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Iowa Attorney General election, 2018

From Ballotpedia


2022
2014
Iowa Attorney General
Ballotpedia Election Coverage Badge.png
Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline:March 16, 2018
Primary: June 5, 2018
General: November 6, 2018

Pre-election incumbent(s):
Tom Miller (Democrat)
How to vote
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Voting in Iowa
Ballotpedia analysis
Federal and state primary competitiveness
State executive elections in 2018
Impact of term limits in 2018
State government trifectas
State government triplexes
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2018
Iowa
executive elections
Governor

Lieutenant governor
Attorney general
Secretary of state
Treasurer
Auditor
Agriculture commissioner

Iowa held an election forattorney general onNovember 6, 2018. The candidate filing deadline was March 16, 2018.

Democratic PartyFor more information about the Democratic primary,click here.
Republican PartyFor more information about the Republican primary,click here.

For more information on attorney general elections in 2018,click here.

SETTING THE STAGE
  • Heading into the 2018 election, the sittingattorney general wasTom Miller (D), who was first elected in 1978 and was re-elected in 1982, 1986, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006,2010, and2014. Miller announced on May 10, 2017, that he planned to seek election to a tenth term in 2018.
  • At the time of the 2018 election,Iowa was aRepublican trifecta as a result of theRepublican Party gaining a majority in theIowa State Senate in the 2016 elections. Iowa was underdivided triplex control in 2018.
  • In the five presidential election cycles leading up to the 2018 election, Iowa was won by theDemocratic candidate in 2000, 2008, and 2012 and by theRepublican candidate in 2004 and 2016. The widest margin of victory wasBarack Obama's ten percent margin in 2008 while the narrowest wasAl Gore's 0.32 percent margin in 2000.

  • Candidates and election results

    General election

    General election for Attorney General of Iowa

    IncumbentThomas John Miller defeatedMarco Battaglia in the general election for Attorney General of Iowa on November 6, 2018.

    Candidate
    %
    Votes
    Image of Thomas John Miller
    Thomas John Miller (D)
     
    76.5
     
    880,531
    Image of Marco Battaglia
    Marco Battaglia (L)
     
    22.8
     
    262,131
     Other/Write-in votes
     
    0.7
     
    8,237

    Ballotpedia Logo

    Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

    Total votes: 1,150,899
    Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
    If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

    Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data?Contact our sales team.

    Democratic primary election

    Democratic primary for Attorney General of Iowa

    IncumbentThomas John Miller advanced from the Democratic primary for Attorney General of Iowa on June 5, 2018.

    Candidate
    %
    Votes
    Image of Thomas John Miller
    Thomas John Miller
     
    100.0
     
    157,483

    Ballotpedia Logo

    Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified.

    Total votes: 157,483
    Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
    If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

    Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data?Contact our sales team.

    State overview

    Partisan control

    This section details the partisan control of federal and state positions in Iowa heading into the 2018 elections.

    Congressional delegation

    State executives

    State legislature

    • Republicans controlled both chambers of theIowa General Assembly. They had a 58-41 majority in the state House and a 29-20 majority in the state Senate.

    Trifecta status

    • Iowa had aRepublican trifecta, meaning that the Republican Party controlled both chambers of the state legislature and the governorship.Kim Reynolds (R) served as governor; she succeededTerry E. Branstad, who resigned on May 24, 2017, to take the position of U.S. Ambassador to China.

    2018 elections

    See also:Iowa elections, 2018

    Iowa held elections for the following positions in 2018:

    Demographics

    Demographic data for Iowa
     IowaU.S.
    Total population:3,121,997316,515,021
    Land area (sq mi):55,8573,531,905
    Race and ethnicity**
    White:91.2%73.6%
    Black/African American:3.2%12.6%
    Asian:2%5.1%
    Native American:0.3%0.8%
    Pacific Islander:0.1%0.2%
    Two or more:2%3%
    Hispanic/Latino:5.4%17.1%
    Education
    High school graduation rate:91.5%86.7%
    College graduation rate:26.7%29.8%
    Income
    Median household income:$53,183$53,889
    Persons below poverty level:13.8%11.3%
    Source:U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015)
    Clickhere for more information on the 2020 census andhere for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Iowa.
    **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the censushere.

    As of July 2016, Iowa's three largest cities were Des Moines (pop. est. 220,000), Cedar Rapids (pop. est. 130,000), and Davenport (pop. est. 100,000).[1]

    State election history

    This section provides an overview of federal and state elections in Iowa from 2000 to 2016. All data comes from theIowa Secretary of State website.

    Historical elections

    Presidential elections, 2000-2016

    This chart shows the results of the presidential election in Iowa every year from 2000 to 2016.

    Election results (President of the United States), Iowa 2000-2016
    YearFirst-place candidateFirst-place candidate votes (%)Second-place candidateSecond-place candidate votes (%)Margin of victory (%)
    2016Republican PartyDonald Trump50.7%Democratic PartyHillary Clinton41.3%9.4%
    2012Democratic PartyBarack Obama51.7%Republican PartyMitt Romney46.0%5.7%
    2008Democratic PartyBarack Obama53.7%Republican PartyJohn McCain44.2%9.5%
    2004Republican PartyGeorge W. Bush49.9%Democratic PartyJohn Kerry49.2%0.7%
    2000Democratic PartyAl Gore48.5%Republican PartyGeorge W. Bush48.2%0.3%

    U.S. Senate elections, 2000-2016

    This chart shows the results ofU.S. Senate races in Iowa from 2000 to 2016. Every state has two Senate seats, and each seat goes up for election every six years. The terms of the seats are staggered so that roughly one-third of the seats are up every two years.

    Election results (U.S. Senator), Iowa 2000-2016
    YearFirst-place candidateFirst-place candidate votes (%)Second-place candidateSecond-place candidate votes (%)Margin of victory (%)
    2016Republican PartyChuck Grassley60.1%Democratic PartyPatty Judge35.7%24.4%
    2014Republican PartyJoni Ernst51.5%Democratic PartyBruce Braley43.3%8.2%
    2010Republican PartyChuck Grassley63.4%Democratic Party Roxanne Conlin32.8%30.6%
    2008Democratic PartyTom Harkin61.4%Republican PartyChristopher Reed36.5%24.9%
    2004Republican PartyChuck Grassley70.2%Democratic Party Arthur Small27.9%42.3%
    2002Democratic PartyTom Harkin54.2%Republican Party Greg Ganske43.8%10.4%

    Gubernatorial elections, 2000-2016

    This chart shows the results of the four gubernatorial elections held between 2000 and 2016. Gubernatorial elections are held every four years in Iowa.

    Election results (Governor), Iowa 2000-2016
    YearFirst-place candidateFirst-place candidate votes (%)Second-place candidateSecond-place candidate votes (%)Margin of victory (%)
    2014Republican PartyTerry Branstad58.4%Democratic PartyJack Hatch36.9%21.5%
    2010Republican PartyTerry Branstad52.3%Democratic PartyChet Culver42.8%9.5%
    2006Democratic PartyChet Culver53.7%Republican Party Jim Nussle44.1%9.6%
    2002Democratic PartyTom Vilsack52.7%Republican Party Doug Gross44.5%8.2%

    Congressional delegation, 2000-2016

    This chart shows the number of Democrats and Republicans who were elected to represent Iowa in theU.S. House from 2000 to 2016. Elections for U.S. House seats are held every two years.

    Congressional delegation, Iowa 2000-2016
    YearRepublicansRepublicans (%)DemocratsDemocrats (%)Balance of power
    2016Republican Party375.0%Democratic Party125.0%R+2
    2014Republican Party375.0%Democratic Party125.0%R+2
    2012[2]Republican Party250.0%Democratic Party250.0%Split
    2010Republican Party240.0%Democratic Party360.0%D+1
    2008Republican Party240.0%Democratic Party360.0%D+1
    2006Republican Party240.0%Democratic Party360.0%D+1
    2004Republican Party480.0%Democratic Party120.0%R+3
    2002Republican Party480.0%Democratic Party120.0%R+3
    2000Republican Party480.0%Democratic Party120.0%R+3

    Trifectas, 1992-2017

    Astate government trifecta occurs when one party controls both chambers of the state legislature and the governor's office.

    Iowa Party Control: 1992-2025
    Four years of Democratic trifectas  •  Eleven years of Republican trifectas
    Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

    Year92939495969798990001020304050607080910111213141516171819202122232425
    GovernorRRRRRRRDDDDDDDDDDDDRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
    SenateDDDDDRRRRRRRRSSDDDDDDDDDDRRRRRRRRR
    HouseDRRRRRRRRRRRRRRDDDDRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR


    Pivot Counties

    See also:Pivot Counties by state

    Thirty-one of 99 Iowa counties—31 percent—arePivot Counties. Pivot Counties are counties that voted forBarack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and forDonald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.

    Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008
    CountyTrump margin of victory in 2016Obama margin of victory in 2012Obama margin of victory in 2008
    Allamakee County, Iowa24.15%4.17%14.25%
    Boone County, Iowa13.69%6.64%7.63%
    Bremer County, Iowa13.68%2.68%9.31%
    Buchanan County, Iowa15.02%13.87%18.48%
    Cedar County, Iowa17.78%4.59%9.64%
    Cerro Gordo County, Iowa7.66%13.38%20.83%
    Chickasaw County, Iowa22.94%11.07%20.74%
    Clarke County, Iowa28.02%1.47%2.25%
    Clayton County, Iowa22.78%7.03%17.17%
    Clinton County, Iowa5.12%22.84%23.03%
    Des Moines County, Iowa6.89%18.41%23.04%
    Dubuque County, Iowa1.23%14.71%20.77%
    Fayette County, Iowa19.36%11.96%16.60%
    Floyd County, Iowa14.84%14.63%21.88%
    Howard County, Iowa20.49%20.95%25.78%
    Jackson County, Iowa19.27%16.89%24.39%
    Jasper County, Iowa18.13%7.07%7.50%
    Jefferson County, Iowa0.47%15.97%20.23%
    Jones County, Iowa19.08%7.78%10.40%
    Lee County, Iowa16.02%15.49%16.01%
    Louisa County, Iowa28.37%0.64%4.25%
    Marshall County, Iowa8.31%9.36%9.35%
    Mitchell County, Iowa24.04%3.37%12.31%
    Muscatine County, Iowa6.26%15.88%15.64%
    Poweshiek County, Iowa6.53%9.35%11.75%
    Tama County, Iowa20.28%7.43%12.19%
    Union County, Iowa27.49%3.86%3.70%
    Wapello County, Iowa20.60%11.88%13.53%
    Webster County, Iowa21.52%5.84%8.51%
    Winneshiek County, Iowa0.79%14.74%22.65%
    Worth County, Iowa21.68%14.53%22.42%

    In the 2016 presidential election,Donald Trump (R) won Iowa with 51.1 percent of the vote.Hillary Clinton (D) received 41.7 percent. In presidential elections between 1848 and 2016, Iowa voted Republican 69.76 percent of the time and Democratic 30.23 percent of the time. In the five presidential elections between 2000 and 2016, Iowa voted Democratic three times and Republican the other two times.[3]

    Presidential results by legislative district

    The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in Iowa. Click[show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled byDaily Kos.[4][5]

    In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 61 out of 100 state House districts in Iowa with an average margin of victory of 19.1 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 35 out of 100 state House districts in Iowa with an average margin of victory of 18.8 points. Clinton won four districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2018 elections.
    In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 39 out of 100 state House districts in Iowa with an average margin of victory of 13.3 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 65 out of 100 state House districts in Iowa with an average margin of victory of 24.5 points. Trump won 10 districts controlled by Democrats heading into the 2018 elections.
    2016 presidential results by state House district
    DistrictObamaRomney2012 MarginClintonTrump2016 MarginParty Control
    130.96%67.78%R+36.822.23%73.81%R+51.6R
    241.86%56.83%R+1527.53%67.70%R+40.2R
    331.57%67.31%R+35.720.73%74.78%R+54.1R
    415.63%83.55%R+67.912.95%81.67%R+68.7R
    533.00%65.90%R+32.922.28%73.69%R+51.4R
    644.39%54.40%R+1032.54%62.36%R+29.8R
    746.87%51.82%R+531.96%62.86%R+30.9R
    843.04%55.84%R+12.828.52%67.11%R+38.6R
    954.26%44.65%D+9.639.33%55.29%R+16D
    1040.15%58.39%R+18.225.64%69.78%R+44.1R
    1142.76%56.17%R+13.430.87%64.40%R+33.5R
    1246.14%52.95%R+6.830.92%64.32%R+33.4R
    1354.28%44.37%D+9.942.30%52.03%R+9.7D
    1459.33%39.34%D+2047.69%47.27%D+0.4D
    1557.12%41.17%D+1641.89%51.48%R+9.6D
    1652.01%46.46%D+5.541.84%51.76%R+9.9R
    1741.10%57.71%R+16.625.76%70.01%R+44.3R
    1841.98%56.88%R+14.928.11%67.52%R+39.4R
    1940.80%57.87%R+17.136.54%56.73%R+20.2R
    2048.77%49.62%R+0.935.39%59.04%R+23.6R
    2145.01%53.64%R+8.629.35%65.17%R+35.8R
    2236.78%62.08%R+25.329.64%65.50%R+35.9R
    2340.72%57.80%R+17.127.37%66.81%R+39.4R
    2439.86%58.79%R+18.925.77%69.86%R+44.1R
    2544.34%54.14%R+9.834.15%59.72%R+25.6R
    2650.18%48.59%D+1.639.62%53.52%R+13.9D
    2747.15%51.07%R+3.930.50%64.42%R+33.9R
    2847.30%51.30%R+431.76%62.81%R+31.1R
    2956.05%42.50%D+13.640.78%53.23%R+12.5D
    3047.66%50.85%R+3.238.47%54.84%R+16.4R
    3161.55%36.86%D+24.749.75%43.99%D+5.8D
    3272.88%25.37%D+47.563.69%30.28%D+33.4D
    3367.30%31.37%D+35.959.50%34.55%D+25D
    3468.16%30.10%D+38.160.44%33.19%D+27.2D
    3577.01%21.48%D+55.570.40%23.46%D+46.9D
    3665.21%33.12%D+32.163.13%29.46%D+33.7D
    3743.30%55.35%R+1242.10%50.50%R+8.4R
    3849.33%49.21%D+0.142.85%49.84%R+7R
    3943.02%55.76%R+12.743.93%48.99%R+5.1R
    4049.31%49.53%R+0.250.25%43.32%D+6.9D
    4167.93%30.50%D+37.469.25%24.10%D+45.2D
    4249.85%48.83%D+151.15%42.19%D+9R
    4350.58%48.29%D+2.352.50%41.03%D+11.5R
    4442.52%56.60%R+14.144.97%47.76%R+2.8R
    4560.66%36.80%D+23.957.79%31.85%D+25.9D
    4659.66%37.96%D+21.757.22%33.12%D+24.1D
    4752.11%46.29%D+5.838.31%54.96%R+16.6R
    4847.95%50.46%R+2.536.50%56.98%R+20.5R
    4946.50%51.88%R+5.436.62%55.49%R+18.9R
    5042.94%55.95%R+1330.36%64.36%R+34R
    5155.19%43.48%D+11.735.67%58.91%R+23.2R
    5256.04%42.88%D+13.237.76%56.73%R+19D
    5360.98%37.92%D+23.147.69%46.65%D+1D
    5444.96%53.94%R+932.11%62.71%R+30.6R
    5555.19%43.44%D+11.843.51%50.62%R+7.1R
    5652.01%46.73%D+5.334.91%59.80%R+24.9R
    5749.00%49.98%R+137.25%57.49%R+20.2R
    5855.60%43.22%D+12.437.06%57.82%R+20.8R
    5956.29%42.22%D+14.151.94%40.87%D+11.1D
    6050.15%48.91%D+1.245.19%48.75%R+3.6R
    6163.73%35.14%D+28.652.34%42.07%D+10.3D
    6276.37%22.58%D+53.862.14%32.64%D+29.5D
    6349.95%48.93%D+139.04%55.06%R+16R
    6457.83%41.00%D+16.840.27%53.42%R+13.1D
    6566.77%31.71%D+35.161.58%31.29%D+30.3D
    6657.43%41.04%D+16.453.11%39.91%D+13.2D
    6749.18%49.50%R+0.347.22%45.74%D+1.5R
    6854.45%44.08%D+10.448.20%44.50%D+3.7R
    6965.87%32.63%D+33.252.73%40.24%D+12.5D
    7063.00%35.67%D+27.353.85%39.20%D+14.7D
    7156.62%42.23%D+14.448.02%46.57%D+1.5D
    7250.86%47.88%D+334.92%59.56%R+24.6R
    7354.19%44.65%D+9.543.25%51.15%R+7.9R
    7467.17%31.21%D+3669.14%24.89%D+44.3D
    7549.36%49.39%R+034.09%60.12%R+26R
    7650.61%47.97%D+2.640.64%53.90%R+13.3R
    7758.46%40.34%D+18.153.49%39.62%D+13.9D
    7846.21%51.69%R+5.534.06%60.08%R+26R
    7935.86%62.79%R+26.925.96%67.84%R+41.9R
    8045.03%53.56%R+8.527.04%68.71%R+41.7R
    8156.57%41.86%D+14.739.52%55.89%R+16.4D
    8249.74%47.90%D+1.836.54%57.76%R+21.2D
    8358.67%39.72%D+1940.42%53.35%R+12.9D
    8446.37%52.04%R+5.730.59%63.23%R+32.6R
    8571.79%26.07%D+45.774.26%19.90%D+54.4D
    8672.99%24.97%D+4872.34%21.06%D+51.3D
    8762.60%36.08%D+26.548.53%45.49%D+3D
    8850.88%47.86%D+335.94%58.76%R+22.8R
    8963.19%35.77%D+27.452.47%40.86%D+11.6D
    9073.49%24.97%D+48.557.98%34.93%D+23.1D
    9157.61%40.97%D+16.643.65%49.75%R+6.1R
    9253.94%45.00%D+8.942.25%51.61%R+9.4R
    9356.63%42.22%D+14.450.96%42.21%D+8.7D
    9445.18%53.87%R+8.743.91%50.10%R+6.2R
    9552.01%46.69%D+5.341.86%51.59%R+9.7R
    9651.83%47.01%D+4.835.42%58.91%R+23.5R
    9750.63%47.95%D+2.737.14%56.46%R+19.3R
    9865.29%33.50%D+31.848.47%45.38%D+3.1D
    9959.37%39.28%D+20.152.61%41.12%D+11.5D
    10062.95%35.58%D+27.451.37%42.25%D+9.1D
    Total52.23%46.40%D+5.842.23%51.72%R+9.5-
    Source:Daily Kos

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    See also

    Iowa government:

    Elections:

    Ballotpedia exclusives:

    External links

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