Rep. Tom Latham (R)

Latham was first elected in 1994 when he was districted in the 5th Congressional District; he now serves the 4th District.

Latham is a farmer and former small business owner.

He opposed health care reform, TARP, financial reform and the rescue of Chrysler and General Motors, and cap and trade legislation, but said he favors an “all-of-the-above” solution for energy policy.

Despite economists of multiple viewpoints stating the stimulus helped the economy, Latham said it was ineffective and said the government spent too much in the past two years.

He supported the College Opportunity and Affordability Act, which he said increased the maximum authorized Pell Grant for low-income college students from $5,800 to $9,000 annually.

“My goal in this election is to send Nancy Pelosi back to San Francisco permanently, to do whatever they do in San Francisco, I’m not sure,” he said at a recent conservative event.

Bill Maske (D)

Maske spent his career as an educator. He was a coach and educator at the America School in Tehran, Iran, and was an education administrator in several Iowa school districts. He remained active in politics throughout either as a chair of an organization, involving himself in campaigns and serving as a city councilman.

He supports repealing No Child Left Behind and said more power over education belongs to the states, but wants to ensure states have sufficient funding for their school systems. Maske wants more emphasis placed on teaching children around ages three and four because of their ability to learn at that age.

On education, he also would like to see legislation passed that guarantees all high school graduates two years of free post-secondary education at a community college or public college or university and increases availability of low-interest or no interest loans beyond the first two years.

Maske generally supports the health care reform that passed. He said, “This bill is not all that we had hoped it would be, but it is a great beginning to much-needed health care reform in this country.”