Thomas Heckroth
Thomas Heckroth (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Iowa's 1st Congressional District. He lost in the Democratic primary on June 5, 2018.
The Democratic primary for Iowa's 1st Congressional District decided which Democrat would take on incumbent Rod Blum (R) in a district that was rated Toss-up or Leans Republican for the 2018 general election.
A businessman working for a clothing manufacturing company, Thomas Heckroth ran for Congress in 2018 with the support of a number of county officials and members of the state legislature. Heckroth raised almost $250,000 for his campaign in 2017. His campaign emphasized his support for a $15 minimum wage and his experience working in the federal government.
Facing the DCCC-backed Abby Finkenauer in the primary, Heckroth argued that she used loopholes in campaign finance laws to raise funds while serving in the state legislature, which makes her less well-suited than him to advocate against money in politics.[1]
Before obtaining a position as the director of sustainable manufacturing and sourcing for a clothing manufacturer, Heckroth worked an aide for U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and in the Department of Labor during the presidency of Barack Obama (D). Prior to that, he played baseball at the University of Iowa as a walk-on.[2]
For more information about the Democratic primary election: Iowa's 1st Congressional District election (June 5, 2018 Democratic primary)
For more information about the general election on November 6, 2018: Iowa's 1st Congressional District election, 2018
Biography
Heckroth's professional experience includes working as the director of sustainable manufacturing and sourcing for a clothing manufacturer, working as an aide for U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), and working in the Department of Labor during the presidency of Barack Obama (D). He attended the University of Iowa, where he played baseball after walking on to the team.
Elections
2018
General election
General election for U.S. House Iowa District 1
Abby Finkenauer defeated incumbent Rod Blum and Troy Hageman in the general election for U.S. House Iowa District 1 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Abby Finkenauer (D) | 51.0 | 170,342 | |
| Rod Blum (R) | 45.9 | 153,442 | ||
| Troy Hageman (L) | 3.1 | 10,285 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 174 | ||
| Total votes: 334,243 (100.00% precincts reporting) | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Henry Gaff (G)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Iowa District 1
Abby Finkenauer defeated Thomas Heckroth, Courtney Rowe, and George Ramsey in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Iowa District 1 on June 5, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Abby Finkenauer | 66.9 | 29,745 | |
| Thomas Heckroth | 19.1 | 8,516 | ||
| Courtney Rowe | 7.6 | 3,381 | ||
| George Ramsey | 6.4 | 2,837 | ||
| Total votes: 44,479 | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Iowa District 1
Incumbent Rod Blum advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Iowa District 1 on June 5, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Rod Blum | 100.0 | 14,737 | |
| Total votes: 14,737 | ||||
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Endorsements
| Click here to see a list of endorsements in the Democratic primary | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Campaign finance
Campaign finance disclosures from May 16, 2018, showed the following:
- Abby Finkenauer had raised more than $1.25 million and had nearly $500,000 in cash-on-hand.
- Thomas Heckroth had raised about $330,000 and had about $94,000 in cash-on-hand.
- George Ramsey had raised nearly $70,000 and had over $10,000 in cash-on-hand.
- Courtney Rowe had raised about $15,000 and had about $400 in cash-on-hand.
Campaign finance disclosures for the first quarter of 2018 showed the following:
- Abby Finkenauer had raised nearly $1.1 million and had about $730,000 in cash-on-hand.
- Thomas Heckroth had raised over $305,000 and had about $160,000 in cash-on-hand.
- George Ramsey had raised over $60,000 and had over $17,000 in cash-on-hand.
- Courtney Rowe had raised almost $13,000 and had about $800 in cash-on-hand.
The table below contains data from FEC Quarterly January 2018 reports. It includes only candidates who have reported at least $10,000 in campaign contributions as of December 31, 2017.[8]
Democrats
Campaign advertisements
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Polls
| Iowa's 1st Congressional District, Democratic Primary 2018 | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Poll | Poll sponsor | Abby Finkenauer | Thomas Heckroth | George Ramsey | Courtney Rowe | Undecided | Margin of error | Sample size | |||||||||||
| GBA Strategies (March 1-4, 2018) | Finkenauer campaign | 29% | 8% | 10% | 7% | 45% | +/-4.9 | 400 | |||||||||||
| Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. | |||||||||||||||||||
Campaign themes
2018
Heckroth’s campaign website stated the following:
| “ |
JOBS & WAGES Iowans deserve good-paying jobs and an economy that rewards work, not just wealth. This includes equal pay for equal work, paid leave, and workplaces free of discrimination. We must grow the middle class by prioritizing infrastructure, manufacturing, research and technology, clean energy, and small businesses to lift the incomes of Iowa’s working men and women. HEALTHCARE Healthcare is a right, not a privilege. Today, for the first time ever, more than 90 percent of Americans have health insurance. We ended discrimination against people with pre-existing conditions. It’s time to get everyone covered: to protect women’s health and the right to choose, to put mental health on par with physical health, and to lower out-of-pocket costs. EDUCATION Opportunity begins with education. Every Iowan deserves access to early childhood education, an outstanding public school with well-supported and better paid teachers, and the chance at an affordable, debt-free college education or training in a good-paying trade. INFRASTRUCTURE Investing in Iowa’s infrastructure creates good jobs now and supports a growing economy for years to come. Modernizing our roads, schools, broadband connections, and energy grid to support businesses and farms will form the foundation for decades of strong economic growth. ENVIRONMENT Iowans understand more than most that taking care of our families and communities starts with taking care of our land, water, and air. We can protect our environment, grow the economy, and create jobs through clean energy solutions and responsible land use that also helps us confront climate disruption. FIXING WASHINGTON Today, Washington is in turmoil. There’s too much noise and not enough action on our priorities. We need to get special interest money out of politics and reduce their outsized influence over our Congress to finally make progress on the issues Americans care about. That begins by passing a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United and taking other common sense steps to reduce outside influence in our elections. EQUALITY LGBTQ Iowans have won important victories to secure their rights, but work still remains. We need nothing less than full federal equality and we must protect transgender rights while ensuring that LGBTQ people around the world have our nation’s support. Nobody in America should have to live in fear or face discrimination based on who you are or whom you love. NATIONAL SECURITY America must reclaim its moral leadership in the world. That means working for peace while supporting our fighting men and women, ensuring war is a last resort, and only sending American forces into combat when there’s a clear plan, defined objectives, and an exit strategy. IMMIGRATION In America, we build bridges, not walls. We need an immigration policy that is humane, that doesn’t divide families, or deport people who were brought to America as children. Our nation grows stronger thanks to immigrants and weaker when we politicize immigration policy. AGRICULTURE Iowa’s farm families are the cornerstone of the state’s economy. We must continue to provide our farmers with the tools they need to be the most innovative producers in the world. By investing in a strong safety net, developing fair trade opportunities, expanding market opportunities and incentivizing soil and water protection, we will continue to ensure our farmers provide America with a safe and abundant food supply. RURAL DEVELOPMENT Farm country and Iowa’s small towns are the heartbeat of our state. We need to prioritize investments to expand broadband and economic opportunities in our rural communities. The economic vitality of our rural communities also depends on ensuring affordable access to child care, housing and health care. MEDICARE & SOCIAL SECURITY Together, Medicare and Social Security are America’s promise that a lifetime’s hard work comes with retirement security. We must fight any cuts to Social Security and Medicare, allow people to buy-in to Medicare at age 50, and do more to reduce the cost of prescription drugs. We must end policies that reduce anyone’s Social Security benefits if a worker left paid work to raise a family or lost a spouse before retirement. [9] |
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| —Thomas Heckroth’s campaign website (2018)[10] | ||
See also
- United States House of Representatives
- Iowa's 1st Congressional District election, 2018
- Iowa's 1st Congressional District
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ The Courier, "Heckroth asks Finkenauer to skip PAC donations," December 14, 2017
- ↑ Thomas Heckroth for Congress, "About," accessed March 1, 2018
- ↑ Abby Finkenauer, "Endorsements," accessed January 25, 2018
- ↑ Thomas Heckroth, "Team Heckroth," accessed January 25, 2018
- ↑ Courtney Rowe, "Endorsements," accessed January 25, 2018
- ↑ The Gazette, "Finkenauer scores another labor endorsement," May 21, 2018
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Quad City Times, "Finkenauer gains 3 more union endorsements in 1st District race," March 6, 2018
- ↑ FEC, "Federal Election Commission", accessed February 13, 2018
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Thomas Heckroth for Congress, “Issues,” accessed March 1, 2018
