Congressman Dave Loebsack Wins Re-Election Over John Archer

Loebsack prevailed in the new second congressional district.

Dave Loebsack, (D-Iowa City) has won another term in the U.S. House of Representatives, defeating Bettendorf lawyer John Archer. Loebsack prevailed despite having to win victory in a new district that replaced Cedar Rapids with the Quad Cities and also several new southeastern counties. The Associated Press called the race for Loebsack at around 10:30 p.m. Loebsack is quoted in the Gazette as saying he takes his re-election as a mandate to help the middle class. Loebsack, who has served in Congress since 2006, vowed to use his next term to help the middle class. “We’ve got a lot of work to do, and it’s going to be about jobs and the economy,” Loebsack told an excited crowd at the Jersey Grill in Davenport. “We’ve really got to get this …

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Jeff Klinzman

10:11 pm on Wednesday, November 7, 2012

This is, like, the third election (Lori Cardella, Marrionnette Miller-Meeks, now Archer) I've noticed a trend in Johnson County. The more big yard signs a GOP candidate displays, the worse they do. Johnson County Republicans really do inhabit an alternative reality.   more ›

Election 2012: Loebsack v. Archer, Battle in New District Over Economy, Lack of Bipartisanship

Polling gives the incumbent Loebsack the edge. Will Archer be able to pull an upset?

Beating an incumbent candidate even in a new congressional district is a tough challenge, and it looks as if Republican challenger John Archer, 40, of Bettendorf, will face an uphill battle against two-term incumbent Democrat Dave Loebsack, 59, of Iowa City. The pair of opponents are squaring off in the new 24-county Iowa Congressional District 2, formed after recent congressional redistricting lost Iowa a U.S. congressional seat due to Iowa's slow population growth. Loebsack has been confident enough in President Obama's support in Iowa and the district to campaign with him several times and share in the president's theme of defending the middle class. Loebsack has raised more money - more than four-to-one - than Archer due to the support…

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Cotton Emerges Big as Hawkeyes Take Home Floyd: Daily Iowan Reader, October 1

Also inside: DI candidate interviews with Rep. Loebsack and Archer, fraternities ‘Walk a Mile in her Shoes', UI class aims to reinvigorate downtown Las Vegas.

Jordan Cotton wasn’t nervous as the ball arced toward him. “It felt like it was up there forever,” the junior said. “I don’t think it was nerves, it was just more of an adrenaline running. I was that wide open, and I just had to come up with the ball.” The 47-yard touchdown catch, which came on a flea-flicker in the second quarter of a 31-13 victory over Minnesota on Sept. 29, served Cotton’s début to Hawkeye Nation. He recorded 2 receptions for 44 yards, and he has 4 receptions in his last two games with a 23.25 yards-per-catch average. But his rise has come seemingly out of nowhere. The Mount Pleasant, Iowa, native came to Iowa in 2009 as one of three highly touted native recruits, along with Keenan Davis and Brandon Wegher. He …

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Q&A: On the Loebsack v. Archer House Race with UI Professor Tim Hagle

Election watcher Tim Hagle, a political science professor at the University of Iowa, spoke with Iowa City Patch yesterday about the state of this potentially competitive second district race.

Will incumbent Democratic candidate Dave Loebsack coast to re-election in the new district, or will Bettendorf lawyer John Archer give him a challenge? We spoke with Tim Hagle, associate professor in Political Science at the University of Iowa by e-mail yesterday to see if he could give us an impression of how this race is going. Iowa City Patch: The publication "Roll Call" did a recent analysis of the Loebsack versus Archer race, and downgraded Loebsack's chances from a "Likely Democratic" victor to a "leans Democratic" district. Do you get the sense from things you see and people you talk to that Republicans think that this seat is a legitimate pickup opportunity? Professor Tim Hagle: The short answer is yes, but that’s not to say that …

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Stephen Schmidt

5:23 pm on Friday, September 21, 2012

Could you do me a favor and limit criticisms to a candidate's ideas, policies and qualifications and not them personally? I know it can be a thin line sometimes, as sometimes a candidate's personal traits can be part of why people vote for them, but I think would be good for the tone of the site if people can argue more about the issues rather than attacking each other or the candidates …   more ›

Roll Call Declares All Iowa Congressional Races Competitive, Including Archer V. Loebsack

Incumbents such as Steve King and Dave Loebsack could get some spirited challenges this November.

Second Iowa District U.S. Congressman Dave Loebsack, (D- IA) will have to figure out his new district, namely the Quad Cities, if he wants to secure another term in Congress. So says the analysis of political publication Roll Call, which declared in a story published yesterday that all of the Iowa races at the U.S. Congressional level appear competitive, and even comfortable incumbents like Loebsack and Steve King, (R- IA) should receive tough challenges this fall. This is perhaps not so surprising in a state that couldn't be much more evenly divided politically, added to redistricting and a lot of attention in a presidential election year. Here's what Roll Call had to say about Loebsack's election chances going up against his challenger …

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VIDEO: Second U.S. Congressional Republican Candidate John Archer Speaks at GOP Convention

John Archer, challenging Democratic incumbent Dave Loebsack, spoke at the Republican National Convention yesterday.

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Blue Iowa Survey: Iowa Democratic Insiders Unified That Loebsack Will Beat Archer

The latest Blue Iowa survey takes a look at the four contested congressional races in Iowa.

Iowa Democratic insiders are all but certain that Dave Loebsack in the Democratic-leaning second district will pull out a win in November, according to Patch.com's latest Blue Iowa survey. When you add those who somewhat agree and strongly agree that he will defeat Republican opponent and political newcomer John Archer, Loebsack has a perfect score. The survey shows 64.5 percent strongly agree and 35.5 percent somewhat agree that Loebsack will win. The 31 Democrats responding to this Blue Iowa survey are a mix of current and former office holders, party leaders, candidates and activists. The survey was inspired by academic research showing that endorsements by party "actors" at all levels — officeholders, party officials and local …

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Maria Houser Conzemius

4:26 pm on Friday, August 10, 2012

I'll never forget the time I called Bruce Braley on an Iowa Public Radio show. As I was talking to Rep. Braley I mimicked the ridiculous Republican ad saying in a deep, authoritative yet intensely over-the-top voice, "Bruce Taliban negotiates with the Taliban." The ridiculous ad was a family joke. We'd laugh hysterically whenever we heard it and mimic the ad to each other at home. To Bruce Braley…   more ›

Red Iowa: Republican Insiders Doubt Loebsack will be Defeated

They do, however, feel much better about the prospects about some high profile contests to the west.

It's still too early too say, but is another term for Dave Loebsack likely? Republicans seem to think so, at the moment. Influential Republicans are supremely confident of their ability to win two of Iowa’s four congressional seats in November’s election, but they express far less certainty about the remaining races. The races they have doubts about involve their party’s Ben Lange, who is up against Democrat Bruce Braley in the 1st District, and Republican John Archer’s race against Dave Loebsack in the 2nd District. They say without qualification, however, that Republican Tom Latham will defeat Democrat Leonard Boswell and that Republican Steve King will defeat Democrat Christie Vilsack. The King-Vilsack race is being watched closely …

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Weipert Unseats Slockett, Loebsack Wins Primary Easily, Schwab and Archer Also Win Races

Johnson County sees an incumbent defeated Tuesday evening, but it wasn't Dave Loebsack.

Final Results: Weipert, Schwab, Archer, Loebsack all win. In a primary election with low turnout throughout the day, Travis Weipert, a city council member and AEGON accountant from Tiffin, unseated incumbent Johnson County Auditor Tom Slockett with a vote count of 3,197 to 1,974. Slockett, a longtime auditor, fell out of favor with local Democrats after a series of snafus, including a recent reprimand for ethics violations. According to results from the Johnson County Auditor's Office, a total of 7,597 or 9.4 percent of Johnson County voters turned out to vote. In other races, Democrat Dick Schwab defeated West Branch Democrat David Johnson to continue compete in the fall for the District 73 State Representative seat. At the national …

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