1996 United States Senate election in Iowa
 | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
 County results Harkin: 30–40% 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% Lightfoot: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
The 1996 United States Senate election in Iowa was held on November 5, 1996. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Tom Harkin sought re-election to a third term in office, and he was challenged by U.S. Congressman Jim Ross Lightfoot from Iowa's 3rd congressional district. Lightfoot had won the Republican primary against two opponents, while Harkin had won his primary uncontested, so both moved on to the general election, where they engaged in a toughly fought campaign. Ultimately, Harkin was successful in his bid and defeated Lightfoot, albeit by the thinnest margin of his career.
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Tom Harkin, incumbent United States Senator
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Tom Harkin (incumbent) | 98,737 | 99.19% | |
| Democratic | Write-ins | 810 | 0.81% | |
| Total votes | 99,547 | 100.00% | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
- Jim Ross Lightfoot, United States Representative from Shenandoah
- Maggie Tinsman, State Senator
- Steve Grubbs, State Representative
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jim Ross Lightfoot | 101,608 | 61.48% | |
| Republican | Maggie Tinsman | 40,955 | 24.78% | |
| Republican | Steve Grubbs | 22,554 | 13.65% | |
| Republican | Write-ins | 153 | 0.09% | |
| Total votes | 165,270 | 100.00% | ||
General election
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Tom Harkin (incumbent) | 634,166 | 51.81% | -2.66% | |
| Republican | Jim Ross Lightfoot | 571,807 | 46.71% | +1.30% | |
| Independent | Sue Atkinson | 9,768 | 0.80% | ||
| Natural Law | Fred Gratzon | 4,248 | 0.35% | ||
| Independent | Joe Sulentic | 1,941 | 0.16% | ||
| Socialist Workers | Shirley E. Pena | 1,844 | 0.15% | ||
| Write-in | 280 | 0.02% | |||
| Majority | 62,359 | 5.09% | -3.96% | ||
| Turnout | 1,224,054 | ||||
| Democratic hold | Swing | ||||
See also
References
- ^ a b "Iowa Primary Election - June 4, 1996" (PDF). Iowa Secretary of State.
- ^ Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives. "Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 5, 1996" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 23.
