David Young (politician)

David Young
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Iowa’s 3rd district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2015
Preceded by	Tom Latham
Personal details
Born	May 11, 1968 Van Meter, Iowa, U.S.
Nationality	American
Political party	Republican
Residence	Van Meter, Iowa, U.S.
Alma mater	Drake University

David Young (born May 11, 1968) is an American politician who was elected to serve Iowa's 3rd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives elections, 2014.

Career

Young attended Drake University and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. From 2006 to 2013, he served as the chief of staff to Iowa Republican senator Chuck Grassley. He was previously chief of staff to Kentucky senator Jim Bunning from 1998 to 2006.^[1][2][3]

U.S. House of Representatives

2014 election

The Republican nomination was decided by a convention after none of the six candidates reached the 35 percent threshold required to make the general election ballot. This was the second time in 50 years that a convention picked a nominee and the first time since 2002, when then-State Senator Steve King won a convention held in Iowa's 5th congressional district to decide the Republican nominee for Congress.^[4] A poll conducted by the conservative website Caffeinated Thoughts of 118 of the 513 delegates was held on June 9–10. David Young and Brad Zaun took 27% each, with Robert Cramer on 19%, Monte Shaw on 14%, Matt Schultz on 8% and Joe Grandanette on 3% with another 3% undecided. 34% chose Young as their second choice, with 17% choosing Cramer, Schultz or Zaun, 10% picking Shaw and 3% picking Grandanette with 8% undecided.^[5]

On June 21, in what was described as a "stunning upset", David Young won the nomination on the fifth ballot of the convention.^[6]

On July 4, Zaun voiced his disappointment and suggested he would leave the Republican Party, leading some to encourage him to run for the seat as an Independent. He had previously announced that he would introduce legislation to hold primary runoff elections instead of conventions.^[7] On July 10, Zaun announced that despite his frustrations, he would not leave the Republican Party or run as an Independent.^[8]

2016 election

Young is running for re-election in 2016. He is being challenged by Joe Grandanette in the Republican primary, which will take place on June 7, 2016.^[9][10]

Tenure

Young was sworn into office on January 3, 2015.

Committee assignments

• Committee on Appropriations
  • Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
  • Subcommittee on Homeland Security
  • Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies

Personal life

Young is unmarried. He is a non-denominational Christian and lives in Van Meter.^[1]

Electoral history

2014 Republican primary results[11]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Brad Zaun	10,522	24.7
	Republican	Robert Cramer	9,032	21.2
	Republican	Matt Schultz	8,464	19.9
	Republican	Monte Shaw	7,220	17.0
	Republican	David Young	6,604	15.5
	Republican	Joe Grandanette	661	1.6
	Republican	Write-ins	42	0.1
Total votes			42,545	100

Iowa Republican Convention, 2014[12]
Candidate	Round 1		Round 2		Round 3		Round 4		Round 5
David Young	86	(16.8%)	81	(15.8%)	102	(19.9%)	171	(33.3%)	276	(53.8%)
Brad Zaun	130	(25.3%)	157	(30.6%)	188	(36.6%)	206	(40.2%)	221	(43.1%)
Monte Shaw	118	(23%)	122	(23.8%)	126	(24.6%)	120	(23.4%)	—
Matt Schultz	95	(18.5%)	88	(17.2%)	85	(16.6%)	—
Robert Cramer	75	(14.6%)	60	(11.7%)	—
Joe Grandanette	7	(1.4%)	2	(0.4%)	—
Exhausted ballots	2	(0.4%)	3	(0.6%)	12	(2.3%)	16	(3.1%)	16	(3.1%)
Total	513	(100%)	513	(100%)	513	(100%)	513	(100%)	513	(100%)

Iowa's 3rd Congressional District General Election 2014[13]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	David Young	148,814	52.8
	Democratic	Staci Appel	119,109	42.2
	Libertarian	Edward Wright	9,054	3.2
	No party preference	Bryan Jack Holder	4,360	1.5
	Write-ins		729	0.3
Total votes			282,066	100
	Republican hold

References

1. "Iowa Election 2014". Des Moines Register. 9 May 2014.
2. "Grassley aide weighs Senate run". POLITICO.
3. "Senate hopeful David Young previews campaign kick off today in Van Meter - The Iowa Republican".
4. Petroski, William. "Iowa's 3rd Congressional District GOP race heads to convention". Des Moines Register. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
5. "David Young, Brad Zaun Lead Iowa 3rd District Delegate Poll". Caffeinated Thoughts. 14 June 2014. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
6. Petroski, William (21 June 2014). "David Young wins 3rd District GOP nomination in stunning upset". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
7. "Republican some say was 'robbed' in election weighs abandoning GOP". The Des Moines Register. July 4, 2014. Retrieved September 4, 2014.
8. "Brad Zaun staying with GOP despite frustrations". The Des Moines Register. July 10, 2014. Retrieved September 4, 2014.
9. Pathé, Simone (August 14, 2015). "Democrats Courting ‘Gold Standard’ to Unseat Young in Iowa". Roll Call. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
10. "Republican lines up to primary Young in Third District". The Iowa Statesman. July 28, 2015. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
11. "OFFICIAL RESULTS June 3, 2014 Primary Election". Iowa Secretary of State. Retrieved July 23, 2014.
12. "Shocker: David Young wins GOP Nomination on Fifth Ballot". The Iowa Republican. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
13. "Iowa General Election 2014". Iowa Secretary of State. 2014-11-04. Retrieved 2014-12-19.

External links

• Campaign website
• Appearances on C-SPAN