Wenthe wins Iowa House race after Arthur concedes

As far as Republican challenger Roger Arthur is concerned, the House District 18 race against incumbent Rep. Andrew Wenthe, D-Hawkeye, is over.

Arthur said he conceded the race to Wenthe Tuesday night after canvasses by the the district's three counties had shown Wenthe still in front of Arthur, a Sumner farmer, by 36 votes.

“I have contacted Andrew and congratulated him,” Arthur said today.

Arthur was looking at a Thursday deadline to call for a recount in the three-county district that includes Bremer and Fayette counties and a Friday deadline for Black Hawk County.

He'd have to petition each county canvassing board for a recount, said Kyle Jensson, Black Hawk County elections manager.

But Arthur said he didn't see the point.

“Obviously, the canvass results were further away from what we had hoped,” he said. “As you look at the facts and so on, it just doesn't make sense to spend the people's money on a recount when, in all probability, it's not going to happen. I just don't see any reason to drag it out any farther.”

Wenthe, a two-term incumbent had held a 28-vote lead after the ballot had been counted on election night Nov. 2. Wenthe said he was glad to know his tentative lead still stood.

“I'm definitely pleased to know that I was able to withstand the anti-incumbent, or I guess, the Republican wave that occurred here in Iowa,” Wenthe said.

Wenthe had a strong showing in Fayette County, where he beat Arthur by 514 votes. That flopped in Bremer County, with Arthur beating Wenthe by 290 votes.

Only four precincts in Black Hawk County lie in District 18, but Arthur beat Wenthe 188 votes in that area, according to the Black Hawk County Auditor's Office.

Wenthe said the results were more a reflection of where the candidates' natural bases of support were and not external influences like the heated Senate District 9 race between Sen. Bill Heckroth, D-Waverly, and Republican Bill Dix of Shell Rock. Wenthe did well in Fayette County since he grew up and lived there. Arthur did better in Bremer County because he lived there.

Republicans hold 60 seats in the Iowa House.

“I told him I did not agree with the philosophy the Democrats were using at that time and evidently the voters agreed statewide. I hope the message was loud and clear, and we can go on from there,” Arthur said.

Arthur was asked if he would try another run at public office.

“You never say never, but right now we've had nine straight months of campaigning,” he said. “We had a very competitive primary and, of course, five months of the general election here. We're just going take some time off and relax and enjoy ourselves. I'm just going to finish getting everything put away after harvest and enjoy this nice weather and maybe take a vacation and enjoy my family for awhile.”

-- Josh Nelson and Jim Offner, Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier