David Wayne Loebsack (; born December 23, 1952) is an American politician who served as the
U.S. representative
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...
for from 2007 to 2021. A member of the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*Demo ...
, he also is an ''emeritus'' professor of
political science
Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...
at
Cornell College
Cornell College is a private college in Mount Vernon, Iowa. Originally the Iowa Conference Seminary, the school was founded in 1853 by George Bryant Bowman. Four years later, in 1857, the name was changed to Cornell College, in honor of iron ty ...
, where he had taught since 1982.
On April 12, 2019, Loebsack announced he would not seek reelection.
U.S. House of Representatives
Committee assignments
*
Committee on Armed Services
**
Subcommittee on Military Personnel
**
Subcommittee on Readiness
*
Committee on Education and the Workforce
**
Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training
**
Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions The House Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions is a standing subcommittee within the United States House Committee on Education and Labor. It was formerly known as the Subcommittee on Employer-Employee Relations.
Jurisdiction
Fro ...
Caucus memberships
*Congressional Cement Caucus
*
Congressional Progressive Caucus
*
Congressional Arts Caucus
*
Afterschool Caucuses
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
Mariannette Jane Miller-Meeks (born September 6, 1955) is an American physician and politician serving as the U.S. representative from Iowa's 2nd congressional district since 2021. A member of the Republican Party, Miller-Meeks served as Iowa sta ...
, 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
Terry Edward Branstad (born November 17, 1946) is an American politician and former diplomat. A member of the Republican Party, he served three terms in the Iowa House of Representatives from 1973 to 1979 before serving as governor of Iowa fro ...
easily carried the district in his successful bid to reclaim the governorship.
Chuck Grassley
Charles Ernest Grassley (born September 17, 1933) is an American politician serving as the president pro tempore emeritus of the United States Senate, and the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States sen ...
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.
2014
Loebsack beat Miller-Meeks, 52.5% to 47.5%. The 1st district went Republican, leaving Loebsack the only Democratic House member from Iowa.
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." 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
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
by a comfortable margin, and Republican
Chuck Grassley
Charles Ernest Grassley (born September 17, 1933) is an American politician serving as the president pro tempore emeritus of the United States Senate, and the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States sen ...
was re-elected to the U.S. Senate by a landslide. 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.
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."
Immigration
In September 2017, Loebsack told Ottumwa voters that he supports
Dreamers
Dreamers or The Dreamers may refer to:
Books
* "Dreamers", a 1918 war poem by Siegfried Sassoon
* "The Dreamers" (play), a 1982 play by Jack Davis
* ''The Dreamers'' (novel series), a 2003–06 fantasy series by David Eddings and Leigh Eddings ...
. He said, "We've got to do everything we can to protect them."
2020 presidential election
![David Loebsack (49377374717)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/da/David_Loebsack_%2849377374717%29.jpg)
Ahead of the
2020 Iowa Democratic caucuses
The 2020 Iowa Democratic presidential caucuses, the first nominating contest in the Democratic Party primaries for the 2020 presidential election, took place on February 3, 2020. Pete Buttigieg received the most state delegate equivalents (SDE ...
, Loebsack endorsed former
South Bend, Indiana
South Bend is a city in and the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, St. Joseph County, Indiana, on the St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan), St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2020 United S ...
, mayor
Pete Buttigieg
Peter Paul Montgomery Buttigieg ( ; ; Sometimes pronounced or , but not by Buttigieg himself. born January 19, 1982) is an American politician and former military officer who is currently serving as the United States secretary of transp ...
for
President of the United States
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...
. After Buttigieg withdrew from the primaries, he endorsed eventual Democratic nominee
Joe Biden on March 12, 2020.
Electoral history
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Loebsack, David
1952 births
21st-century American politicians
American expatriates in Iceland
Methodists from Iowa
Cornell College faculty
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Iowa
Iowa State University alumni
Living people
Politicians from Sioux City, Iowa
University of California, Davis alumni