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Campaign Almanac: Bird’s Iowa AG re-election bid boosted by national GOP AGs group
Also in the almanac, a state lawmaker endorses Brad Sherman in Iowa’s Republican primary for governor
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DES MOINES — Attorney General Brenna Bird’s re-election campaign fundraising last year got a big, New Year’s Eve boost from a national Republican attorneys general group, and incumbent Secretary of State Paul Pate’s challenger raised more than three times what he did, according to recently filed state campaign fundraising reports.
Candidates for Iowa statewide and state legislative offices were required this week to file campaign fundraising and expenditure reports for 2025.
All campaign fundraising reports are public records and are available on the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board’s website at ethics.iowa.gov.
According to 2025 campaign fundraising reports filed to the state:
Bird, a Republican who is finishing her first, four-year term as Iowa attorney general, raised just more than $2 million last year. That figure included a $1 million donation from the Republican Attorneys General Association on Dec. 31.
Nate Willems, the Democratic challenger running for Iowa AG, raised roughly $717,600 last year. He received an $11,530 donation from the Democratic Attorneys General Association.
At the end of the year, Bird had more than $2.2 million remaining in her campaign account while Willems had just shy of $536,000.
Pate, a Republican, is finishing his fourth, non-consecutive term as Iowa secretary of state, the state’s top elections official. Pate raised just $62,104 in 2025 and has an outstanding loan balance — from a previous election cycle — of $293,500.
Ryan Peterman, a Democrat running for secretary of state, raised just more than $200,000 last year. His largest donation was $80,000 from Majority Rules PAC, which works to elect officials with the goal of ending partisan gerrymandering, the process of redrawing political boundaries to influence election results.
At year’s end, Peterman had roughly $98,000 in his account and Pate had $77,000 in his.
Other notes from the state campaign fundraising reports:
- Chris Cournoyer, the Republican lieutenant governor who is running for state auditor, raised more than $180,000. Fellow Republican candidate Abigail Maas raised just more than $35,000, of which $20,000 was a loan to herself.
- Julie Stauch, a Democrat who is running for governor, raised just more than $32,000, of which $10,000 came from Michael Simonson, whose campaign for Des Moines City Council she managed. Rob Sand, the Democratic state auditor also running for governor, raised $9.5 million last year.
Cook Political Report moves Iowa-3 to ‘Toss Up’
The Cook Political Report has shifted its rating of Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District from "Lean Republican" to "Toss Up," signaling growing competitiveness in the Des Moines — area House race ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
The change was part of a broader update released last week in which Cook moved 18 House races nationwide in a direction more favorable to Democrats, citing President Donald Trump’s weak approval ratings, Democratic overperformance in special elections and broader midterm dynamics.
Republican U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn, of Bondurant, won re-election in 2024 by about 4 points, roughly matching Trump’s margin in the district. But Cook analyst Erin Covey wrote that Iowa Republicans are facing a more difficult political environment, particularly as Trump’s tariff policies have had an outsized impact on Iowa’s agriculture-dependent economy.
The race also is unfolding alongside a competitive Iowa governor’s contest, with Democratic State Auditor Rob Sand expected to be at the top of the ticket.
Democrats have long viewed Nunn as a tougher incumbent after he unseated Democratic former U.S. Rep. Cindy Axne in 2022. However, Cook noted Nunn lacks a history of outperforming his district’s partisan lean, which could make him vulnerable in a more Democratic-leaning year.
Three Democrats are running in the district: state Rep. and former Iowa House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst of Windsor Heights, state Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott of West Des Moines and Xavier Carrigan of Waukee.
With the rating shift, Iowa’s 3rd District joins a small group of Republican-held seats now considered true toss-ups as Democrats seek to flip at least three House seats nationally to regain the majority.
State Rep. Thompson endorses Sherman for governor
Republican gubernatorial candidate Brad Sherman has picked up an endorsement from Mark Thompson, a Republican state representative from north-central Iowa.
Thompson, who represents Wright, Hancock and Humboldt counties, praised Sherman’s conservative leadership, business background and faith, calling him “a statesman, not a traditional politician,” in a statement released by Sherman's campaign.
Thompson cited Sherman’s work in the Legislature, including cosponsoring a bill Thompson drafted that increased penalties for human trafficking and was passed unanimously and signed into law in 2023. He also highlighted Sherman’s support for property rights and said Sherman leads “by his own personal example.”
Sherman, a former state legislator from Williamsburg, welcomed the endorsement, calling Thompson “a real conservative leader” and noting his prior service in the Marine Corps.
Five Republicans are campaigning for their party’s nomination for governor: Western Iowa U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, state legislator Eddie Andrews of Johnston, former state agency director Adam Steen of Indianola, business owner Zach Lahn of Belle Plaine, and Sherman.
Iowa will elect a new governor this fall after Gov. Kim Reynolds announced she will not seek another four-year term.
National political forecasters rate the open-seat gubernatorial race as “lean Republican" and “likely Republican.”
Local union endorses Wahls for U.S. Senate
Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Local 3 has endorsed Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Zach Wahls, marking the 13th labor endorsement of Wahls’ campaign.
The union cited Wahls’ record backing collective bargaining, workplace safety and fair wages, saying labor groups are coalescing around his candidacy as Democrats look ahead to the 2026 general election.
“As president of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Local 3, I know the difference between politicians who just talk about supporting workers and leaders who actually show up for us,” Ray Lemke, the union’s president, said in a statement released by Wahls' campaign.
Lemke said Wahls has consistently supported workers on issues ranging from safe job sites to rising costs facing working families.
Wahls welcomed the endorsement, saying Iowa needs leaders who will “take on the special interests that are driving up prices and squeezing Iowa families,” and pledged to strengthen collective bargaining and workplace protections if elected.
Four Democrats are seeking their party’s nomination in Iowa’s U.S. Senate race: Wahls of Coralville, state Rep. Josh Turek of Council Bluffs, former Knoxville Chamber of Commerce leader Nathan Sage of Indianola, and veterans advocate Bob Krause of Burlington.
On the Republican side, U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson of Marion and former state legislator Jim Carlin of Sioux City are campaigning for the GOP nomination to succeed Republican U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, who announced last year she will not seek a third six-year term.
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