Latham to move, challenge Boswell in 3rd District

Saying he's never let lines on a map stop him from representing Iowans, 4

^th

District Rep. Tom Latham said today he will run for re-election in the new 3

^rd

District created by redistricting.

“I have never let map boundaries block the great honor I have felt in representing the interests of all Iowans,” Latham said in a statement.

Latham, 62, a nine-term Republican, already represents some of the area in the new 3

^rd

District, but by moving will set up an general election battle with eight-term Rep. Leonard Boswell, 77, a Des Moines Democrat.

The new 3

^rd

includes Adair, Adams, Cass, Dallas, Fremont, Guthrie, Madison, Mills, Montgomery, Page, Polk, Pottawattamie, Ringgold, Taylor, Union and Warren counties.

Latham represents Dallas, Madison and Warren now.

Latham is the second Iowa congressman to announce plans to move to run for re-election. Democratic Rep. Dave Loebsack will move from Linn County to Johnson County to run in the new 2

^nd

District where no incumbent resides. The new 2

^nd

includes 14 of the 15 counties he currently represents.

Although the new 4

^th

is a Republican stronghold with a 40,000-vote GOP advantage, Latham avoids a primary election battle with fellow Republican, 5

^th

District Rep. Steve King of Kiron, by moving into the new 3rd.

King said there is no county in his 32-county district he wants to give up, “but I am pleased that the residents of the southern part of my current district will have the opportunity to choose Tom Latham as their representative in Congress.”

Iowa will lose one congressional seat as a result of reapportionment. Every 10 years, after the decennial census, the 435 seats in the U.S. House are apportioned out to states based on population. Iowa's population has grown, but not as fast as other states.

Former Iowa First Lady Christie Vilsack has expressed interest in running for Congress. Although her hometown is Mount Pleasant, in the 2nd District, she and her husband, Tom, the current U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, have a home in Des Moines.

Democratic insiders have indicated there won't be a primary in either district, but some have hinted Boswell might retire. Boswell has given no indication he's looking to leave Congress. He's been raising money in recent months as if gearing up for a re-election battle – either in the primary or general election.

The 3rd is seen as being competitive for a Republican. Democrats' voter registration advantage is just 3,000 and the district seems to have trended Republican in recent election. Branstad won those counties with 52 percent of the vote in 2010 defeat of Democratic incumbent Gov. Chet Culver.

The new 3

^rd

stretches from Polk County to the southwest corner of the state. Boswell has represented much of that territory over the years.

A Latham-Boswell matchup could be an expensive campaign. Latham starts with more on $984,000 in the bank after raising $414,000 in the first quarter of the year. Boswell ended March with $174,000, $147,000 of that coming in the first quarter.

While Boswell has been able to attract Bill and Hillary Clinton for fundraisers, Latham's close relationship with House Speaker John Boehner should be to his advantage in fundraising and electioneering.

Although his announcement came moments after Gov. Terry Branstad announced he would sign a redistricting plan approved by the Legislature Thursday, Latham said this is not the time for campaigning.

“More important than any campaign or election ahead is the work I and others will be doing in the coming weeks and months to ensure the economic, health and retirement security of all Americans,” he said. “Our top priorities must be promoting policies that protect and grow jobs in Iowa, rein in government debt and spending, and protect the promise of the American Dream for current and future generations.”