The 1984 United States Senate election in Iowa was held on November 6, 1984. Incumbent Republican Senator Roger Jepsen ran for re-election to a second term in office. Jepsen was opposed by U.S. Representative Tom Harkin, from Iowa's 5th congressional district, who won the Democratic primary uncontested.
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 County results Harkin: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% Jepsen: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% | |||||||||||||||||
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The general election was full of mudslinging and personal attacks, including the embellishment by both candidates of their military records; Harkin attacked Jepsen for failing to keep his promise to not sell AWACS aircraft to Saudi Arabia.[1] Ultimately, Harkin defeated Jepsen in a landslide 55% to 44%, winning the first of five terms in the Senate. This is the last time that a Senator from Iowa lost re-election.
Democratic primary
editCandidates
editResults
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Tom Harkin | 106,005 | 99.93% | |
| Democratic | Write-ins | 70 | 0.07% | |
| Total votes | 106,075 | 100.00% | ||
Republican primary
editCandidates
edit- Roger Jepsen, incumbent U.S. Senator
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Roger Jepsen (incumbent) | 113,996 | 99.87% | |
| Republican | Write-ins | 147 | 0.13% | |
| Total votes | 114,143 | 100.00% | ||
General election
editResults
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Tom Harkin | 716,883 | 55.46% | +7.54% | |
| Republican | Roger Jepsen (incumbent) | 564,381 | 43.66% | −7.47% | |
| Independent | Garry De Young | 11,014 | 0.85% | ||
| Write-in | 422 | 0.03% | |||
| Majority | 152,502 | 11.80% | +8.58% | ||
| Turnout | 1,292,700 | ||||
| Democratic gain from Republican | Swing | ||||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Down and Dirty | News | the Harvard Crimson".
- ^ a b "Summary of Official Canvass of Votes Cat in Iowa Primary Election June 5, 1984" (PDF). Iowa Secretary of State.
- ^ Clerk of the United States House of Representatives (1985). "Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 6, 1984" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office.