The Loebsack-Leach race was actually a rather unique situation. The two candidates were very similar on many issues ... What's the difference between Dave Loebsack and Jim Leach, other than the letter behind their names? Not much, if you think about it. ... Jim Leach was not the kind of candidate that excited the Republican base. Say you're pro-life, or maybe you think the tax cuts were a good idea, or maybe you're in favor of the war in Iraq. Who are you going to vote for? Well, you don't have anybody to vote for, so you leave the bubble blank. It's as simple as that. Good luck on the DNC finding more 30 year Republican incumbents who are pro-choice, anti-war, anti-tax cut, and are a regular critic of members of his own party. I think the last one just left the building.