Branstad spends nearly $4 million since July on re-election bid

By Rod Boshart, Gazette Des Moines Bureau

DES MOINES - Republican Terry Branstad spent nearly $4 million in campaign contributions since mid-July in his bid to win an unprecedented sixth term as Iowa's governor and help his political party's 2014 election effort.

Branstad's spending far outpaced Democratic challenger Jack Hatch's $782,507 in campaign expenditures for the period between July 15 and Oct. 14.

New campaign disclosure reports filed with the state Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board show the Branstad-Reynolds campaign raised about $1.265 million between July 15 and Oct. 14, bringing its overall fundraising for the 2014 election cycle to more than $9 million, campaign officials said.

Hatch raised nearly $880,000 during the same period and ended with slightly over $280,000 in cash on hand with two weeks left until the Nov. 4 election. Overall, the Democratic challenger had raised $1,862,901 in his bid to break Branstad's grip on Terrace Hill as Iowa's chief executive - a position the GOP incumbent held from 1983 to 1999 before landing a fifth term in 2010.

'As election day approaches, interest in this campaign and support for our candidates has spiked, and we intend to use those resources to fight this campaign all the way out to Nov. 4th,” said Hatch-Vernon campaign manager Grant Woodard.

The Hatch-Vernon campaign reported 3,561 total contributions from 833 individual donors - mostly Iowans - during the latest reporting period for an average contribution of about $181.

In the meantime, Branstad received 2,490 total contributions in the Oct. 19 filing period - mostly from Iowans who accounted for $1,096,233 of his fundraising total.

'With 15 days left in this campaign, we will continue to run full-throttle through the finish line,” said Jake Ketzner, Branstad-Reynolds campaign manager. 'We will have sustained advertising and a flurry of events on the ground that have been built upon the foundation of an entire year of organizing the largest grass roots campaign in Iowa Republican history.”

Branstad entered the latest reporting period last summer with just over $4 million worth of cash on hand and reports just under $1.3 million in cash with no debts to finish out the stretch run to Nov. 4, according to his campaign. He likely will replenish his account this weekend when New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie joins Branstad for an early birthday celebration at a Clive fundraiser.

According to the Branstad-Reynolds campaign's expenditure report, nearly $2.6 million was spent for advertisement buys, while the governor shared nearly $700,000 of contributions made to his campaign with the Republican Party of Iowa to use as the state party saw fit, according to campaign spokesman Tommy Schultz.

'We contribute to the Republican Party of Iowa on a regular basis and it's up to them to decide how they want to use that money,” Schultz said. 'That's under their control and their decision. We just generally donate to the entire Republican Party effort.”

Branstad's record fundraising pace has given him a huge financial advantage over Hatch, a state senator from Des Moines who has trailed the GOP incumbent in funding and public-opinion polls through the campaign. Hatch temporarily ceased his paid advertising campaign at the end of September but he has indicated he expected to resume TV commercials sometime this month.