Mascher thunders to huge victory
11/05/08 | BY KELLI SHAFFNER

Although Mary Mascher won re-election, as of press time, she wasn’t sure if the fight had been won.

Because she didn’t see her opponent as a “serious bet,” she said, she focused on keeping Democratic control in the Iowa House. But even after the win, she didn’t know if state Democrats had won enough seats.

“I’m in a little different place right now,” she said.

Mascher took 82 percent of the vote Tuesday, besting opponent independent Chris Brewer, who garnered 18 percent.
Mascher said she plans to address “enormous” issues caused by the June flood, keep Iowa’s unemployment rate low, and extend teachers’ salaries, even though the state budget is strapped.

She said she’s very pleased to even be up for re-election.

“It tells me they think I’m doing a good job,” she said.

Brewer said he didn’t run hard enough to shine light on all the issues important to him.

“I felt I won when I started the race,” he said. “There was an opportunity to do a bit more, but I left that up to others.”
Brewer also said that he’s not sure about his plans.

State Rep. Dave Jacoby, D-Coralville, and Rep. Vicki Lensing, D-Iowa City, ran unopposed.

But though Mascher won overwhelmingly Tuesday night — and has done so in each of her last five elections, taking more than 70 percent of the vote — she may have had an automatic advantage as a Democrat in Johnson County.

Because of straight-ticket voting, which allows voters to choose all candidates from a single party with one vote, Democrats usually collect at least 29 percent of the county’s votes, according to Johnson County voting statistics. Only 17 states have such an option.

Democrats had 14,262 straight-ticket voters in the county, Republicans had 5,329, and the Green Party collected 141.
While straight-ticket voting helps those with a party affiliation, independents don’t have that luxury, and Brewer said it put him at a disadvantage.

“I’m concerned with people determined to vote against Republicans,” he said.

Brian Flaherty, the chairman of Johnson County Democratic Party, said he thinks party affiliation definitely benefits the candidate. People associate candidates with party positions — even if they don’t know the hopeful.

But Flaherty said he doesn’t know whether straight-party tickets matter to politicians. “People on the ballot want you to vote for them,” he said. “They take it any way they can get it.”

Mascher said such voting doesn’t skew results — it depends on the race and numbers. Voters who chose a straight ticket would pick the same candidates anyway, she said.

But something that may alter numbers from year to year is the presidential election.

Tim Hagle, a UI political-science associate professor, said it’s typical to see Democrats and Republicans switching parties in election votes.

“When you have school board election, the turnout is just pitiful,” he said. “Straight-party or not, there are just more folks voting.”

Email the reporter