Judge still leading pack in fundraising for U.S. Senate campaign

DES MOINES - Patty Judge continues to enjoy a fundraising advantage in the competition to determine which Democrat will run for the U.S. Senate in Iowa this year.

Judge raised two times as much as her closest competitor during the most recent fundraising period and finished the period with more than three times as much money in her campaign account, recently filed campaign fundraising documents show.

That gives Judge easily the most resources among the four candidates running to be Iowa's Democratic nominee, with the June 7 primary election just a week away. Already, Judge is the only Democratic primary candidate advertising on television.

Judge, the former lieutenant governor and state agriculture secretary, raised more than $155,000 during the final pre-primary election fundraising period, which covered April 1 through May 18.

Rob Hogg, a state legislator from Cedar Rapids, raised $74,000 during the same time.

At the period's close, Judge had $235,000 in her campaign coffers, and Hogg nearly $65,000.

Judge's campaign also is carrying $60,000 in debt to a pair of consulting services.

Reports have not yet been filed for attorney Tom Fiegen and veterans advocate Bob Krause, who also are running in the Democratic primary. Fiegen had raised $39,000 through March, and Krause has not yet filed a fundraising report.

Whoever earns the Democratic nomination will be at a serious disadvantage in the general election against the war chest of U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley; the longtime incumbent has more than $5 million in his campaign account.