Iowa Attorney General election, 2014

Iowa Attorney General Election

Primary Date: June 3, 2014

General Election Date: November 4, 2014

November 4 Election Winner: Tom Miller

Incumbent prior to election: Tom Miller

Iowa State Executive Elections Top Ballot Governor • Lieutenant Governor • Secretary of State • Attorney General Down Ballot Treasurer, Auditor, Agriculture Commissioner

The Iowa Attorney General election took place on November 4, 2014. Incumbent Tom Miller (D) was first elected in 1978 and sought re-election in 2014. Miller defeated Republican candidate Adam Gregg in the general election to win an eighth term.

Gregg faced an uphill battle heading into 2014, as Miller won by double digits in 1998, 2002 and 2010. He was also unopposed for re-election in 2006. The past elections section details the results of the previous four elections for Iowa Attorney General, while the campaign themes details the candidates' positions on major issues in Iowa.

A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. In Iowa, a voter must be affiliated with a party in order to participate in its primary. However, a voter can change his or her political party affiliation on Election Day, creating what is effectively an open primary.

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

Candidates

General election

Tom Miller - Incumbent
Adam Gregg

Results

General election

Attorney General of Iowa, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Tom Miller Incumbent	56.1%	616,711
	Republican	Adam Gregg	43.8%	481,046
	Nonpartisan	Write-in votes	0.1%	1,249
Total Votes				1,099,006
Election results via Iowa Secretary of State

Campaign themes

Miller and Gregg made public statements about their views on the issues facing Iowa voters. The following sections quote these statements verbatim from campaign websites.

Adam Gregg

“	Protect Iowa’s families, farmers, and our Constitutional freedoms. I will be an advocate for Iowa farmers and Iowa businesses when their interests are threatened by the federal government or extremists in other states. I will fight to protect our children from online predators, human traffickers and cyberbullies. Open, Effective, Accessible Government The Department of Justice in the State of Iowa shouldn’t be confined to an office in Des Moines. The Attorney General needs to constantly earn the trust of the citizens, who are the most important client the office serves. Iowans should have access to their Attorney General, and I pledge to visit each of Iowa’s counties at least once a year. I will continue to be an advocate for greater transparency in our open records laws. I will advocate for reform of occupational licensing laws which unduly burden Iowans and restrict economic freedom. Hold Washington, D.C. Accountable When the federal government proposes new regulations that directly impact our families, businesses and industries, Iowans should feel confident their Attorney General is on the front lines defending them. When Washington, DC pushes a one-size fits all approach to issues such as health care and energy policy, Iowans should feel confident their Attorney General will look for Iowa-based solutions that are more tailored to their needs. Independent Voice for Iowans Elected by the people of Iowa, the Attorney General needs to represent all of us, regardless of political party. I will be an independent voice for Iowa’s interests and I promise to enforce Iowa’s laws fairly.	”
—Adam Gregg's campaign website, (2014)

Tom Miller

“	Consumer Protection Tom Miller has relentlessly battled consumer fraud of all types while serving as Attorney General. Was successful in a lawsuit filed against Vertrue Inc., resulting in a near crippling blow to the fraudulent buying club industry in Iowa. Recovered nearly $43 million from several buying clubs that violated consumer protection laws. That money will go back to more than 500,000 Iowans, many of whom are elderly, and those companies are prohibited from doing future business in Iowa. Brought a consumer fraud lawsuit against several convenience store owners over sales of synthetic drugs which law enforcement officials consider very dangerous and even deadly. Three year investigation into questionable enrollment practices by for-profit online school, Ashford University, led to a settlement of $7.25 million to be paid back to many Iowa students.	”
—Tom Miller's campaign website, (2014)

“	Protecting Crime Victims As Attorney General, Tom Miller and his office play a crucial role in fighting crime, alongside Iowa law enforcement officers and county attorneys. The state's Criminal Appeals Division has skillfully handled a record number of appeals. State prosecutors have assisted county attorneys with dozens of felonies, including more than 30 murders in the last three years. Established the new white collar fraud unit, which works to increase prosecutions for those who financially exploit Iowans. Worked with the legislature to strengthen laws against child pornography and enticement of minors for sexual exploitation. Enhanced protection for victims of domestic violence by successfully advocating for a new domestic violence strangulation offense. Revamped the way that the state provides assistance services to help more victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.	”
—Tom Miller's campaign website, (2014)

“	Assisting Homeowners As Attorney General, Tom Miller has made significant progress for Iowa homeowners in the wake of the 2008 housing market crash. Most notably, he led negotiations during the national mortgage servicing settlement with major banks, which resulted in payment of more than $40 million to Iowa homeowners, as well as funding the Iowa Mortgage Help Hotline, which has helped thousands of Iowans with mortgage foreclosure issues. This landmark $25 billion settlement for homeowners who were the victims of fraud and foreclosure abuses included 49 states, six federal agencies and the five largest banks.	”
—Tom Miller's campaign website, (2014)

Past elections

2010

2010 Race for Attorney General - General Election
Party		Candidate	Vote Percentage
	Democratic Party	a Tom Miller	55.5%
	Republican Party	Brenna Findley	44.4%
	Write-In		0.1%
Total Votes			1,094,633

2006

Tom Miller was unopposed in the general election.

2002

2002 Race for Attorney General - General Election
Party		Candidate	Vote Percentage
	Democratic Party	a Tom Miller	61.6%
	Republican Party	Dave Millage	36.7%
	Libertarian Party	Edward F. Noyes	1.7%
Total Votes			993,254

1998

1998 Race for Attorney General - General Election
Party		Candidate	Vote Percentage
	Democratic Party	a Tom Miller	65.4%
	Republican Party	Mark Schwickerath	32.4%
	Natural Law	Nancy L. Watkins	2.2%
Total Votes			922,155

Campaign finance

Comprehensive donor information for this election has been collected by Follow the Money. Based on available campaign finance records, the candidates raised a total of $818,016 during the election. This information was last updated on May 13, 2015.

Campaign Contribution Totals
Candidate	Office	Result	Contributions
Tom Miller	Iowa Attorney General		$487,219
Adam Gregg	Iowa Attorney General		$330,797
Grand Total Raised			$818,016

Key deadlines

Deadline	Event
March 14, 2014	Filing deadline (Major party candidates)
June 3, 2014	Primary election
August 15, 2014	Filing deadline (other candidates)
November 4, 2014	General election
December 1, 2014	State Canvass of general election votes deadline
January 1, 2015	Inauguration day for attorney general, secretary of state, auditor and treasurer
January 13, 2015	Inauguration day for governor and lieutenant governor

Recent news

This section links to a Google news search for the term "Iowa + Attorney + General + Election + 2014"

Iowa attorney general election, 2014 News Feed

See also

• Iowa Attorney General
• Iowa state executive official elections, 2014
• State executive official elections, 2014

External links

Suggest a link

• Office of the Attorney General of Iowa