CQ Risk Rating: Safe Republican 
| GENERAL ELECTION: NOVEMBER 7, 2000 |
|
| Tom Latham (R) | 159,367 | 69% |
| Mike Palecek (D) | 67,593 | 29% |
| Ben L. Olson (LIBERT) | 2,875 | 1% |
| Ray Holtorf (I) | 1,917 | 1% |
| write-ins | 54 | 0% |
| PRIMARY ELECTION: JUNE 6, 2000 |
|
| | Votes | Percentage | | Democratic |
| Mike Palecek | 5,790 | 55% |
| Conrad Lawlor | 4,787 | 45% |
| write-ins | 31 | 0% |
| | Republican |
| Tom Latham | 22,516 | 90% |
| Thomas D. Hall | 2,458 | 10% |
| write-ins | 18 | 0% |
Source: Congressional Quarterly. To suggest updates and corrections: politics.feedback@cq.com
Major Industry | Population | Cities | People | Race | Median Household Income | Unusual Features
IOWA 5
:
Northwest - Sioux City; Fort Dodge
The 5th takes in nearly 18,000 square miles of fertile soil and gently
undulating hills. The bountiful land has allowed the region to remain more
like the Iowa of old than any other part of the state.
Sioux City, the district's largest city, accounts for about 15 percent
of the 5th's population. Located on the western border of the state, it has
developed into a service center for a region that includes part of South
Dakota and Nebraska. Some Sioux City businesses have moved across the
Missouri River to take advantage of more favorable tax laws in bordering
states, but Woodbury County has sprouted numerous bedroom communities to
house their employees.
The 5th's only other urban center is Fort Dodge, an industrial center
that has relied on gypsum factories to support the area's economy for close
to a century. The city also emerged as a leader in veterinary
pharmaceuticals.
The 5th is the only Iowa district in which registered Republicans
outnumber Democrats; to win statewide, GOP candidates need lopsided margins
here. Sioux City has long leaned Republican. The surrounding rural towns are
home to many independent farmers who tend to vote Republican in both local
and national elections. The few Democratic voters are mostly Irish Catholics
in Fort Dodge and surrounding Webster County.
Major Industry
Meat packing, veterinary pharmaceuticals, agriculture
Population
555,457 (1990)
Cities
Sioux City, 83,791; Fort Dodge, 24,755; Boone, 12,741 (1997)
People
53% rural; 18% age 65+ (ranks first of five in state; top third nationally);
62% married couples, 28% married couples with children; 13% college educated
(ranks fifth of five in state; bottom third nationally); 46% white collar
(ranks fifth of five in state; bottom third nationally), 28% blue collar
(ranks third of fifth in state; middle third nationally) (1990)
Race
98% white, 1% black, 1% Asian; 1% Hispanic origin (1990)
Median Household Income
$24,150 (ranks fifth of five in state; bottom third nationally) (1990)
Unusual Features
Annual Donna Reed Festival held in the actress' hometown of Denison;
Nation's second-largest county fair in Clay County; Fort Dodge called
world's "Gypsum Mining Capital."
Source: Congressional Quarterly (Updated April 1999)
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District 5
