1988Final results
1988 election for Iowa's 5th District
U.S. House · Iowa
James Lightfoot (R) won with 63.9% of the vote, defeating Gene Freund (D) by 27.7 points.
James LightfootRepublican · winner
63.9%117,761
Gene FreundDemocrat
36.1%66,599
184,368 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 1988
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.
Gene FreundJames Lightfoot
$133.2K
Raised by the campaign
$478.8K
$131.6K
Spent by the campaign
$420.7K
$1.6K
Cash on hand
$61.6K
Campaign money: FEC, through Jan 31, 1989; FEC, through Dec 31, 1988.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1988