Dave Loebsack

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 (1952-12-23) December 23, 1952 (age 71) Sioux City, Iowa, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Terry Loebsack
Children	4
Education	Iowa 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]

• Committee on Armed Services^[3]
  • Subcommittee on Military Personnel
  • Subcommittee on Readiness
• Committee on Education and the Workforce^[3]
  • Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training
  • Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions

• Congressional Cement Caucus
• Congressional Progressive Caucus^[4]
• Congressional Arts Caucus^[5]
• Afterschool Caucuses^[6]

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.

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.

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.

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]

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

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.

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]

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]

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]

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]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
• Profile at Vote Smart
• Appearances on C-SPAN

U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Jim Leach	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Iowa's 2nd congressional district 2007–2021	Succeeded by Mariannette Miller-Meeks
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by Ted Poe as Former US Representative	Order of precedence of the United States as Former US Representative	Succeeded by Barry Goldwater Jr. as Former US Representative