1996Final results
1996 election for Iowa's 5th District
U.S. House · Iowa
Tom Latham (R) won with 65.5% of the vote, defeating Macdonald Smith (D) by 31.8 points.
Tom LathamRepublican · winner
65.5%147,576
Macdonald SmithDemocrat
33.6%75,785
Michael C. DimickNatural Law
0.9%2,038
225,479 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.
Macdonald SmithTom Latham
$126.7K
Raised by the campaign
$523.3K
$126.5K
Spent by the campaign
$477.2K
$133
Cash on hand
$63.7K
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1996.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1996