1980Final results
1980 election for Iowa's 5th District
U.S. House · Iowa
Tom Harkin (D) won with 60.2% of the vote, defeating Cal Hultman (R) by 20.4 points.
Tom HarkinDemocrat · winner
60.2%127,895
Cal HultmanRepublican
39.8%84,472
212,367 votes
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 1980
Races before and after
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
Money in this race
Each line compares the two campaigns on one scale.
Tom HarkinCal Hultman
$202K
Raised by the campaign
$310K
$231.2K
Spent by the campaign
$309.3K
$0
Cash on hand
$0
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1980.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1980