Iowa - 3rd
Incumbent Democrat Leonard Boswell is facing a strong challenger in state Senator Jeff Lamberti. Boswell was first elected to the seat in 1996 as what is often called a blue dog Democrat when the GOP incumbent tried to unseat that barnicle on the butt of the US Senate, Tom Harkin. Boswell ran a moderate to conservative themed campaign highlighting his Army service and rural values. However, after spending a few years in DC, Boswell has become a moderate-in-name-only Democrat (as is usually the case - see Ohio Rep Ted Strickland - also labelled moderate or "blue dog" by the press despite having a nearly identical voting record as Wacko extraordinairre Dennis 'I Live in a Van Down by the River" Kucinich....but I digress). He has recently started to vote the liberal line including votes against the same sex marriage amendment and against any and every limitation on abortion. These are not popular sentiments in his middle America district. Bush tied Kerry in this district in 2004. That year, Boswell won re-election, 55%-45%, against an opponent who spent less than half as much as the incumbent.
That won't happen again this year. Lamberti is raising money at an impressive clip. He has had fundraisers hosted by Ken Mehlman and Rudy Giuliani. He has received sizable donations from the PACs of just about every Republican hoping to run for President in 2008. If he runs dollar for dollar against Boswell, this will be a pick-up for the GOP making the Democrats magic number 16 instead of 15.
BORU
Comments