Big money being spent on congressional races

WASHINGTON - The first races for Iowa's U.S. House seats under the state's new congressional map aren't going cheaply.

A fresh round of campaign finance reports recently filed with the Federal Election Commission in Washington, D.C., shows that the candidates for the state's new congressional seats have been feverishly fundraising so far this year. The reports cover the first quarter of the year, ending on March 31. There are two more to come, on July 15 and Oct. 15, before the Nov. 6 election.

Iowa's congressional districts are shrinking from five to four as a result of redistricting triggered by the 2010 Census. There is no race this year for either of the state's two Senate seats, but the reduced House districts have created a squeeze among the current representatives. Some of them have already moved districts as a strategic move.

So far, the state's marquee House race is the newly created 4th District, in roughly the northwestern quadrant, where 10-year Republican Rep. Steve King is facing off against the state's former first lady, Christie Vilsack, the wife of former governor and current U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. It's also the closest race in terms of fundraising.

Financially, King and Vilsack are in a virtual tie - Vilsack has $905,000 on hand, while King has $810,000. Vilsack out-raised King during the quarter, $1.55 million to $1.2 million for King.

Vilsack and King have long since started slugging it out on the campaign trail. King, a favorite of conservative Tea Party voters and well-known for cultivating a national media profile, has attacked Vilsack over the Obama administration's economic record, while Vilsack, a former teacher, has touted Iowa's needs in education and infrastructure.

The state's most expensive race is in the new 3rd District, which includes the capital county of Polk as well as the state's southwestern corner. There, Republican Tom Latham is besting his opponent, incumbent Democrat Leonard Boswell. Latham raised $2.1 million during the first quarter of 2012 and still has $2 million left, while Boswell raised $877,000 and now has $644,000 remaining.

But the pair's fundraising is only part of the picture - in addition to political action committees, the two parties' national congressional committees could become crucial if party leaders at the national level choose to pour money into a particular race. On that count, the Democratic National Committee has been the better fundraiser. The national party has raised $155 million during 2012's first quarter, and still has $24 million on hand. The Republican National Committee, by comparison, has raised $124 million during the same time period and still has $34 million remaining.

The two parties' congressional committees also will have a role - and here, too, the FEC reports show that Democrats have raised more but also spent more. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has raised $84 million and still has $23 million on hand, while the National Republican Congressional Committee has raised $74 million and has $27 million remaining.

Elsewhere, in the new 1st District, which includes Linn County and Cedar Rapids, incumbent Democrat Bruce Braley is in good shape. He raised $1.4 million from January through March, and still has $829,000 in the bank. His best-funded Republican challenger, Ben Lange, raised $237,000 and now has $191,000 left.

In the new District 2, which will approximately cover the state's southeastern corner - including several counties south of Linn - Democratic incumbent Dave Loebsack is also out-raising his competition. Loebsack has raised $813,000 and now has $622,000 on hand. He will face one of three possible Republican challengers, none of whom has more than $127,000 in their accounts.