Independent voters will determine Iowa’s 4th District race

By JASON CLAYWORTH • jclayworth@dmreg.com • October 10, 2008 A Perry woman's attempt to unseat Republican Tom Latham from Iowa's 4th Congressional District is largely in the hands of independent voters. Becky Greenwald, 56, is a Democrat and former marketing manager for Pioneer Hi-Bred. Latham, 60, is a businessman from Ames and a seven-term Republican. The demographics of the district have changed during Latham's latest term. Two years ago, the district had 6,166 more registered Republicans than Democrats. As of Oct. 1, there were 8,694 more registered Democrats, according to the Iowa secretary of state's office. However, independents still hold a plurality with more than 37 percent of the district's voters. Greenwald and Latham agree that independents will have a huge influence in the outcome. "The district has always been... [read full story]