PolitiFinder

1986 Iowa U.S. House District 1 Election

Iowa · 2 candidates · See every 1986 U.S. House race

Who won the 1986 Iowa U.S. House District 1 Election?

James A. S. Leach won the 1986 Iowa U.S. House District 1 Election. James A. S. Leach received 86,834 popular votes (66.37%). The main challenger was John R. Whitaker (33.62%).

See the full head-to-head between Leach and Whitaker

Leach +32.8 pts · won by 42,849 votes
James A. S. LeachRepublicanWINNER66.37%
86,834 votes
John R. WhitakerDemocratic33.62%
43,985 votes
Popular-vote totals for U.S. House elections come from the MIT Election Data and Science Lab (1976–2024).

Data last verified July 28, 2026.