roll call logo placeholder image

Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa)

  • District: Junior Senator from Iowa
  • Residence: Cumming
  • Born: November 19, 1939; Cumming, Iowa
  • Religion: Roman Catholic
  • Family: Wife, Ruth Harkin; two children
  • Education: Iowa State U., B.S. 1962 (government & economics); Catholic U. of America, J.D. 1972
  • Military Service: Navy 1962-67; Naval Reserve 1968-74
  • Political Highlights: Democratic nominee for U.S. House, 1972; U.S. House, 1975-85; sought Democratic nomination for president, 1992; U.S. Senate, 1985-present
  • Elected: Elected: 1984 (5th term)
  • Committee Assignments: Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry (Conservation, Forestry & Natural Resources; Jobs, Rural Economic Growth & Energy Innovation; Nutrition, Specialty Crops, Food & Agricultural Research); Appropriations (Agriculture; Defense; Energy-Water; Labor-HHS-Education - Chairman; State-Foreign Operations; Transportation-HUD); Health, Education, Labor & Pensions - Chairman; Small Business & Entrepreneurship
Member Photo

See Tom Harkin's full CQ Member Profile, including in-depth political biographies of all members of Congress with CQ's analysis of what makes each member tick. CQ Member Profiles also provides:

  • Staff contacts
  • Voting records
  • Interest group ratings
  • Detailed district information
  • Vote studies on each member's record

State Information: Iowa

Election History
Year Election Candidate Votes Percent
2008 general Tom Harkin (D) 941,665 62.7%
Christopher Reed (R) 560,006 37.3%
2002 general Tom Harkin (D) 554,278 54.2%
Greg Ganske (R) 447,892 43.8%
Timothy Harthan (GREEN) 11,340 1.1%
Richard Moore (LIBERT) 8,864 0.9%
1996 general Tom Harkin (D) 634,166 51.8%
Jim Ross Lightfoot (R) 571,807 46.7%
Sue Atkinson (I) 9,768 0.8%
Fred Gratzon (NL) 4,248 0.3%
Joe Sulentic (I) 1,941 0.2%
Shirley E. Pena (SW) 1,844 0.2%
1990 general Tom Harkin (D) 535,975 54%
Tom Tauke (R) 446,869 45%
1984 general Tom Harkin (D) 716,883 56%
Roger W. Jepsen (R) 564,381 44%
Vote For President
Year Democrat Republican Independent
2008 Barack Obama: 53.93% John McCain: 44.39%
2004 John Kerry: 49% George W. Bush: 50%
2000 Al Gore: 49% George W. Bush: 48%
1996 Bill Clinton: 50% Robert Dole: 40%
1992 Bill Clinton: 43% George H. W. Bush: 37%
1988 Michael Dukakis: 55% George H. W. Bush: 44%
1984 Walter F. Mondale: 46% :

Slideshow |

Back Play/Pause Forward Slideshow Image
Sen. Scott Brown arrives in the Capitol via the Senate subway for votes on the Food and Drug Administration reauthorization bill on Thursday.
See More Multimedia
Defense Sequester Policy Briefing

Defense Sequester Policy Briefing

Nobody seems to like the automatic Pentagon spending cuts set for January, but there is little Congressional agreement on an alternative.

Congress.org

SIGN IN




OR

SUBSCRIBE

Receive daily coverage of the people, politics and personality of Capitol Hill.