IowaPolitics.com: Election Blog

The fact Sen. Tom Harkin has defeated more sitting members of Congress than anyone in office doesn't intimidate Christopher Reed. Unofficial tallies showed Reed, a Republican, capturing just more than 35 percent of the vote, allowing him to be declared the winner of Tuesday's U.S. Senate primary and avoid a convention battle.

Reed credited some of Tuesday night's victory to a moving speech at Friday's Lincoln Day Dinner (See IowaPolitics.com coverage). He was well received, and he noted he was just talking to the crowd and that he didn't have remarks rehearsed.

"After Friday night, I felt pretty good," he said.

On Tuesday Reed edged former state Rep. George Eichhorn by more than 400 votes to capture the GOP primary title, and now he is gearing up for the daunting task of unseating Harkin, a key Democratic player in Washington. However, Reed says this is the year that Harkin can be beat.

"I truly believe people are tired of politics as usual," said Reed, a Cedar Rapids area business owner. "I believe the fact I don't have a political record won't end up as campaign fodder."

Reed praised his fellow GOP opponents, and said he is now eying the challenge that lies ahead in November. He noted to dethrone Harkin will require a strong grassroots effort, getting the Republican base excited and reaching out to independent voters. He said he also plans to ask Democrats to join his efforts.

"There are Democrats who also believe Washington is broken," said Reed, adding sending Harkin for a fifth term would result in more of the same results. "Iowans want to be inspired and want to believe people will represent them. I am going to offer Iowans a new face."

Statehouse incumbents facing primary challenges all survived Tuesday night, just as many observers predicted.

The closest margin of victory for any incumbent was state Rep. Wayne Ford, D-Des Moines, who secured 54 percent of the vote in the three-person race against Tyler Reedy and Charles Hoffman, who garnered 39 and 7 percent, respectively, in the District 65 race.

Another Democrat, Rep. Geri Huser of Altoona, held off Matt Ballard's challenge in the District 42 House primary. Huser captured 60 percent of the vote compared with Ballard's 40 percent.

Rep. Deborah Berry recorded the largest margin of victory for an incumbent being challenged. Berry, D-Waterloo, netted 73 percent of the vote, while Don Shatzer earned 27 percent of the vote in the District 22 primary.

Rep. Jim Van Engelenhoven of Pella was the lone Republican House incumbent being challenged. He beat Marc Held by a 72 percent to 28 percent margin.

See the IowaPolitics.com Primary Scorecard for complete legislative and congressional results

Mariannette Miller-Meeks wants to the be the first woman elected to Congress from Iowa.

She took a step Tuesday toward making that goal a reality, defeating Cedar Rapids funeral home director Peter Teahen by more than 100 votes.

"I am thrilled, humbled and overwhelmed," Miller-Meeks said. "We knew it would be close. We had to work hard in Linn County and throughout the district."

Teahen held a double-digit lead over Miller-Meeks nearly two months ago, and the Ottumwa opthalmologist began slowly erasing the deficit. In the days leading up to the primary, the campaign saw the momentum moving in Miller-Meeks' favor.

"From our perspective we saw the momentum shifting (in recent weeks)," said Miller-Meeks, adding she felt she solidified her campaign with her speech at Friday's Lincoln Dinner in Des Moines. "I solidified to the establishment I was a credible candidate."

Miller-Meeks said she is pleased with how the campaign came together in the closing days of the primary. She noted the campaign didn't distribute negative mail and was not responsible for any of the attacks on Teahen that came from a source in the United Kingdom.

Now, she has her sights set on incumbent Congressman Dave Loebsack.

"I think Loebsack is vulnerable," she said. "(Tonight) is absolutely the first step. You have to believe you have the capacity to (win in the general election). I tell people I have my finger on the pulse of the 2nd District and that message resonates well."

With 18 precincts yet to report results for the GOP Senate primary the race was so close that it was shaping up to be determined at a later date -- pending the canvass of the vote.

Tallies showed Christopher Reed with 34.9 percent of the vote and George Eichhorn with 34.7 percent. Steve Rathje was in third with more than 30 percent. If a candidate fails to secure 35 percent of the vote, the outcome will be determined at the June 14 state GOP convention.

"The race is so close that no clear winner will be determined tonight," Eichhorn said. "Both campaigns will want to see the results of the official canvass next week but one thing we know for sure is that Republicans will be unified against Harkin."

Reed's campaign watched closely as the returns from the final 18 precincts reported. Campaign insiders were hopeful those returns would be enough to put Reed over the 35 percent margin. According to media outlets, Reed appeared to pull that off by garnering 35.3 percent of the vote with every precinct but one reporting. That percentage would be enough to prevent the race from going to convention if it holds up through the official canvass.

Mariannette Miller-Meeks has been declared the winner of the Second District GOP congressional race. She beat Peter Teahen by approximately 100 votes.

Becky Greenwald has worked on winning political campaigns before and Tuesday she got to experience a win as a candidate.

Greenwald emerged from a four-person primary to take the top spot in the 4th District Democratic congressional primary. With more than 70 percent of the vote in, Greenwald had 51 percent of the vote.

The closest to her was Kurt Meyer, who invested $100,000 of his own money in his campaign. Meyer called in the last half hour to congratulate Greenwald and concede.

"I am thrilled," she said with a joyous tone in her voice. "I didn't expect this. I am very happy. I had great supporters."

Greenwald has ties to Sen. Tom Harkin and his wife Ruth and worked on their campaigns in the past. She has been involved in presidential campaigns, and now she has a new title -- victorious primary candidate.

"It is surreal," she said. "It is a lot more fun. I am enjoying it."

The 4th District seat currently held by Republican Tom Latham is a targeted race for Democrats, and Greenwald plans to transition into general election mode. She is cooking steaks for retiring union workers Wednesday in Marshalltown.

"We are going to hit the ground running," Greenwald said.

Fourth District Congressional candidate Kurt Meyer has just called Becky Greenwald to concede in the Democratic primary.

The 2nd District congressional race shows Dr. Mariannette Miller-Meeks leading Peter Teahen by 600 votes, 45 to 41 percent with 92 percent of the vote in. Lee Harder has garnered 14 percent of the vote.

With 86 percent of the vote in, the GOP Senate race is staying tight.

Christopher Reed, who many thought was a dark horse in the race, is tied with former state Rep. George Eichhorn at 35 percent. Reed has 289 more votes than Eichhorn. Steve Rathje is at 30 percent.

... according to various media outlets.

STATE SENATE

District 16 Republican primary: Dave McLaughlin
District 18 Republican primary: Joe Childers
District 20 Republican primary: Tim Kapucian

STATE HOUSE

District 13 Democratic primary: Sharon Steckman
District 27 Democratic primary: Charles Isenhart
District 41 Republican primary: Adam Vandall
District 42 Democratic primary: Geri Huser (i)
District 55 Republican primary: Jason Schultz
District 59 Democratic primary: Jerry Sullivan
District 59 Republican primary: Chris Hagenow
District 62 Republican primary: Chris Sanger
District 65 Democratic primary: Wayne Ford (i)
District 69 Republican primary: Erik Helland
District 70 Republican primary: Kevin Koester
District 71 Republican primary: Jim Van Engelenhoven (i)

Check the IowaPolitics.com Primary Scorecard for results from all the races

"We think we had a good win," Congressman Leonard Boswell said. "There is a lot that needs to be done for this country and we're going to be a part of that leadership."

Appearing in a packed room at the Hotel Fort Des Moines, the incumbent congressman said he owed all his success to the people he represents.

"I just want to thank you for your patience and being here tonight," Boswell said. "I never doubted your support, so I appreciate that very much."

During his brief remarks, which came around 10:30 p.m., Boswell said he'd just been told his campaign had received a call from Ed Fallon conceding the race and congratulating Boswell.

"So, we are going to go ahead and make the official announcement tonight that we're going to go on to run in the general election," he said. "We're going to get on and get at those things that are important to the development of Iowa and this country -- this wonderful country."

With 98 percent of the vote in, Leonard Boswell leads Ed Fallon by a 61 percent to 31 percent margin, leading him to be declared the winner.

District 3 results

With more than 70 percent of the vote in, Third District challenger Ed Fallon trails incumbent Congressman Leonard Boswell by 16 percent. Fallon addressed supporters at 10:05 p.m. at the Raccoon River Brewery.

"We had expected different results tonight," said Fallon, noting he was outspent 5-to-1 by Boswell. "The fact we fought with (a strong grassroots campaign) is an incredible expression where we are at in this country."

Fallon added if you take the PAC money out of what Boswell raised that the two candidates would be pretty even as far as cash raised.

"I consider myself truly one of those grassroots supporters," Tim McEntde said. "It all comes down to how genuine he is. Ed is someone you can talk to. I support him instead of Boswell not because of his policies -- they both stand as Democrats on the issues -- I support Fallon as a matter of his personality."

Nearly 100 people packed the balcony level of the Raccoon River Brewery in downtown Des Moines to watch the results come in with their candidate. Even as Fallon trailed Boswell by double digits, supporters remained hopeful that their man would pull it out.

"I'm ready for a change, and Ed is it," said Helena Hadek. "He is light-years ahead on issues of environmental concern and transportation systems. He is a representative of real change away from the status quo in Washington, and I think that is why so many young people are coming out to work for him."

Indeed, the crowd at the Fallon event was markedly younger than the one down the street for Boswell.

"He's real, he's honest, and he always sticks to his values," said first-time voter, Rhiannon Helfer. "I'll support Boswell as a Democrat if he comes out on top, but I hope to see Ed as the nominee."

While Fallon's supporters have been known for their activism and powerful dedication to their candidate, at least some were willing to look to the future at a general election that didn't include Fallon.

"I think the majority of the people in this room would be satisfied with Boswell," McEntde said. "We'd just rather see a personality like Fallon in D.C."

With 37 percent of precincts reporting, Christopher Reed holds a narrow lead in the GOP U.S. Senate primary.

Reed's at 36 percent, compared to 34 percent for George Eichhorn and 30 percent for Steve Rathje.

Primary election scorecard

With 93 percent of the vote being reported, incumbent Rep. Wayne Ford, D-Des Moines, appears to have held on to his District 65 seat in the Iowa House. He faced a challenge from Tyler Reedy and Charles Hoffman.

Congressman Leonard Boswell's party is starting to fill up as half the room is monitoring election results and the other half is watching Sen. Barack Obama's speech in St. Paul.

"I have been voting for Boswell for years," said Maggie Wittorf of Des Moines. "I trust him more than I do any elected official. I respect Ed Fallon and feel he has solid ideas, but I have been able to trust Boswell for years and I will continue to trust Boswell."

"I think re-electing Boswell is re-electing trustworthiness," said Hank Belhouse of Pella. "I don't think Ed Fallon is a bad guy, but I don't think he has what it takes to get the job done in Washington."

Erik Helland has defeated Al Lorenzen by a 73 percent to 27 percent margin in House District 69.

Helland had outraised and outspent Lorenzen in the race. Helland has been on television in recent days raising questions about Lorenzen and his support from Democratic groups such as AFSCME.

WHO-TV election results

Watch for results soon.

Primary election scorecard

On the night of the Iowa primary, national news outlets are reporting that Illinois Sen. Barack Obama has enough delegate support to be the presumptive nominee of the Democratic party.

Obama scored a victory in the leadoff Iowa caucus, which gave an early boost on the path to securing the nomination. Obama returned to Iowa last month, and officials from both parties agree Iowa will be a key state in November.

Iowans are not voting for presidential candidates in today's primary election.

Campaigns plan primary-night parties

When the vote totals come in tonight, several candidates are planning parties to thank supporters. Here are the candidates who responded to an IowaPolitics.com request for information:

U.S. SENATE

Christopher Reed
Longbranch Hotel
90 Twixt Town Rd NE
Cedar Rapids
6 p.m.

U.S. HOUSE

DISTRICT 2

Mariannette Miller-Meeks
Hotel Ottumwa
Ottumwa
6:30 pm

Peter Teahen
Long Branch Hotel
Cedar Rapids
7 pm

DISTRICT 3

Leonard Boswell
Hotel Fort Des Moines
Des Moines
8:30 p.m.

Ed Fallon
Raccoon River Brew Pub
200 10th St. in downtown Des Moines
9 p.m.

DISTRICT 4

Becky Greenwald
Hotel Fort Des Moines
8:30 p.m.

William J. Meyers
The Colorado Bar & Grill
S. Marshall Street
Boone
8 p.m.

Kevin Miskell
Campaign headquarters
Ames

No matter what happens here tonight, two of Iowa's neighboring states look like they'll be drawing national attention from Iowa's primary results.

-- South Dakota's results will be released at 8 p.m. and the delegates that presumptive Dem nominee Barack Obama wins there will inch him closer to numerically clinching the nomination.

-- In Minnesota, Obama is visiting St. Paul to deliver what most expect to be his primary victory speech. He's delivering it at the Xcel Energy Center, the site of this year's national Republican convention.

Voter turnout remains low, but Secretary of State Michael Mauro thinks the final numbers will exceed his 12 to 15 percent prediction. Mauro said 20 percent voter turnout could be a reality, but noted it is still too early to tell. The polls close at 9 p.m.

Today's primary marks the first for the new same-day voter registration policy. So far so good, said the Secretary of State's office.

"We have also have not heard of any problems with same day voter registration from anywhere around the state," a spokesperson in the SOS office said this afternoon.

Third Congressional District challenger Ed Fallon is hopeful his grassroots organizing will result in votes.

"Fallon has really been pushing the whole 'bring a friend or neighbor to the polls' routine because he knows that's his main opportunity to increase votes," an Iowa Democratic Party insider said. "He knows he isn't going to attract that many entrenched Democrats who are perfectly content with voting for Boswell as they always have in the past.  Fallon is hoping that the really progressive activists that are drawn to him will bring friends of theirs to the polls and tell them to vote for Fallon."

Congressman Leonard Boswell and his campaign also have been focusing on get-out-the-vote efforts since winter. There is a general feeling those traditional voters will cast ballots as they always have for Boswell.

"Boswell will have a lot of people vote for him because that is what they have done in the past," a Democratic insider said. "Fallon has a more robust following of people who will vote for him because they find him inspiring, or someone they know told them to vote for him.  The more people dragged to the polls by excited voters, the better Fallon does."

Republicans say they are hungry to dethrone Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, and the words "coin toss" keep being mentioned as a description for the GOP primary between George Eichhorn, Steve Rathje and Christopher Reed.

"Between the three of them, no one has been able to raise a ton of money," a Republican insider said. "There may not even be a winner after tonight, which would make it all the more difficult to get people excited about one of them well in advance of the general election.  They all want to take Harkin down, but none of them have been able to convince a wide enough audience that they can do it - at least not yet."

In the 4th District congressional race, Kurt Meyer has spent more money, Becky Greenwald has distributed more direct mail pieces to targeted voters, and Democratic insiders call Kevin Miskell the darkhorse in the race.

A low turnout benefits Greenwald, a Democratic source said this afternoon. The low turnout and the potential confusion between similar candidate names (Kurt Meyer and William Meyers) could also help Greenwald, the source added.

Second District GOP candidates Peter Teahen and Mariannette Miller-Meeks continue to contact voters and encourage them to hit the polls.

Opponents of Teahen put together a You Tube video to distribute to Iowa voters challenging Teahen's credibility. The video takes much of the same information put forth by a former colleague of Teahen's and was distributed today. The video challenges Teahen on credentials he listed on his resume.

Teahen has said David Tredrea, a former British acquaintance from Darfur, is upset with him about something that happened while in Darfur, and the Brit had threated his life overseas and recently sent an e-mail threatening to ruin his reputation.

"I feel David is a threat to my life and my family," the Republican candidate said. "I have told people close to me I feel more threatened by him than any rebel in Darfur. This is a man with emotional problems. I have four daughters; I don't trust this guy."

Early reports from Johnson and Polk counties are showing very light primary turnout as of 10 a.m. Only 1 percent of the registered voters had cast ballots in Johnson County, and Polk County was mirroring the same results.

Democratic insiders said low turnout could alter the Third District primary race between Congressman Leonard Boswell and challenger Ed Fallon. Sources said in weeks leading up to the primary a low turnout could cause Fallon to give Boswell a strong challenge.

Secretary of State Michael Mauro has predicted turnout of between 12 and 15 percent.

Other turnout reports:
- Turnout for primaries at historic low

- Morning voter turnout low

- Linn County turnout begins slow in city, up in rural areas

Democratic and Republican insiders say they feel the small number of legislative incumbents being challenged will be safe when the final vote is counted. In past election cycles, statehouse incumbents have fallen in their primary challenge, but sources predict that won't happen in 2008.

Here's a look at some of today's top legislative primaries:

*One Republican, Rep. Jim Van Engelenhoven of Pella, faces a primary opponent in Marc Held for his District 71 seat.

"I expect our incumbent will hold that seat," a Republican source said.

*Rep. Wayne Ford, D-Des Moines, has two challengers for his House District 65 seat -- Charles Hoffman and Tyler Reedy.  Rep. Deborah Berry, D-Waterloo, is being challenged in the primary by Waterloo's Don Shatzer for her District 22 seat. The third Democrat facing a primary opponent is Rep. Geri Huser, D-Altoona. Matt Ballard of Altoona is making a bid for Huser's District 42 seat.

Ballard is a strong proponent of fair share, which is an issue that failed to pass the House in the past General Assembly. However, insiders say Huser is respected in the district and votes for her constituents.

*State Rep. Walt Tomenga, R-Johnston, is retiring and two Republicans want his seat. Democrats haven't filed a candidate in the race so the winner of the June 3 primary could represent the district.

Tomenga is backing former University of Iowa basketball player and Drake hoops analyst Al Lorenzen of Granger. Lorenzen's opponent is Erik Helland. Helland worked on presumptive GOP presidential nominee Sen. John McCain's campaign last year. He is being backed by Iowans for Tax Relief and just earned the endorsement from the Iowa Right to Life organization.

Helland has been running ads on television and radio challenging Lorenzen's Republican values. One of Lorenzen's supporters is AFSCME. Insiders say Lorenzen has name ID, but Helland has outcampaigned the former hoops star since entering the race.

*There are two primary elections today for retiring Sen. Jeff Angelo's seat. It is a seat Democrats are hoping to build to their majority, and Republicans add it isn't a district they are ready to turn over quite yet.

Democrats seeking the seat are Kevin Wynn, a county supervisor and insurance agency owner from Corning; Ruth Smith, a physical therapist and Graceland University instructor from Lamoni and Matthew Brown of Thayer. On the Republican side of the aisle, Clarke County Treasurer Kim Reynolds faces Jim Parker of Villisca.

Sources say they feel Reynolds may have the edge going into today on the Republican side. On the Democratic ticket, Steve Waterman, who ran against Angelo in 2004, has endorsed Smith.

Republicans George Eichhorn and Christopher Reed squared off Friday night in a debate days before the primary that will determine who their party's nominee will be against Senator Tom Harkin.

Polk County Republican Party Chairman Ted Sporer noted that all three of the Republican candidates were asked to participate, but only Eichorn and Reed accepted the invitation. Fellow Republican primary hopeful Steve Rathje did not appear at the event.

The evening began with moderator Dave Price of WHO-TV asking the candidates what they would do to stem the flow of illegal immigrants through the nation's borders.

"Clearly our immigration policy is broken," Eichhorn said. "We have not committed the resources to protect our border and also to handle people when we find out they are illegal and in America."

Reed explained his view that policies are not flawed, but rather are not being enforced thoroughly enough.

"We have the laws in place -- we just need as a country to stand up and enforce those laws," Reed said. "We have the funding to build a fence. What we need to do is build a fence, fortify it, and man it. We need to get the illegal immigrants that are here and send them back to the country they came from, treating them like the law-breakers that they are."

Acknowledging it would take a considerable amount of money to implement the system he envisioned, Reed said, "I would argue that it's far more expensive to let them stay here," in reference to state and national government expenditures related to the education and health care costs attributed to illegal immigrants.

The issue of immigration continued to be a matter of discussion as talk turned to English being officially declared the national language.

"We have a common culture and history that says English is our official language," Eichhorn said. "Clearly it is the language of success and advancement in economics and in any position that you want to take. I think that it is important to recognize that distinction and reinforce it."

Reed said he supports government documents being printed only in English and called for individuals that come to the United States legally to better assimilate themselves into American culture. He also took to task the idea that the U.S. labor force would be crippled without illegal workers.

"The argument that our country cannot survive without illegal immigrants -- I believe that was the same argument that the South used for slavery," Reed said. "They used that statement until Eli Whitney came along and proved that innovation will take care of the problem."

Read more on the debate