Jim and Deba Leach, on the eve of the first Okoboji Writers’ Retreat in 2021. (Photo by Julie Gammack)
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Iowa and the nation lost a rare public servant last week. And Deba Leach lost her husband, Jim.
Former Congressman Jim Leach was a moderate to liberal Republican who represented Iowa’s eastern congressional district from 1977 to 2007. He served the area that included his childhood home of Davenport and Iowa City, where he and Deba chose to spend their retirement years in their 30s. -year career in elected office.
Before I knew Jim personally, I admired him for many reasons. He was a candidate who refused PAC money and often self-financed his campaigns. He was a staunch supporter of campaign finance reforms, including the McCain-Feingold Act (Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002), a position that put him at odds with many in his party.
Jim was an early advocate for environmental protection and combating climate change.
He was also one of a handful of Republicans who voted against authorizing the war in Iraq in 2002, arguing that evidence of weapons of mass destruction was insufficient to justify military action.
In 2008, Jim made headlines when he spoke at the National Democratic Party Convention to publicly endorse Barack Obama for president.
In June 2013, Jim honored Senator Tom Harkin’s longtime aide Richard Bender at the Senate staffer’s retirement party. That evening, all three men – Bender, Harkin and Leach – spoke of their shared sadness over the loss of bipartisan cooperation in Congress and the importance of working together across the aisle to serve constituents.
Leach and my husband, Richard Gilbert, were known as Bob Ray Republicans – a Republican culture on the brink of extinction.
Shortly after Richard and I bought a house in Annapolis, Maryland, we realized that we knew a lot of people who had moved to the Washington, DC area with ties to Iowa, so we decided to have an Iowa Day party and mix them up .
Addressing the gathered partygoers at one of these gatherings, Richard said, “If we all love Iowa so much, why don’t we live there?”
Eventually, the Leaches moved back to Iowa – and so did we.
I appreciated Jim’s unpretentious nature during that first Iowa Day party. As I looked toward the lawn, I saw the former congressman, once a college wrestling champion, pinning to the ground Romen Borsellino, the son of Rekha Basu and the late Rob Borsellino, who had been a college wrestler. I’m not sure who initiated the wrestling moves. It could have been either of them.
Jim and Deba never missed Iowa Day. When we announced our move from Annapolis, they graciously took up the mantle and hosted the next Iowa Day party at their home in Bethesda, and we flew back to attend.
It was a beautiful tradition, bringing together people who might not otherwise know each other, but who had one thing in common: we spent time in the Hawkeye State.
Iowa and the nation lost a public servant – an elected official who refused to pander to special interests and dedicated himself to the people he served.
Those lucky enough to call him a friend – essentially everyone he met – will mourn his passing.
This column was originally published by “Julie Gammack’s Iowa Potluck” and is republished here via the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative.
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