This is rather big and unexpected news:
Iowa Republican Rep. Tom Latham (R) will forego a primary race against Rep. Steve King (R) in the newly drawn 4th district and will instead travel south to challenge Rep. Leonard Boswell in the 3rd, the first of many redistricting-forced incumbent versus incumbent matchups in the 2012 election.
“I have never let map boundaries block the great honor I have felt in representing the interests of all Iowans in the United States Congress,” said Latham in a statement released by his office this morning.
The new third CD (in the state’s southwestern corner) is a swingy district that went 52-46 Obama and 47-52 Kerry. Latham lives just outside the district in Story County (click image for larger):
But Latham faces a hard choice: a GOP primary against Rep. Steve King, who can easily out-crazy him, or a direct battle against Leonard Boswell, who has often needed to be propped up by his party, even in good years (though impressively survived last year’s onslaught). Clearly door #2 struck him as more appealing, and that’s probably the right choice. (And before you say that Iowa Republicans aren’t nuts, they gave a plurality to Mike Huckabee in the 2008 caucuses, and 40% voted for nutter Bob vander Plaats in last year’s gubernatorial primary.)
For his part, Boswell says he ain’t goin’ nowhere, and will stand and fight regardless of what happens. I also suppose this also means that Gov. Terry Branstad is sure to sign the new maps into law, since Latham is already planning to move. Gonna be a big battle, that’s for sure.
Boswell v. Latham?
What say the native Iowans here? Can Boswell hold IA-03?
But I did spend some time in Polk County for Obama. The Rs are really crazy, I do think Boswell could win given that he survived 2010.
Welcome to the shitty real estate market!
All the article says is that Latham lives in Story County does that mean Ne-vey-da or Ames or what? I’m a native Iowan by the way.
Started in Franklin County, I believe, now in Story… then where? He keeps moving southwest so he can stay in Congress. Seems pretty absurd.
If you take the 2008 congressional results for each county, overall the generic Dem would have won in the new district due to Polk. However, neither King nor Latham had really strong opponents.
I’m not a native but I have lots of friends up there and go at least once a year – hint – a big bike ride in July!
him up.
King would beat Latham in a primary and it’s always been obvious that, somehow, Boswell and Latham would face off since the state needs two Democratic districts in the east and a Republican district in the west.
between a rock and a hard place. He’ll only get around 128,000 of his old constituents from three counties but I guess that’s better than retirement for him.
The district is significantly bluer than the old 5th, we need to give King a strong challenge.
If the Dems can find a Collin Peterson type I like their chances against King in the new IA4. It’s about R+5, just like Peterson’s district.
There is nothing “unexpected” about this.
On the contrary, the surprise would’ve been Latham doing anything else, whether challenging King in a primary or simply retiring.
This was always the most likely scenario.
And I would rate this rate out of the gate as tossup/tilt D, based on Boswell already representing most of the new district’s voters, and the fact of Obama on the ballot to help downballot Dems.
I know he’s popular, but most of the voters in the district are new to him and he did support the continuing resolution and has a moderate reputation.