Elections / 1996 · Senate · IA
The Democratic candidate won Iowa's Senate seat D+5.1.
Iowa, 1996. Candidate results and statewide totals below. The presidential race shared this ballot.
Iowa — 1996 Senate result
Source: MIT Election Data + Science Lab, 1976–2024 Senate returns (party-classified by literal ballot party).
Democratic (D)
634,166
51.8%
Republican (R)
571,807
46.7%
All others
18,081
1.5%
Margin
D+5.1
Candidates
Statewide candidate totals — MIT Election Data + Science Lab, 1996 Senate returns.
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tom Harkin | DDemocrat | 634,166 | 51.8% |
| Jim Lightfoot | RRepublican | 571,807 | 46.7% |
| Sue Atkinson | ONominated By Petition | 9,768 | 0.8% |
| Fred Gratson | ONatural Law | 4,248 | 0.3% |
| Joe Sulentic | ONominated By Petition | 1,941 | 0.2% |
| Shirley E. Pena | OSocialist Workers | 1,844 | 0.2% |
| Scatter | OOther | 280 | 0.0% |
Iowa's Senate margins
Every contest in our store, 1978–2022
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 1978 | −3.2% |
| 1980 | −7.9% |
| 1984 | +11.8% |
| 1986 | −32.5% |
| 1990 | +9.1% |
| 1992 | −42.4% |
| 1996 | +5.1% |
| 1998 | −37.9% |
| 2002 | +10.4% |
| 2004 | −42.3% |
| 2008 | +25.4% |
| 2010 | −31.1% |
| 2014 | −8.3% |
| 2016 | −24.5% |
| 2020 | −6.6% |
| 2022 | −12.2% |