Tom Latham
| Tom Latham | |
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Iowa's 3rd district |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2013 |
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| Preceded by | Leonard Boswell |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Iowa's 4th district |
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| In office January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2013 |
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| Preceded by | Greg Ganske |
| Succeeded by | Steve King |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Iowa's 5th district |
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| In office January 3, 1995 – January 3, 2003 |
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| Preceded by | Fred Grandy |
| Succeeded by | Steve King |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Thomas Paul Latham July 14, 1948 Alexander, Iowa |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Kathy Latham |
| Residence | Alexander, Iowa (1995-2007) Ames, Iowa (2007-2011) Clive, Iowa (2011-Present) |
| Alma mater | Iowa State University |
| Occupation | small business owner |
| Religion | Lutheran |
Thomas Paul "Tom" Latham[1] (born July 14, 1948)[2] is the U.S. Representative for Iowa's 3rd congressional district, serving in Congress since 1995. He is a member of the Republican Party.
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Early life, education and career [edit]
Latham was born in Alexander, Iowa, south of Mason City, the son of Evelyn R. (née Johansen) and Willard Chester Latham. His father was of English and Danish descent and his mother was of Danish ancestry.[3] He was raised on a farm in Alexander, near Hampton.[2][4] He was educated at Iowa State University, and was a business owner before entering the House. He and his brothers ran a family seed company called Latham Seeds, which Latham has sold his interest in.[4]
U.S. House of Representatives [edit]
Committee assignments [edit]
Leadership roles and Caucus memberships [edit]
- Congressional COPD Caucus
- Dean of Iowa's delegation in the U.S. House of Representatives
- Task Force for a Drug-Free America
- Prescription Drug Action Leadership Team
- Congressional Task Force for Affordable Natural Gas
- National Service Caucus
Latham has made fiscal and military issues the key points of his tenure in Washington. He is considered to be one of the most fiscally conservative members of the House and his voting record has been strongly anti-tax and heavily in favor of cutting spending to social programs.
Latham is a staunch advocate of a federal prohibition of online poker. In 2006, he cosponsored H.R. 4411, the Goodlatte-Leach Internet Gambling Prohibition Act.[5]
In 2005, Latham introduced the "Angie Fatino Save the Children from Meth Act" in memory of an Iowa teenager who struggled with a Methamphetamine addiction for three years before she committed suicide at the age of 15 years in 1997. Though the bill died in committee, the Iowa legislature has since passed similar legislation and federal law has now been enacted limiting the sale of pseudoephedrine. [6]
Latham has been described as loyal to Speaker John Boehner.[7]
Political campaigns [edit]
Latham was elected as the congressman for Iowa's 5th congressional district in 1994[2] as part of the wave that allowed Republicans to take over the House for the first time since 1955. The 5th, based in western Iowa, was far and away the most Republican district in the state, and Latham never faced a serious challenge as the 5th District's congressman. In 1994 he defeated Democrat Sheila McGuire garnering 61 percent of the vote. In 1996 he won 65 percent of the vote in defeating Democrat MacDonald Smith, and he ran unopposed in the 1998 election.[2]
The 2000 round of redistricting, however, significantly altered Iowa's congressional map. Latham's home in Alexander, along with most of the eastern third of his old district, was placed in the new 4th District in the north-central part of the state. This district is considered much more competitive than Latham's old district; with a Cook Partisan Voting Index of D+0.4, on paper it is one of the most marginal districts in the nation. However, he has been reelected four times from this district without much difficulty. This may be because he is the only Iowan on the powerful House Appropriations Committee.[2] It is considered very difficult to unseat an Appropriations Committee member.
In the 2006 election, neither the Republican nor Democratic parties had a contested primary. His opponent in the 2006 general election was Selden Spencer, a neurologist from Huxley. Latham, who had moved to Ames, closer to the center of the district, earned 57.3% of the vote as he won reelection.
In the 2008 election Latham won against Democratic nominee Becky Greenwald with 61 percent of the vote even as Barack Obama carried the district by eight points.
In 2010, Latham won against Democratic nominee Bill Maske, a school administrator. On February 27,2013,Latham announced that he will not seek the open Senate seat of Tom Harkin in 2014.
Iowa lost a district as a result of the 2010 census. The new congressional map placed Latham and fellow Republican Steve King into the same district. While it retained Latham's district number, it contains more of King's old territory. Indeed, it closely resembled the territory Latham represented for his first four terms.[8] Latham opted to move to the reconfigured 3rd and defeated Democratic incumbent Leonard Boswell in the 2012 election.[9]
References [edit]
- ^ The Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/elections/2004/candidates/22423/
|url=missing title (help). - ^ a b c d e "Thomas Paul Latham (R)". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2010-01-28.
- ^ http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~battle/reps/latham.htm
- ^ a b "Biography". Retrieved 2010-01-28.
- ^ Thomas (Library of Congress): HR 4411
- ^ http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/109/hr3568
- ^ Jake Sherman and John Bresnahan (20 December 2012), Boehner’s toughest hour Politico
- ^ Cilizza, Chris. Iowa redistricting proposal matches two pairs of incumbents against each other. The Washington Post, 2011-03-18.
- ^ Petroski, William. U.S. Rep. Latham will move to Iowa’s 3rd District, challenge Boswell in 2012. The Des Moines Register, 2011-04-15.
External links [edit]
- U.S. Congressman Tom Latham official U.S. House site
- Tom Latham for US Congress official campaign site
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
- Profile at Ballotpedia
- Congressional profile at GovTrack
- Congressional profile at OpenCongress
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Financial information (federal office) at OpenSecrets.org
- Staff salaries, trips and personal finance (federal office) at LegiStorm.com
- Issue positions and quotes at On the Issues
- Voting record at The Washington Post
- Appearances on C-SPAN programs
- Collected news and commentary at The Washington Post
- Profile at SourceWatch
| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Fred Grandy |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Iowa's 5th congressional district 1995–2003 |
Succeeded by Steve King |
| Preceded by Greg Ganske |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Iowa's 4th congressional district 2003–2013 |
Succeeded by Steve King |
| Preceded by Leonard Boswell |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Iowa's 3rd congressional district 2013–Present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
| United States order of precedence | ||
| Preceded by Walter B. Jones R-North Carolina |
United States Representatives by seniority 82nd |
Succeeded by Frank LoBiondo R-New Jersey |
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