2008 United States Senate election in Iowa
The 2008 United States Senate election in Iowa was held on November 4, 2008. Incumbent Senator Tom Harkin sought re-election to a fifth term in office. Unlike Harkin's three previous reelection bids, he was not challenged by a sitting United States Congressman but instead faced small businessman Christopher Reed, who won the Republican primary by just a few hundred votes. Harkin defeated Reed in a landslide, winning 94 of Iowa's 99 counties. As of 2023, this is the last time that a Democrat has won a U.S. Senate election in Iowa.
2008 United States Senate election in Iowa
Governor Chet Culver campaigning for Senator Harkin
Thomas Richard Harkin is an American lawyer, author, and politician who served as a United States senator from Iowa from 1985 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously was the U.S. representative for Iowa's 5th congressional district from 1975 to 1985. He is the longest-serving senator to spend the entire tenure as a state's junior senator.
Official portrait, c. 2005
Harkin during his time in the House of Representatives
Harkin speaks during the first night of the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado, opening his speech using American Sign Language in reference to his involvement with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Sen. Tom Harkin speaks at a rally held by the Coalition for the Advancement of Stem Cell Research.