Suburbs the focus of outside spending in Iowa’s statehouse elections

DES MOINES — It’s all about the suburbs when it comes to competitive campaigns and outside spending on elections to the Iowa Legislature in 2024.

Of the 11 statehouse campaigns with the highest amount of outside spending since the June primary, 10 are in suburbs or metro areas.

Only the election in House District 59, which covers roughly the eastern half of Cerro Gordo County, breaks into the top spending on suburban campaigns.

Campaign fundraising reports in Iowa state and local elections were due Saturday and published by the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board. The Gazette examined the fundraising reports and independent expenditures — spending by outside groups — in campaigns for the Iowa Legislature.

What are Iowa’s most expensive campaigns

Far and away the hottest statehouse campaign in the state, according to outside spending, is in the Des Moines suburb of Johnston, where Republican incumbent Sen. Brad Zaun is being challenged by Democrat Matthew Blake. More than $150,000 has been spent on the campaign by outside groups, most of it in support of Zaun.

The next-highest amount of outside spending on a statehouse campaign is roughly $84,000 in an Iowa House District in Ankeny.

Nearly $105,000 has been spent by outside groups to support Zaun’s re-election to the Iowa Senate, while roughly $46,000 has been spent to support Blake’s challenge.

As for the candidates themselves, Zaun raised more than $100,000 during the recent state fundraising period, which covered the three months spanning July 15 through October 14. Zaun spent only roughly $21,000 during that time and finished the period with nearly $152,000 in his campaign account for the final stretch to the Nov. 5 election.

Blake more than tripled Zaun’s fundraising during the same period, raising more than $384,000. Blake spent more than $229,000 and finished the period with just less than $264,000.

Other Iowa statehouse elections with high outside spending include House districts in Altoona, Johnston, Ankeny again, Council Bluffs, Clive and Waukee, and Dubuque; and Senate districts in Western Polk County and Council Bluffs.

Who are the outside groups spending big bucks?

Americans for Prosperity, the conservative advocacy group whose origins are tied to the billionaire Koch family, has lapped the field of outside spending groups thus far in Iowa statehouse elections in 2024.

Americans for Prosperity has spent more than $540,000 to support 17 Republican candidates.

The next-biggest investment has come from the Christian conservative group The Family Leader, which has spent more than $138,000 on statehouse campaigns.

Save the Children Action Network, which is supporting mostly Democratic candidates, has spent more than $114,000. That group is responsible for the vast majority of spending to support Blake in the Senate District 22 campaign. The group also has spent roughly $45,000 to support Democratic incumbent Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott in a Western Polk County district.

Save the Children Action Network also has spent more than $22,000 to support a Republican incumbent, Rep. Jon Dunwell in an Iowa House district that includes Newton.

No other group has spent more than $30,000.

Americans for Prosperity has devoted more than $80,000 to Zaun’s re-election, and another $100,000 to the two Iowa House campaigns in Ankeny. The group has spent nearly $52,000 to support Ryan Weldon, the Republican challenger to Democratic incumbent Rep. Molly Buck in one Ankeny district; and more than $51,000 to support Republican Heather Stephenson, who is challenging Democratic incumbent Rep. Heather Matson in the other Ankeny district.

How are outside groups spending their money?

A large share of outside spending has been on mailers — campaign literature that is mailed to prospective voters — and on knocking on Iowans’ doors or sending phone calls or text messages.

It is impossible to break down the outside spending on specific campaign activities, because many expenditures are recorded as supporting multiple activities.

For example, overall more than $289,000 was spent just on canvassing, nearly $206,000 just on mailers, and nearly $99,000 on digital advertising.

However, for example, another roughly $8,000 was spent on canvassing plus various combinations of digital ads and text messaging, and another roughly $10,000 was spent on digital ads plus various combinations of other activities.

Comments: (515) 355-1300, erin.murphy@thegazette.com

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