Tom Latham

Infobox Congressman
name=Tom Latham


width=200
state=Iowa
district=4th
party=Republican
term_start =January 3, 1995
preceded=Greg Ganske
succeeded=Incumbent
date of birth=birth date and age |1948|07|14
place of birth=Hampton, Iowa
occupation=small business owner
alma_mater=Iowa State University
residence=Alexander, Iowa
religion= Lutheran
spouse=Kathy Latham

Thomas "Tom" Latham (born July 14 1948), American politician, has been a Republican member of the
United States House of Representatives since 1995, representing the 4th District of Iowa ( [http://nationalatlas.gov/printable/images/preview/congdist/ia04_109.gifmap] ).

Latham was born in Hampton, Iowa, but was raised on a farm in Alexander, Iowa. He was educated at Iowa State University, and was a business owner before entering the House. He and his brothers continue to run a family seed company. In 1995 Latham became an honorary member Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity at Iowa State University. From 1990 to 1994, he served as secretary of the Iowa Republican Party.

Latham was elected as the congressman for Iowa's 5th District in 1994 as part of the wave that allowed Republicans to take over the House for the first time since 1955. The 5th, based in western Iowa, is far and away the most Republican district in the state. It was so heavily Republican that Latham never faced a serious challenge as the 5th District's congressman, winning by at least 10% in each of his bids for office.

The 2000 round of redistricting, however, significantly altered Iowa's congressional map. Latham, a member of the Appropriations Committee, was placed in the new 4th District in the north-central part of the state, retaining only a small portion of his old district. This district is considered much more competitive than Latham's old district. It includes sparsely populated counties on Iowa's northern Mississippi banks and the growing suburbs of Des Moines.

Latham has made fiscal and military issues the key points of his tenure in Washington. He is considered to be one of the most fiscally conservative members of the House and his voting record has been strongly anti-tax, but also heavily in favor of cutting spending to social programs.

In the 2006 election, neither the Republican nor Democratic parties had a contested primary. His opponent in the 2006 general election was Selden Spencer, a neurologist from Huxley. Latham earned over 58% of the vote as he won reelection.

In the 2008 election Latham is challenged by Democratic candidate Becky Greenwald.

Committee Assignments

*Appropriations Committee
**Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
**Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
**Subcommittee on Legislative Branch (Ranking Member)
*Dean of Iowa's delegation in the U.S. House of Representatives
*Task Force for a Drug-Free America
*Prescription Drug Action Leadership Team
*Congressional Task Force for Affordable Natural Gas

Positions

Latham is a staunch advocate of a federal prohibition of online poker. In 2006, he cosponsored H.R. 4411, the Goodlatte-Leach Internet Gambling Prohibition Act [ [http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:h.r.04411: Thomas (Library of Congress): HR 4411] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.tomlatham.house.gov/ U.S. Congressman Tom Latham] official House site
* [http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Tom_Latham Profile] at SourceWatch Congresspedia
* [http://www.tomlatham.com/ Tom Latham for US Congress] official campaign site