1986Final results
1986 election for Iowa's 5th District
U.S. House · Iowa
James Lightfoot (R) won with 59.2% of the vote, defeating Scott Hughes (D) by 18.4 points.
James LightfootRepublican · winner
59.2%85,025
Scott HughesDemocrat
40.8%58,552
143,589 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 1986
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.
Scott HughesJames Lightfoot
$250.4K
Raised by the campaign
$464.1K
$250.4K
Spent by the campaign
$474.2K
$19
Cash on hand
$3.5K
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1986.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1986