All candidates for federal offices were required to submit third-quarter disclosure reports to the Federal Election Commission by October 15. You can view or download the reports for Iowa’s U.S. House candidates at the FEC website. IowaPolitics.com posted links to documents filed by Senator Chuck Grassley and Democratic challenger Roxanne Conlin.
Follow me after the jump for highlights: money raised and spent during during the third quarter as well as cash on hand totals as of September 30.
As during the second quarter, Grassley raised substantially more money than Conlin. Grassley brought in $733,100.38 between July 1 and September 30: $381,710.41 from individuals (of which $75,816.41 was not itemized), 290.31 from political party committees and $322,800 from political action committees (PACs). Grassley also reported more than $22,000 in “other receipts,” which may include dividends or interest. Grassley’s campaign spent $1,692,797.14 during the quarter, which explains why Iowans are seeing so many of his television commercials. He ended the quarter with a staggering $4,756,755.20 on hand. If I were running the National Republican Senatorial Committee, I’d be leaning on Grassley to share the wealth.
Conlin’s campaign raised $329,548.25, including $320,795.37 from individuals ($107,592.35 not itemized), $125 from political committees and $9.952.88 from the candidate. During the third quarter, Conlin received Democracy for America’s endorsement, which seems to have brought in many small-dollar donors. Conlin also loaned her campaign $500,000 during the third quarter; she had loaned the campaign $250,000 in each of the first two quarters. Conlin’s campaign spent $894,818.10 during the third quarter and had $817,126.38 cash on hand at the end of September. That’s enough for some statewide television advertising during the final weeks, but not nearly enough to match Grassley’s spending on television and radio. I think it was a mistake for her to decide last year against accepting PAC money.
The FEC reports for Iowa’s U.S. House candidates can be found here (search for Iowa).
In the first district, Representative Bruce Braley didn’t raise much money during the first half of the year, probably not expecting a serious challenge from Republican Ben Lange. However, during the third quarter the 501(c)4 group American Future Fund announced plans to spend up to $1 million against the incumbent. Braley picked up his pace, raising $469,529.82 in the third quarter: $266,429.82 from individuals (all but $50 of that was itemized), $5,000 from political party committees and $198,100 from PACs. Braley’s campaign spent $230351.98 during the quarter and had $872,420.42 cash on hand as of September 30.
Lange raised $200,024.38 during the third quarter: $163,374.38 from individuals (43875.30 of that not itemized) and $36,650.00 from PACs. Lange’s campaign spent $78,008.35 during the quarter and had $232,312.69 on hand at the end of the reporting period. The Iowa Democratic Party accused Lange of not disclosing about $66,000 in spending on television commercials that began running at the end of September, but Lange’s campaign said the invoice for that ad buy arrived on October 1. The IDP also hit Lange for not listing all his donors, but several other Iowa candidates, including some Democrats, also raised a substantial amount of money in contributions that weren’t itemized. That press release was better left unsent.
In the second district, incumbent Democrat Dave Loebsack raised $311,196.84 during the quarter: $127,096.84 from individuals (all of it itemized) and $184,100.00 from PACs. His campaign spent $325,342.04 and finished the quarter with $510,083.63 cash on hand.
Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks brought in a total of $569,300.22 for the quarter, including $359,600.00 in loans from the candidate. She raised $166,643.67 from individuals ($37,362.38 not itemized), $1910.99 from political party committees, $30,150.00 from PACs and $10,995.56 from the candidate. Miller-Meeks’ campaign spent $265,227.45 during the quarter and had $404,745.00 on hand at the end of September. Loebsack’s campaign took a cheap shot at Miller-Meeks for self-funding, saying the large personal loans showed she was “out of touch with Iowa values.” But both parties have self-funding candidates. Like Miller-Meeks, Conlin extended a large personal loan to cover expenses like campaign advertising.
In the third district, Democrat Leonard Boswell raised $374,622.51 during the quarter, including $189,972.51 from individuals ($33,083.50 not itemized), $12,750 from political party committees and $171,900 from PACs. Boswell’s campaign spent $726,352.48 during the quarter and had $383,416.04 cash on hand at the end of the reporting period.
Republican Brad Zaun raised $281,906.64 in the third quarter, including $220,502.37 from individuals ($52,403.68 not itemized), 5000 from political party committees and $56,404.27 from PACs. Zaun’s campaign spent $24,3071.42 during the quarter, a little more than a third of Boswell’s spending. Zaun had $139,235.64 cash on hand as of September 30, ensuring that he will continue to be outgunned on the airwaves. Not only does Boswell have more money for television advertising, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee continues to spend on his behalf, while Zaun has gotten no help from the National Republican Congressional Committee.
In the fourth district, eight-term incumbent Republican Tom Latham raised $140,251.90 during the quarter, the lowest amount for any Iowa Congressional incumbent. Latham brought in $53,627.50 from individuals ($11,392.50 not itemized), $550 from political party committees and $86,074.40 from PACs. (He’ll be raising a lot more than that when he has to compete in a redrawn district in 2012.) Latham’s campaign spent $284,401.55 in the third quarter and had $617,017.39 cash on hand as of September 30.
Latham could afford to slack off a bit on fundraising because his Democratic opponent has struggled to raise enough money to advertise across this huge 28-county district. Bill Maske raised $49,795.46 during the third quarter, including $34,091.85 from individuals ($20,879.76 not itemized), $2845.00 from political party committees, $8500 from PACs and $4358.61 from the candidate. His campaign spent $41,183.42 during the quarter and had $25,176.00 cash on hand at the end of the period.
In the fifth district, Republican incumbent Steve King raised $173,532.00 in the third quarter, including $73,457 from individuals ($24,117 not itemized), $575 from political party committees and $99,500 from PACs. King’s campaign spent just $91,618.53 during the quarter and had $391,167.67 cash on hand as of September 30.
Democrat Matt Campbell actually out-raised King in individual donations. Campbell’s campaign brought in $111,207.41 during the third quarter: $80,002.41 from individuals ($35,260.91 not itemized), $3405 from political party committees and $27,800 from PACs. Campbell’s campaign spent $102,514.04 during the quarter and had $31,367.37 cash on had as of September 30. The fifth district covers 32 counties and several major media markets, including Omaha, which is quite expensive by Iowa standards.
Any thoughts about campaign fundraising and spending are welcome in this thread.