The 1996 United States Senate election in Iowa was held on November 5, 1996. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Tom Harkin sought re-election to a third term in office, and he was challenged by U.S. Congressman Jim Ross Lightfoot from Iowa's 3rd congressional district. Lightfoot had won the Republican primary against two opponents, while Harkin had won his primary uncontested, so both moved on to the general election, where they engaged in a toughly fought campaign. Ultimately, Harkin was successful in his bid and defeated Lightfoot, albeit by the narrowest margin of his career.
.svg){kind=small} | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
 County results Harkin: 30–40% 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% Lightfoot: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
.jpg)
Democratic primary
editCandidates
edit- Tom Harkin, incumbent United States Senator
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Tom Harkin (incumbent) | 98,737 | 99.19% | |
| Democratic | Write-ins | 810 | 0.81% | |
| Total votes | 99,547 | 100.00% | ||
Republican primary
editCandidates
edit- Jim Ross Lightfoot, United States Representative from Shenandoah
- Maggie Tinsman, State Senator
- Steve Grubbs, State Representative
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jim Ross Lightfoot | 101,608 | 61.48% | |
| Republican | Maggie Tinsman | 40,955 | 24.78% | |
| Republican | Steve Grubbs | 22,554 | 13.65% | |
| Republican | Write-ins | 153 | 0.09% | |
| Total votes | 165,270 | 100.00% | ||
General election
editResults
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Tom Harkin (incumbent) | 634,166 | 51.81% | −2.66% | |
| Republican | Jim Ross Lightfoot | 571,807 | 46.71% | +1.30% | |
| Independent | Sue Atkinson | 9,768 | 0.80% | ||
| Natural Law | Fred Gratzon | 4,248 | 0.35% | ||
| Independent | Joe Sulentic | 1,941 | 0.16% | ||
| Socialist Workers | Shirley E. Pena | 1,844 | 0.15% | ||
| Write-in | 280 | 0.02% | |||
| Majority | 62,359 | 5.09% | −3.96% | ||
| Turnout | 1,224,054 | ||||
| Democratic hold | Swing | ||||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Iowa Primary Election - June 4, 1996" (PDF). Iowa Secretary of State.
- ^ Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives. "Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 5, 1996" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 23.