Timothy M. Hagle is an associate professor of political science at the University of Iowa with advanced degrees in both political science and law. He is writes and comments frequently on state and national politics in Iowa.
Iowa went Republican in all five elections from 1968 to 1984. Since then, it has gone Democratic in six of the last seven. Historically, what happened? Since 1988, we’ve seen a reduction in the number of farmers in Iowa. Agriculture is still important, even for those who are not directly involved in farming, such as those who transport, process, and distribute the products. Even so, the number of farmers has decreased since the farm crisis of the 1980s. The farms are still there, but fewer farmers are working them. Farmers tend to vote Republican and increases in Iowa’s population have come primarily in the cities, which tend to favor Democrats. Drilling down to individual elections also helps to explain the difference. Economic and war issues help to explain several elections. The elections of 1988 and 1992 might be considered change elections in that
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