1996Flipped from RepublicanFinal results
1996 election for Iowa's 3rd District
U.S. House · Iowa
Leonard L. Boswell (D) won with 49.4% of the vote, defeating Mike Mahaffey (R) by 1.7 points, a seat Republicans won last time.
Leonard L. BoswellDemocrat · winner
49.4%115,914
Mike MahaffeyRepublican
47.6%111,895
Jay MarcusNatural Law
1.4%3,194
Edward T. RuskWorking Class
1.1%2,534
Dick KruseLibertarian
0.5%1,261
234,875 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 1996
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.
Leonard L. BoswellMike Mahaffey
$650.2K
Raised by the campaign
$444.3K
$634.4K
Spent by the campaign
$439.3K
$15.8K
Cash on hand
$5K
Other candidates' campaigns: Jay Marcus $25K.
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1996.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1996
The candidates
Leonard L. Boswell (D)Mike Mahaffey (R)
Also on the ballot: Jay Marcus (Natural Law), 1.4%; Edward T. Rusk (Working Class), 1.1%; Dick Kruse (Libertarian), 0.5%