IA-02: Loebsack Already Thinking Toward 2008

One topic I started thinking about even before election day was, “How do traditionally vulnerable freshmen reps get re-elected in two years’ time?” Obviously, the simple answer is “raise a lot of money,” and that’s good advice for everyone. But beyond that, what should you do?

Well, unlikely victor Dave Loebsack – who unseated long, long-time Rep. Jim Leach in IA-02 – didn’t rest on his laurels after election day. He’s thinking creatively about the challenges that lie ahead in just two years. CQ Politics has a great story about exactly what Loebsack is up to:

Yet even with his epic political achievement, Loebsack won by a narrow vote of 51 percent to 48 percent – not the kind of margin that suggests he has a lock on re-election in 2008.

So even before his Jan. 4 induction as a member of the 110th Congress, Loebsack has been applying campaign-like vigor to raising his profile and developing a stronger rapport with his new congressional constituents – keeping a busy schedule of town hall meetings and “listening posts” in cities and towns across the southeastern Iowa district.

Loebsack’s political challenge is to deal quickly with the perception that his victory was not a resounding affirmation of his candidacy nor even a referendum on the well-liked Leach, but rather a reflection of a political mood that may not be relevant should the Democrat seek re-election in 2008.

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Since winning on Nov. 7, Loebsack has met with chambers of commerce across the 2nd District and has held meetings with local residents from Ottumwa in the southern part of the district to Cedar Rapids in the north.

“I don’t want this to be a period when I’m somehow out of touch with people in the district,” Loebsack said. “After all, I’m going to Congress to represent them.”

Local observers say Loebsack’s series of constituent events is a smart way to raise his profile during the “honeymoon” period between his election and the start of the 110th Congress. As an academic from the northern part of the 2nd – which also includes strongly Democratic-leaning Iowa City, home to the University of Iowa – Loebsack needs to build his ties with the more rural and conservative voters, including some Democrats, in the southern part of the district.

I recommend reading the entire piece. And in fact,  this article is just first in a series. New entries include Steve Kagen (WI-08) and netroots candidate Tim Walz. There are lessons here for every freshman. Just take a look at how hard Loebsack has been working since the election – and he won in what was the second-most Democratic district held by a Republican in the nation. If he needs to show some hustle, then everyone does.