Iowa House of Representatives elections, 2016

Iowa 2016 elections

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2016 Iowa
House Elections

Primary| June 7, 2016
General| November 8, 2016
2016 Election Results

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All 100 seats in the Iowa House of Representatives were up for election in 2016. Republicans gained two seats in the November 2016 general election.

A Ballotpedia analysis identified the Iowa State House as one of 20 battleground chambers in the November 2016 election. These are the chambers where one party might have, realistically, toppled the other party from its position of majority control.

HIGHLIGHTS

* Democrats fielded unopposed candidates in 28 districts, while Republicans had 17 unchallenged candidates.

* In the 13 open seats, eleven seats had general election competition. Nine seats were previously held by Republicans and the other four seats were held by Democrats.

* If Democrats were to have made any gains, it would have been in the 55 districts that have general election competition between two major party candidates; only 11 seats were competitive or mildly competitive in 2014.[1]

This election was one of Ballotpedia's top 10 state-level races in 2016.
Click here to read the full list.

## Contents

* 1 Introduction
* 1.1 Majority control
* 2 Incumbents retiring
* 3 List of candidates
* 4 General election
* 5 Primary election
* 5.1 Races we watched
* 5.1.1 Primary contests
* 5.2 Margins of victory
* 5.3 Important dates and deadlines
* 5.4 Competitiveness
* 5.4.1 Candidates unopposed by a major party
* 5.4.2 Primary challenges
* 5.4.3 Retired incumbents
* 5.4.4 Results from 2014
* 5.4.5 Historical context
* 5.5 Campaign contributions
* 5.5.1 State comparison
* 5.6 Qualifications
* 5.7 See also
* 5.8 External links
* 5.9 Footnotes

## Introduction[edit]

Elections for the Iowa House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election took place on June 7, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was March 18, 2016.

### Majority control[edit]

See also: Partisan composition of state houses

Heading into the election, the Republican Party held the majority in the Iowa House of Representatives:

Iowa House of Representatives

Party  |  As of November 7, 2016  |  After November 8, 2016
|  Democratic Party |  43  |  41
|  Republican Party |  57 |  59
Total |  100 |  100

## Incumbents retiring[edit]

Thirteen incumbents did not run for re-election in 2016. Those incumbents were:

Name  |  Party  |  Current Office

|
|

John Kooiker |  Republican | House District 4
Ron Jorgensen |  Republican | House District 6
David Dawson |  Democratic | House District 14
Josh Byrnes |  Republican | House District 51
Darrel Branhagen |  Republican | House District 55
Nancy Dunkel |  Democratic | House District 57
Brian Moore |  Republican | House District 58
Deborah Berry |  Democratic | House District 62
Kraig Paulsen |  Republican | House District 67
Sally Stutsman |  Democratic | House District 77
Thomas Sands |  Republican | House District 88
Linda Miller |  Republican | House District 94
Quentin Stanerson |  Republican | House District 95

## List of candidates[edit]

# General election[edit]

2016 Iowa House general election candidates

District |  Democrat |  Republican | Other
1  |  No candidate |  John Wills (I) a |
2  |  No candidate |  Megan Jones (I) a |
3  |  Mason McCoy: 2,848  |  Daniel Huseman: 12,096 (I) a |
4  |  No candidate |  Skyler Wheeler: 9,815 a |  Jeff VanDerWerff: 5,838 (Unaffiliated)
5  |  Patrick Ritz: 3,445  |  Charles Holz: 11,774 (I) a |
6  |  Perla Alarcon-Flory: 5,086  |  Jim Carlin: 9,655 a |
7  |  Dave Grussing: 5,608  |  Tedd Gassman: 9,665 (I) a |
8  |  Nancy Huisinga: 4,701  |  Terry Baxter: 10,078 (I) a |
9  |  Helen Miller: 7,461 (I) a |  Gary Waechter: 5,562  |
10  |  No candidate |  Mike Sexton (I) a |
11  |  Sara Huddleston: 4,475  |  Gary Worthan: 8,279 (I) a |
12  |  Ken Myers: 4,369  |  Brian Best: 10,349 (I) a |
13  |  Chris Hall: 7,027 (I) a |  Shaun Broyhill: 4,365  |
14  |  Timothy Kacena: 5,365 a |  Robert Henderson: 5,126  |
15  |  Charlie McConkey: 5,424 (I) a |  Bill Riley: 5,056  |
16  |  Steve Gorman: 5,120  |  Mary Ann Hanusa: 6,847 (I) a |
17  |  Jan Creasman: 3,866  |  Matt Windschitl: 10,712 (I) a |
18  |  No candidate |  Steven Holt (I) a |
19  |  Bryce Smith: 6,597  |  Ralph Watts: 10,393 (I) a |
20  |  Scott Heldt: 4,006  |  Clel Baudler: 7,204 (I) a |  Bob Boyle: 1,498 (L)
Ryan Ketelsen: 985 (Unaffiliated)
21  |  No candidate |  Tom Moore (I) a |
22  |  No candidate |  Greg Forristall (I) a |
23  |  Craig Florian: 4,061  |  David Sieck: 10,068 (I) a |
24  |  No candidate |  Cecil Dolecheck (I) a |
25  |  Justin Knight: 5,850  |  Stan Gustafson: 11,280 (I) a |
26  |  Scott Ourth: 9,122 (I) a |  Rebel Snodgrass: 7,769  |
27  |  Rich Higdon: 3,885  |  Joel Fry: 9,478 (I) a |
28  |  Martin Duffy: 5,230  |  Greg Heartsill: 9,593 (I) a |
29  |  Wesley Breckenridge: 7,903 a |  Patrick Payton: 5,831  |  Dan Kelley: 1,758 (Stand Up To Bullies)
30  |  Joe Riding: 6,999  |  Zach Nunn: 11,442 (I) a |
31  |  Rick Olson: 7,160 (I) a |  Matt Christoffersen: 5,027  |  Joe Gleason: 794 (L)
32  |  Ruth Ann Gaines: 7,142 (I) a |  Bill Charlier: 2,920  |  Seth Bartmess: 466 (L)
33  |  Brian Meyer: 7,785 (I) a |  No candidate |  Jeremy Tomlinson: 2,373 (L)
34  |  Bruce Hunter (I) a |  No candidate |
35  |  Ako Abdul-Samad: 6,458 (I) a |  No candidate |  Jocelyn Fry: 2,057 (L)
36  |  Marti Anderson: 10,348 (I) a |  Scott Miller: 5,853  |
37  |  Andrea Phillips: 8,954  |  John Landon: 12,059 (I) a |
38  |  Heather Matson: 7,264  |  Kevin Koester: 8,793 (I) a |  Jeff Meyers: 610 (L)
Brett Nelson: 183 (Unaffiliated)
39  |  Maridith Morris: 8,549  |  Jake Highfill: 11,492 (I) a |
40  |  John Forbes: 9,660 (I) a |  Scott Reed: 7,332  |
41  |  Jo Oldson (I) a |  No candidate |
42  |  Claire Celsi: 7,948  |  Peter Cownie: 9,065 (I) a |
43  |  Jennifer Konfrst: 8,273  |  Chris Hagenow: 8,809 (I) a |
44  |  No candidate |  Rob Taylor (I) a |
45  |  Beth Wessel-Kroeschell: 9,036 (I) a |  Sondra Childs-Smith: 5,730  |  Eric Cooper: 1,277 (L)
46  |  Lisa Heddens (I) a |  No candidate |
47  |  Deb Duncan: 5,983  |  Chip Baltimore: 9,165 (I) a |
48  |  Sherrie Taha: 5,397  |  Robert Bacon: 9,829 (I) a |
49  |  Mickie Franklin: 4,382  |  Dave Deyoe: 9,315 (I) a |  John Evans: 1,126 (L)
Mike Knox: 741 (Unaffiliated)
50  |  Doris Fritz: 3,901  |  Pat Grassley: 11,493 (I) a |
51  |  Tim Hejhal: 5,647  |  Jane Bloomingdale: 9,408 a |
52  |  Todd Prichard: 8,160 (I) a |  Stacie Stokes: 6,847  |
53  |  Sharon Steckman: 8,977 (I) a |  Barbara Hovland: 5,869  |
54  |  No candidate |  Linda Upmeyer (I) a |
55  |  Pat Ritter: 6,697  |  Michael Bergan: 8,943 a |
56  |  Patti Ruff: 6,605 (I) |  Kristi Hager: 7,910 a |
57  |  Tom Stecher: 8,249  |  Shannon Lundgren: 9,023 a |
58  |  Jessica Kean: 6,296  |  Andy McKean: 9,078 a |
59  |  Bob Kressig: 8,567 (I) a |  Drew Speer: 4,891  |  Nick Taiber: 2,319 (Ind.)
60  |  Gary Kroeger: 7,267  |  Walt Rogers: 10,115 (I) a |
61  |  Timi Brown-Powers (I) a |  No candidate |
62  |  Ras Smith: 7,113 a |  Todd Obadal: 3,354  |  John Patterson: 797 (Unaffiliated)
63  |  Teresa Meyer: 6,644  |  Sandy Salmon: 9,927 (I) a |
64  |  Bruce Bearinger: 8,288 (I) a |  Zach Schulz: 5,912  |
65  |  Liz Bennett: 9,724 (I) a |  Harry Foster: 4,881  |
66  |  Art Staed (I) a |  No candidate |
67  |  Mark Seidl: 6,749  |  Ashley Hinson: 11,248 a |
68  |  Molly Donahue: 7,921  |  Ken Rizer: 9,317 (I) a |
69  |  Kirsten Running-Marquardt (I) a |  No candidate |
70  |  Todd Taylor: 8,877 (I) a |  Steven Van Fleet: 5,698  |  Dave Cork: 1,050 (L)
71  |  Mark Smith (I) a |  No candidate |
72  |  Nathan Wrage: 5,841  |  Dean Fisher: 9,397 (I) a |
73  |  No candidate |  Bobby Kaufmann (I) a |
74  |  Dave Jacoby (I) a |  No candidate |
75  |  Paula Denison: 4,924  |  Dawn Pettengill: 10,448 (I) a |
76  |  Jacob Tornholm: 5,907  |  David Maxwell: 9,754 (I) a |
77  |  Amy Nielsen: 10,217 a |  Royce Phillips: 7,461  |
78  |  No candidate |  Jarad Klein: 10,138 (I) a |  Joshua Miller: 2,790 (L)
79  |  No candidate |  Guy Vander Linden (I) a |
80  |  Levi Grenko: 5,009  |  Larry Sheets: 8,557 (I) a |  Garrett Byrd: 497 (L)
81  |  Mary Gaskill (I) a |  No candidate |
82  |  Curt Hanson (I) a |  No candidate |
83  |  Jerry Kearns (I) a |  No candidate |
84  |  Carrie Duncan: 4,225  |  David Heaton: 9,636 (I) a |
85  |  Vicki Lensing (I) a |  No candidate |
86  |  Mary Mascher (I) a |  No candidate |
87  |  Dennis Cohoon (I) a |  No candidate |
88  |  Ryan Drew: 5,469  |  David Kerr: 8,619 a |
89  |  Jim Lykam (I) a |  No candidate |
90  |  Cindy Winckler (I) a |  No candidate |
91  |  Phil Wiese: 6,229  |  Gary Carlson: 7,293 (I) a |
92  |  Ken Krumwiede: 6,782  |  Ross Paustian: 8,676 (I) a |
93  |  Phyllis Thede: 8,470 (I) a |  Kurt Whalen: 7,865  |
94  |  No candidate |  Gary Mohr a |
95  |  Richard Whitehead: 7,085  |  Louis Zumbach: 9,868 a |
96  |  Matt Hanlon: 4,950  |  Lee Hein: 9,276 (I) a |
97  |  Jeff Wolf: 6,202  |  Norlin Mommsen: 9,345 (I) a |  David Melchert Jr.: 1,247 (L)
98  |  Mary Wolfe: 8,547 (I) a |  Jeannine Eldrenkamp: 4,306  |
99  |  Abby Finkenauer (I) a |  No candidate |
100  |  Charles Isenhart (I) a |  No candidate |
Notes:

* An (I) denotes an incumbent.
* Candidate lists can change frequently throughout an election season. Ballotpedia staff update this list monthly. To suggest changes, click here to email our State Legislature Project.

# Primary election[edit]

## Races we watched[edit]

Ballotpedia identified six notable Iowa state primary races in 2016, five of which were state House contests.

Click here to read more about Ballotpedia's coverage of notable Iowa races »

### Primary contests[edit]

State House District 6 (R)

Two Republicans competed for the open seat left by the Republican incumbent.
☐ Jacob Bossman ☑ Jim Carlin

State House District 55

Two Democrats and two Republicans competed for an open seat left by the Democratic incumbent.
(D) ☐ Steve McCargar ☑ Pat Ritter
(R) ☐ Alex Popenhagen ☑ Michael Bergan

State House District 63 (D)

Three Democrats competed to challenge the GOP incumbent in November.
☐ Eric Stromberg ☐ Matthew Glen Evans ☑ Teresa Meyer

State House District 68 (D)

Two Democrats competed to challenge the GOP incumbent in November.
☐ Sam Gray ☑ Molly Donahue

State House District 77

Two Democrats and two Republicans competed for the open seat left by the Democratic incumbent.
(D) ☑ Amy Nielsen ☐ Abbie Weipert
(R) ☐ Paula Dreeszen ☑ Royce Phillips
2016 Iowa House primary candidates

District |  Democrat |  Republican | Other
1 | No candidate | John Wills (I) a |
2 | No candidate | Megan Jones (I) a |
3 | No candidate | Daniel Huseman (I) a |
4 | No candidate | Skyler Wheeler: 2,120 a
Jeffrey VanDerWerff: 1,219
Kevin Van Otterloo: 1,427  |
5 | No candidate | Charles Holz (I) a |
6 | Perla Alarcon-Flory a | Jacob Bossman: 1,102
Jim Carlin: 1,159 a |
7 | Dave Grussing a | Tedd Gassman (I) a |
8 | No candidate | Terry Baxter (I) a |
9 | Helen Miller (I) a | Gary Waechter a |
10 | No candidate | Mike Sexton (I) a |
11 | Sara Huddleston a | Gary Worthan (I) a |
12 | Ken Myers a | Brian Best (I) a |
13 | Chris Hall (I) a | Shaun Broyhill a |
14 | Timothy Kacena a | Robert Henderson a |
15 | Charlie McConkey (I) a | Bill Riley a |
16 | Steve Gorman a | Mary Ann Hanusa (I) a |
17 | Jan Creasman a | Matt Windschitl (I) a |
18 | No candidate | Steven Holt (I) a |
19 | Bryce Smith a | Ralph Watts (I) a |
20 | Scott Heldt a | Clel Baudler (I) a |
21 | No candidate | Tom Moore (I) a |
22 | No candidate | Greg Forristall (I): 962 a
Bryan Holder: 238 |
23 | No candidate | David Sieck (I) a |
24 | No candidate | Cecil Dolecheck (I) a |
25 | Justin Knight a | Stan Gustafson (I): 856 a
Tim Mohs: 415 |
26 | Scott Ourth (I) a | Rebel Snodgrass a |
27 | Rich Higdon a | Joel Fry (I) a |
28 | Lois DeWaard: 219
Martin Duffy: 365 a | Greg Heartsill (I) a |
29 | Wesley Breckenridge: 1,594 a
Dan Kelley (I): 854  | Patrick Payton a |
30 | Joe Riding a | Zach Nunn (I) a |
31 | Rick Olson (I) a | Matt Christoffersen a |
32 | Ruth Ann Gaines (I) a | No candidate |
33 | Brian Meyer (I): 687 a
Jim Addy: 302  | No candidate |
34 | Bruce Hunter (I) a | No candidate |
35 | Ako Abdul-Samad (I) a | No candidate |
36 | Marti Anderson (I) a | Derek Tidball: 198
Scott Miller: 222 a |
37 | Andrea Phillips a | John Landon (I) a |
38 | Heather Matson a | Kevin Koester (I): 476 a
Brett Nelson: 72  |
39 | Maridith Morris a | Jake Highfill (I): 576 a
Christian DenOuden: 410 |
40 | John Forbes (I) a | Eric South: 103
Scott Reed: 314 a |
41 | Jo Oldson (I): 2,765 a
Eddie Mauro: 1,350  | No candidate |
42 | Claire Celsi a | Peter Cownie (I) a |
43 | Jennifer Konfrst a | Chris Hagenow (I) a |
44 | No candidate | Rob Taylor (I) a |
45 | Beth Wessel-Kroeschell (I) a | Sondra Childs-Smith a |
46 | Lisa Heddens (I) a | No candidate |
47 | George Ensley: 229
Deb Duncan: 457 a | Chip Baltimore (I) a |
48 | Sherrie Taha a | Robert Bacon (I) a |
49 | No candidate | Dave Deyoe (I) a |
50 | Doris Fritz a | Pat Grassley (I) a |
51 | Tim Hejhal a | Jane Bloomingdale a |
52 | Todd Prichard (I) a | Stacie Stokes a |
53 | Sharon Steckman (I) a | Barbara Hovland a |
54 | No candidate | Linda Upmeyer (I) a |
55 | Steve McCargar: 815
Pat Ritter: 881 a | Alex Popenhagen: 473
Michael Bergan: 714 a |
56 | Patti Ruff (I) a | Kristi Hager: 1,223 a
Lowell Engle: 497  |
57 | Tom Stecher a | Shannon Lundgren a |
58 | Peter Hird a | Joshua Sundstrom: 110
Allen Ernst: 287
Andy McKean: 674 a |
59 | Bob Kressig (I) a | Drew Speer a |
60 | Gary Kroeger a | Walt Rogers (I) a |
61 | Timi Brown-Powers (I) a | No candidate |
62 | Ras Smith a | No candidate |
63 | Eric Stromberg: 506
Matthew Glen Evans: 29
Teresa Meyer: 539 a | Sandy Salmon (I) a |
64 | Bruce Bearinger (I) a | No candidate |
65 | Liz Bennett (I) a | Harry Foster a |
66 | Art Staed (I) a | No candidate |
67 | Mark Seidl a | Ashley Hinson a |
68 | Sam Gray: 697
Molly Donahue: 908 a | Ken Rizer (I) a |
69 | Kirsten Running-Marquardt (I) a | No candidate |
70 | Todd Taylor (I) a | Steven Van Fleet a |
71 | Mark Smith (I) a | No candidate |
72 | John Anderson: 184
Nathan Wrage: 682 a | Dean Fisher (I) a |
73 | No candidate | Bobby Kaufmann (I) a |
74 | Dave Jacoby (I) a | No candidate |
75 | Dennis Mathaus: 202
Paula Denison: 442 a | Dawn Pettengill (I) a |
76 | Jacob Tornholm a | David Maxwell (I) a |
77 | Amy Nielsen: 667 a
Abbie Weipert: 384 | Royce Phillips: 198 a
Paula Dreeszen: 76 |
78 | No candidate | Marcus Fedler: 957
Jarad Klein (I): 1,942 a |
79 | No candidate | Guy Vander Linden (I) a |
80 | Levi Grenko a | Larry Sheets (I) a |
81 | Jeremy Weller: 678
Mary Gaskill (I): 982 a | No candidate |
82 | Curt Hanson (I) a | No candidate |
83 | Jerry Kearns (I) a | No candidate |
84 | Carrie Duncan a | David Heaton (I) a |
85 | Vicki Lensing (I) a | No candidate |
86 | Mary Mascher (I) a | No candidate |
87 | Dennis Cohoon (I) a | No candidate |
88 | No candidate | Thomas Sands (I) a |
89 | Jim Lykam (I) a | No candidate |
90 | Cindy Winckler (I) a | No candidate |
91 | Phil Wiese: 561 a
Jessica Brackett: 315 | Gary Carlson (I) a |
92 | Ken Krumwiede a | Ross Paustian (I) a |
93 | Phyllis Thede (I) a | Kurt Whalen a |
94 | No candidate | Gary Mohr a |
95 | Richard Whitehead a | Louis Zumbach a |
96 | Matt Hanlon a | Lee Hein (I) a |
97 | No candidate | Norlin Mommsen (I) a |
98 | Mary Wolfe (I) a | Jeannine Eldrenkamp a |
99 | Abby Finkenauer (I) a | No candidate |
100 | Charles Isenhart (I) a | No candidate |
Notes:

* An (I) denotes an incumbent.
* Candidate lists can change frequently throughout an election season. Ballotpedia staff update this list monthly. To suggest changes, click here to email our State Legislature Project.

## Margins of victory[edit]

The average margin of victory for contested races in the Iowa House of Representatives in 2016 was lower than the national average. Out of 100 races in the Iowa House of Representatives in 2016, 70 were contested, meaning at least two candidates competed for that seat in the general election. The average margin of victory across these races was 24.5 percent. Across contested single-winner state legislative elections in 2016, the average margin of victory was 29.01 percent.[2]

Republican candidates in the Iowa House of Representatives saw larger margins of victory than Democratic candidates in 2016. Republicans won 59 races. In the 47 races where a winning Republican faced a challenger, the average margin of victory was 25.9 percent. Democrats won 41 races in 2016. In the 23 races where a winning Democrat faced a challenger, the average margin of victory was 21.6 percent.

More Republican candidates than Democratic candidates saw margins of victory that were less than 10 percentage points. 12 of the 70 contested races in 2016—17.1 percent—saw margins of victory that were 10 percent or less. Five races saw margins of victory that were 5 percent or less. Republicans won seven races with margins of victory of 10 percent or less.

Iowa House of Representatives: 2016 Margins of Victory Less than 10 Percent

District | Winning Party | Margin of Victory
District 14 | D | 2.3 percent
District 15 | D | 3.5 percent
District 26 | D | 8.0 percent
District 38 | R | 9.1 percent
District 42 | R | 6.6 percent
District 43 | R | 3.1 percent
District 52 | D | 8.7 percent
District 56 | R | 9.0 percent
District 57 | R | 4.5 percent
District 68 | R | 8.1 percent
District 91 | R | 7.9 percent
District 93 | D | 3.7 percent
The average margin of victory for incumbents in the Iowa House of Representatives who ran for re-election and won in 2016 was lower than the national average. 85 incumbents who ran for re-election in 2016 won. The average margin of victory for the 56 winning Iowa House of Representatives incumbents who faced a challenger in 2016 was 26 percent. The average margin of victory for all winning incumbents in contested single-winner state legislative elections in 2016 was 31.8 percent.

Republican incumbents in the Iowa House of Representatives saw larger margins of victory than Democratic incumbents. 48 Republican incumbents won re-election. In the 37 races where a winning Republican incumbent faced a challenger, the average margin of victory was 27.7 percent. 37 Democratic incumbents won re-election. In the 19 races where a winning Democratic incumbent faced a challenger, the average margin of victory was 22.8 percent.

Iowa House of Representatives: 2016 Margin of Victory Analysis

Party | Elections won | Average margin of victory[3] | Races with incumbent victories | Average margin of victory for incumbents[3] | Unopposed incumbents | Unopposed races | Percent unopposed
Democratic | 41 | 21.6 percent | 37 | 22.8 percent | 18 | 18 | 43.9 percent
Republican | 59 | 25.9 percent | 48 | 27.7 percent | 11 | 12 | 20.3 percent
Total | 100 | 24.5 percent | 85 | 26.0 percent | 29 | 30 | 30.0 percent

Click [show] on the tables below to see the margin of victory in Iowa House of Representatives districts in 2016.

Iowa House of Representatives: 2016 Margin of Victory by District

District | Winning Party | Margin of Victory
District 1 | R | Unopposed
District 2 | R | Unopposed
District 3 | R | 61.9 percent
District 4 | R | 25.4 percent
District 5 | R | 54.7 percent
District 6 | R | 31.0 percent
District 7 | R | 26.6 percent
District 8 | R | 36.4 percent
District 9 | D | 14.6 percent
District 10 | R | Unopposed
District 11 | R | 29.8 percent
District 12 | R | 40.6 percent
District 13 | D | 23.4 percent
District 14 | D | 2.3 percent
District 15 | D | 3.5 percent
District 16 | R | 14.4 percent
District 17 | R | 47.0 percent
District 18 | R | Unopposed
District 19 | R | 22.3 percent
District 20 | R | 23.4 percent
District 21 | R | Unopposed
District 22 | R | Unopposed
District 23 | R | 42.5 percent
District 24 | R | Unopposed
District 25 | R | 31.7 percent
District 26 | D | 8.0 percent
District 27 | R | 41.9 percent
District 28 | R | 29.4 percent
District 29 | D | 13.4 percent
District 30 | R | 24.1 percent
District 31 | D | 16.4 percent
District 32 | D | 40.1 percent
District 33 | D | 53.3 percent
District 34 | D | Unopposed
District 35 | D | 51.7 percent
District 36 | D | 27.8 percent
District 37 | R | 14.8 percent
District 38 | R | 9.1 percent
District 39 | R | 14.7 percent
District 40 | D | 13.7 percent
District 41 | D | Unopposed
District 42 | R | 6.6 percent
District 43 | R | 3.1 percent
District 44 | R | Unopposed
District 45 | D | 20.6 percent
District 46 | D | Unopposed
District 47 | R | 21.0 percent
District 48 | R | 29.1 percent
District 49 | R | 31.7 percent
District 50 | R | 49.3 percent
District 51 | R | 25.0 percent
District 52 | D | 8.8 percent
District 53 | D | 20.9 percent
District 54 | R | Unopposed
District 55 | R | 14.4 percent
District 56 | R | 9.0 percent
District 57 | R | 4.5 percent
District 58 | R | 18.1 percent
District 59 | D | 23.3 percent
District 60 | R | 16.4 percent
District 61 | D | Unopposed
District 62 | D | 33.4 percent
District 63 | R | 19.8 percent
District 64 | D | 16.7 percent
District 65 | D | 33.2 percent
District 66 | D | Unopposed
District 67 | R | 25.0 percent
District 68 | R | 8.1 percent
District 69 | D | Unopposed
District 70 | D | 20.4 percent
District 71 | D | Unopposed
District 72 | R | 23.3 percent
District 73 | R | Unopposed
District 74 | D | Unopposed
District 75 | R | 35.9 percent
District 76 | R | 24.6 percent
District 77 | D | 15.6 percent
District 78 | R | 56.8 percent
District 79 | R | Unopposed
District 80 | R | 25.2 percent
District 81 | D | Unopposed
District 82 | D | Unopposed
District 83 | D | Unopposed
District 84 | R | 39.0 percent
District 85 | D | Unopposed
District 86 | D | Unopposed
District 87 | D | Unopposed
District 88 | R | 22.4 percent
District 89 | D | Unopposed
District 90 | D | Unopposed
District 91 | R | 7.9 percent
District 92 | R | 12.3 percent
District 93 | D | 3.7 percent
District 94 | R | Unopposed
District 95 | R | 16.4 percent
District 96 | R | 30.4 percent
District 97 | R | 18.7 percent
District 98 | D | 33.0 percent
District 99 | D | Unopposed
District 100 | D | Unopposed

## Important dates and deadlines[edit]

See also: Iowa elections, 2016

The calendar below lists important dates for political candidates in Iowa in 2016.

Dates and requirements for candidates in 2016

Deadline  |  Event type  |  Event description
February 29, 2016 | Ballot access  |  Primary candidate filing period opens
March 18, 2016 | Ballot access  |  Primary candidate filing period ends
May 19, 2016  | Campaign finance  |  Report due covering January 1 through May 14
June 3, 2016  | Campaign finance  |  Special supplementary report due for certain contributions
June 7, 2016 | Election date  |  Primary election
July 19, 2016  | Campaign finance  |  Report due covering May 15 through July 14
August 1, 2016 | Ballot access  |  General election candidate filing period opens
August 19, 2016 | Ballot access  |  General election candidate filing period ends
October 19, 2016  | Campaign finance  |  Report due covering July 15 through October 14
November 4, 2016  | Campaign finance  |  Special supplementary report due for certain contributions
November 8, 2016 | Election date  |  General election
January 19, 2017  | Campaign finance  |  Report due covering October 15 through December 31
Sources: Iowa Secretary of State, "Three Year Election Calendar," accessed June 5, 2015
Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board, "Reporting Dates," accessed June 5, 2015

## Competitiveness[edit]

### Candidates unopposed by a major party[edit]

In 45 of the 100 districts up for election in 2016, there was only one major party candidate running for election. A total of 28 Democrats and 17 Republicans were guaranteed election barring unforeseen circumstances.

Two major party candidates faced off in the general election in 55 of the 100 districts up for election.

### Primary challenges[edit]

Nine incumbents faced primary competition on June 7. Twelve incumbents did not seek re-election in 2016 and another 79 incumbents advanced past the primary without opposition.

### Retired incumbents[edit]

Thirteen incumbent representatives did not run for re-election, while 87 (87.0 percent) ran for re-election. A list of those incumbents, four Democrats and nine Republicans, can be found above.

### Results from 2014[edit]

See also: 2014 state legislative elections analyzed using a Competitiveness Index

There were 6,057 seats in 87 chambers with elections in 2014. All three aspects of Ballotpedia's Competitiveness Index—the number of open seats, incumbents facing primary opposition, and general elections between partisan candidates—showed poor results compared to the prior election cycle. States with elections in 2014 held fewer general elections between partisan candidates. Additionally, fewer incumbents faced primary opposition and more incumbents ran for re-election than in recent years.

Since 2010, when the Competitiveness Index was established, there had not been an even-year election cycle to do statistically worse in any of the three categories. See the following chart for a breakdown of those scores between each year.

Overall Competitiveness

|  2010  |  2012  |  2014
Competitiveness Index  | 36.2  | 35.8  | 31.4
% Open Seats  | 18.6%  | 21.2%  | 17.0%
% Incumbent with primary challenge  | 22.7%  | 24.6%  | 20.1%
% Candidates with major party opposition  | 67.3%  | 61.7%  | 57.0%

The following table details Iowa's rates for open seats, incumbents that faced primary challenges, and major party competition in the 2014 general election.

Iowa General Assembly 2014 Competitiveness

% Open Seats  |  % Incumbent with primary challenge  |  % Candidates with major party opposition  |  Competitiveness Index  |  Overall rank
12.0%  |  7.3%  |  50.4%  |  23.2  |  37

### Historical context[edit]

See also: Competitiveness in State Legislative Elections: 1972-2014

Uncontested elections: In 2014, 32.8 percent of Americans lived in states with an uncontested state senate election. Similarly, 40.4 percent of Americans lived in states with uncontested house elections. Primary elections were uncontested even more frequently, with 61 percent of people living in states with no contested primaries. Uncontested elections often occur in locations that are so politically one-sided that the result of an election would be a foregone conclusion regardless of whether it was contested or not.

Open seats: In most cases, an incumbent will run for re-election, which decreases the number of open seats available. In 2014, 83 percent of the 6,057 seats up for election saw the incumbent running for re-election. The states that impose term limits on their legislatures typically see a higher percentage of open seats in a given year because a portion of incumbents in each election are forced to leave office. Overall, the number of open seats decreased from 2012 to 2014, dropping from 21.2 percent in 2012 to 17.0 percent in 2014.

Incumbent win rates: Ballotpedia's competitiveness analysis of elections between 1972 and 2014 documented the high propensity for incumbents to win re-election in state legislative elections. In fact, since 1972, the win rate for incumbents had not dropped below 90 percent—with the exception of 1974, when 88 percent of incumbents were re-elected to their seats. Perhaps most importantly, the win rate for incumbents generally increased over time. In 2014, 96.5 percent of incumbents were able to retain their seats. Common convention holds that incumbents are able to leverage their office to maintain their seat. However, the high incumbent win rate may actually be a result of incumbents being more likely to hold seats in districts that are considered safe for their party.

Marginal primaries: Often, competitiveness is measured by examining the rate of elections that have been won by amounts that are considered marginal (5 percent or less). During the 2014 election, 90.1 percent of primary and general election races were won by margins higher than 5 percent. Interestingly, it is usually the case that only one of the two races—primary or general—will be competitive at a time. This means that if a district's general election is competitive, typically one or more of the district's primaries were won by more than 5 percent. The reverse is also true: If a district sees a competitive primary, it is unlikely that the general election for that district will be won by less than 5 percent. Primaries often see very low voter turnout in comparison to general elections. In 2014, there were only 27 million voters for state legislative primaries, but approximately 107 million voters for the state legislative general elections.

## Campaign contributions[edit]

The following chart shows how many candidates ran for State House in Iowa in past years and the cumulative amount of campaign contributions in State House races, including contributions in both primary and general election contests.[4]

Iowa House of Representatives Donations

Year  | Candidates  | Amount
2014  |  181  |  $12,624,559
2012  |  216  |  $13,979,655
2010  |  201  |  $13,403,613
2008  |  211  |  $15,457,284
2006  |  176  |  $10,920,476

### State comparison[edit]

The map below shows the average contributions to 2014 candidates for state houses. The average contributions raised by state house candidates in 2014 was $59,983. Iowa, at $69,749 per candidate, is ranked 12 of 45 for state house chambers with the highest average contributions. Hover your mouse over a state to see the average campaign contributions for that state’s house candidates in 2014.[4][5]

## Qualifications[edit]

The Iowa Constitution states: "No person shall be a member of the house of representatives who shall not have attained the age of twenty-one years, be a citizen of the United States, and shall have been an inhabitant of this state one year next preceding his election, and at the time of his election shall have had an actual residence of sixty days in the county, or district he may have been chosen to represent."[6]

## See also[edit]

* Iowa House of Representatives
* Iowa State Legislature
* State legislative elections, 2016

## External links[edit]

|  Suggest a link

|

* Iowa Secretary of State - Candidate Listing by Office

## Footnotes[edit]

1. ↑ Under Ballotpedia's competitiveness criteria, districts that have a margin of victory of less than 5 percent are considered highly competitive. Districts that have a margin of victory from 5 to 10 percent are considered mildly competitive.
2. ↑ This calculation excludes chambers that had elections where two or more members were elected in a race. These chambers are the Arizona House, the New Hampshire House, the North Dakota House, the South Dakota House, the Vermont House, the Vermont Senate, and the West Virginia House.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Excludes unopposed elections
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 followthemoney.org, "Contributions to candidates and committees in elections in Iowa," accessed July 28, 2015
5. ↑ This map relies on data collected in July 2015.
6. ↑ Iowa Constitution

[show]

Current members of the Iowa House of Representatives

Leadership

Speaker of the House:Pat Grassley

Minority Leader:Jennifer Konfrst

Representatives

District 1

John Wills (R)

District 2

Megan Jones (R)

District 3

Dennis Bush (R)

District 4

Skyler Wheeler (R)

District 5

Thomas Jeneary (R)

District 6

Jacob Bossman (R)

District 7

Henry Stone (R)

District 8

Terry Baxter (R)

District 9

Ann Meyer (R)

District 10

Mike Sexton (R)

District 11

Gary Worthan (R)

District 12

Brian Best (R)

District 13

Chris Hall (D)

District 14

Steve Hansen (D)

District 15

Charlie McConkey (D)

District 16

Brent Siegrist (R)

District 17

Matt Windschitl (R)

District 18

Steven Holt (R)

District 19

Carter Nordman (R)

District 20

Ray Sorensen (R)

District 21

Tom Moore (R)

District 22

Jon Jacobsen (R)

District 23

David Sieck (R)

District 24

Cecil Dolecheck (R)

District 25

Stan Gustafson (R)

District 26

Brooke Boden (R)

District 27

Joel Fry (R)

District 28

Jon Thorup (R)

District 29

Jon Dunwell (R)

District 30

Brian Lohse (R)

District 31

Rick Olson (D)

District 32

Ruth Gaines (D)

District 33

Brian Meyer (D)

District 34

Bruce Hunter (D)

District 35

Ako Abdul-Samad (D)

District 36

Marti Anderson (D)

District 37

Mike Bousselot (R)

District 38

Garrett Gobble (R)

District 39

Eddie Andrews (R)

District 40

John Forbes (D)

District 41

Jo Oldson (D)

District 42

Kristin Sunde (D)

District 43

Jennifer Konfrst (D)

District 44

Kenan Judge (D)

District 45

Beth Wessel-Kroeschell (D)

District 46

Ross Wilburn (D)

District 47

Phil Thompson (R)

District 48

Robert Bacon (R)

District 49

Dave Deyoe (R)

District 50

Pat Grassley (R)

District 51

Jane Bloomingdale (R)

District 52

Todd Prichard (D)

District 53

Sharon Steckman (D)

District 54

Shannon Latham (R)

District 55

Michael Bergan (R)

District 56

Anne Osmundson (R)

District 57

Shannon Lundgren (R)

District 58

Steven Bradley (R)

District 59

Bob Kressig (D)

District 60

Dave Williams (D)

District 61

Timi Brown-Powers (D)

District 62

Ras Smith (D)

District 63

Sandy Salmon (R)

District 64

Chad Ingels (R)

District 65

Liz Bennett (D)

District 66

Art Staed (D)

District 67

Eric Gjerde (D)

District 68

Molly Donahue (D)

District 69

Kirsten Running-Marquardt (D)

District 70

Tracy Ehlert (D)

District 71

Sue Cahill (D)

District 72

Dean Fisher (R)

District 73

Bobby Kaufmann (R)

District 74

David Jacoby (D)

District 75

Thomas Gerhold (R)

District 76

David Maxwell (R)

District 77

Amy Nielsen (D)

District 78

Jarad Klein (R)

District 79

Dustin Hite (R)

District 80

Holly Brink (R)

District 81

Cherielynn Westrich (R)

District 82

Jeff Shipley (R)

District 83

Martin Graber (R)

District 84

Joe Mitchell (R)

District 85

Christina Bohannan (D)

District 86

Mary Mascher (D)

District 87

Dennis Cohoon (D)

District 88

David Kerr (R)

District 89

Monica Kurth (D)

District 90

Cindy Winckler (D)

District 91

Mark Cisneros (R)

District 92

Ross Paustian (R)

District 93

Phyllis Thede (D)

District 94

Gary Mohr (R)

District 95

Charlie McClintock (R)

District 96

Lee Hein (R)

District 97

Norlin Mommsen (R)

District 98

Mary Wolfe (D)

District 99

Lindsay James (D)

District 100

Charles Isenhart (D)

Republican Party (60)

Democratic Party (40)

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