Financial edge goes to Branstad’s campaign

DES MOINES - Republican Gov. Terry Branstad won the 2014 fundraising battle with Democrat Jack Hatch but the challenger says ideas, not money, should be what decides Tuesday's election.

Reports filed Friday with the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board show Branstad raised $212,360 during the period Oct. 15-28 compared with the $76,175 Hatch took in. That brought the five-term GOP governor's overall contributions to $9.6 million for the 2014 election cycle, while Hatch's fundraising was under $1.8 million.

Branstad spent more than $1.3 million in less than two weeks - nearly $950,000 on advertising while giving another $221,000 to the Republican Party of Iowa to aid other GOP candidates. He reported $229,070 cash on hand, but the report did not include additional help he got from a fourth appearance with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Thursday night in Burlington.

'Our campaign has met and exceeded every goal at every step of the way, and now we are sprinting past the finish line,” Branstad-Reynolds campaign manager Jake Ketzner said.

Hatch spent over $152,000 during the latest reporting period, with about half going toward advertising. His campaign reported $203,604 in cash on hand and $140,000 in outstanding loans.

Before embarking on a six-day 'Fresh Start” tour that was to take him to 37 Iowa cities, Hatch told reporters his race to deny Branstad an unprecedented sixth term was about providing a new direction that would help Iowans achieve their dreams.

'It's not about big money. If it was about big money, then nobody would have run. He had all the money from the beginning. It's about big ideas and what we want our state to look like, and that's what it's always been about,” Hatch said.