe Quad-City Times. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  3. 1 2 "U.S. Congressman Dave Loebsack". U.S. Government. Retrieved 2011-06-24.
  4. ↑ "Caucus Members". Congressional Progressive Caucus. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  5. ↑ "Membership". Congressional Arts Caucus. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
  6. ↑ "Members". Afterschool Alliance. Retrieved 18 April 2018.
  7. ↑ "Iowa". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-07-21.
  8. ↑ "Iowa Election Results". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-03-31.
  9. ↑ "Endorsement: Dave Loebsack". The Daily Iowan. Retrieved 2023-03-31.
  10. ↑ "Iowa Election Results 2016". The New York Times. 2017-08-01. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-04-06.
  11. ↑ "Iowa Election Results". The New York Times. 2018-11-06. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-07-21.
  12. ↑ "Meyer, Elizabeth; Dave Loebsack, Iowa's lone Democrat, votes no on tax bill; The Hawk Eye; November 17, 2017".
  13. ↑ Menon, Aish (September 17, 2017). "Congressman Dave Loebsack talks about DACA and other issues". KTVO.
  14. ↑ Rodriguez, Barbara (January 12, 2020). "U.S. Rep. Dave Loebsack endorses Pete Buttigieg for president". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  15. ↑ Wiggins, Courtney (March 12, 2020). "Iowa Congressman Dave Loebsack Is Endorsing Presidential Candidate Joe Biden". KWWL.
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