Tom Latham
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Tom Latham
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 3, 1995 |
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| Preceded by | Greg Ganske |
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| Born | July 14, 1948 Hampton, Iowa |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Kathy Latham |
| Residence | Alexander, Iowa (1995-2007) Ames, Iowa (2007-present) |
| Alma mater | Iowa State University |
| Occupation | small business owner |
| Religion | Lutheran |
Thomas "Tom" Latham (born July 14, 1948), American politician, has been a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives since 1995, representing Iowa's 4th congressional district(map).
Latham was born in Hampton, Iowa, south of Mason City, but was raised on a farm in nearby Alexander. He was educated at Iowa State University, and was a business owner before entering the House. He and his brothers continue to run a family seed company. In 1995 Latham became an honorary member Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity at Iowa State University. From 1990 to 1994, he served as secretary of the Iowa Republican Party.
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[edit] Election to Congress
Latham was elected as the congressman for Iowa's 5th congressional district in 1994 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, is far and away the most Republican district in the state. It was so heavily Republican that Latham never faced a serious challenge as the 5th District's congressman, never dropping below 60 percent of the vote.
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. 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 earned 57.3% of the vote as he won reelection.
In the 2008 election Latham was challenged by Democratic candidate Becky Greenwald, however he was reelected with 61 percent of the vote even as Barack Obama carried the district by eight points.
[edit] Committee Assignments
[edit] Leadership roles and Caucus memberships
- 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
[edit] Positions
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[1]
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- U.S. Congressman Tom Latham official U.S. House website
- Tom Latham for US Congress official campaign website
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
- Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
- Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org
- Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
- Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
- Staff salaries, trips and personal finance at LegiStorm.com
- Profile at SourceWatch Congresspedia
| United States House of Representatives | ||
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| 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–Present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
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