Campaign Almanac: Dems’ congressional super PAC drops more money on Iowa TV ads

House Majority PAC, the Democrats’ congressional super PAC, announced Friday it is reserving an additional $1.1 million in TV and digital ads in Iowa.

The super PAC linked to U.S. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries announced it will make TV reservations to run in the Quad Cities, Cedar Rapids and Des Moines media markets in the final weeks of the 2024 election cycle.

The PAC announced earlier this month it was reserving $2.25 million worth of TV ads in those same markets to up the pressure on Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks in hopes of flipping southeast Iowa’s 20-county 1st Congressional District, where Democratic Christina Bohannan is challenging Miller-Meeks’ re-election bid.

The super PAC had reserved $350,000 in ads in the Quad Cities market in July to boost Bohannan in that race.

In the 3rd Congressional District, which includes Des Moines, Democrat Lanon Baccam is challenging first-term Republican U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn.

House Majority PAC also will place $400,000 in television reservations in the La Crosse and Wausau media markets in Wisconsin.

“Democrats across the country have never been more fired up and well positioned to retake the majority as we continue to see record-breaking enthusiasm and energy behind their campaigns,” House Majority PAC President Mike Smith said in a statement.

Additional reservations and changes may be made as campaigns and races develop, according to the announcement.

Iowa co-chair of Nikki Haley campaign endorses Kamala Harris

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Dawn Roberts, who served as a state co-chair of Republican Nikki Haley’s presidential campaign, has endorsed Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign for the White House.

“I think both parties let us down by selecting two 80-year-olds as candidates for President. I was at a loss,” Roberts wrote in an endorsement letter published by Julie Gammack, founder of the Okoboji Writers’ Retreat and Iowa Writers' Collaborative.

A lifelong Republican, Roberts said she was impressed with how Harris has handled herself since President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 race for the White House after weeks of pressure from allies over concerns he would be unable to beat Trump.

“She showed a willingness to listen to a wider range of views to solve problems. So I am supporting Kamala Harris for President,” Roberts wrote.

Roberts was selected to be the first female chair of the Polk County Republican Party and was nominated by Republicans to run for secretary of state in 1986.

She said Harris, if elected, has said she would consider having a Republican serve in her Cabinet, and praised her debate performance against Trump, where Harris emphasized “bringing the country together rather than divide, to lift people up rather than tear people down.”

“All of these statements lead me to believe that she truly has the skills needed to bring us together as a country and, hopefully, the world,” Roberts wrote. “I heard her articulate that she has always brought groups of diverse individuals and opinions together to solve problems. That is a healthier and wiser way to lead.”

Roberts said her late husband, Steve Roberts — a former chair for the Republican Party of Iowa — often questioned why the United States is one of the few countries that has never had a female president.

“I think the time is now and Kamala Harris is the person to lead our country into the future,” Roberts wrote.

Cedar Rapids-based Teamsters union endorses Harris

Teamsters Local 238, based in Cedar Rapids, this week announced its endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris in her campaign for the presidency.

“Vice President Kamala Harris has been an integral part of the most pro-union presidential administration since Franklin D. Roosevelt,” Jesse Case, principal officer of Teamsters Local 238, said in a statement. “Her steadfast support for labor has been evident in every step she’s taken alongside President Biden, including their critical effort to save hundreds of thousands of Teamsters’ pensions, and their commitment to rebuild the National Labor Relations Board into an organization that consistently defends the rights of workers. We trust her leadership and vision to continue advancing the fight for working people from the White House.”

The union represents thousands of workers across varied industries.

Harris was dealt a blow earlier this week when she became the Democrat in almost three decades to not be endorsed by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters — with the organization's own polling showing rank-and-file members overwhelmingly backing Trump.