National Democratic group coming to aid of Loebsack, Murphy

DAVENPORT - Iowa's 1st and 2nd congressional district races are fast becoming magnets for outside spending.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is devoting $420,000 to new television ads in the Cedar Rapids market, which covers both congressional districts, according to a DCCC aide.

This comes as the Republican political arm in the U.S. House has devoted $1.3 million to the two districts, beginning Friday.

The expenditures signify a tightening 2nd District race between Rep. Dave Loebsack and Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks, who is challenging the Iowa City Democrat, as well as an ongoing battle for the open 1st District seat.

There, Democrat Pat Murphy and Republican Rod Blum are seeking to fill the seat being vacated by Bruce Braley.

Roll Call and National Journal reported the new spending Tuesday.

Brandon Lorenz, a DCCC spokesman, said the organization is going 'toe to toe” with Republicans, whom he said would 'stack the deck” against middle-income Iowans.

Already, a DCCC buy of $600,000 had been reported in the 1st District. The DCCC did not say how the $420,000 would be divided between the two districts.

The spending comes as conservative groups seek to increase their influence.

Just Monday, the National Republican Congressional Committee said it was spending more than $900,000 in Iowa's 2nd District and another $400,000 in the 1st, with ads to begin running on Friday and go through Election Day.

The NRCC said it was devoting the resources because it thinks the two seats are more competitive.

Also, the American Action Network, a non-profit advocacy group with ties to former Sen. Norm Coleman of Minnesota, is putting $500,000 into the 1st District race, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The purchase is part of a $3.2 million effort in conjunction with the Congressional Leadership Fund, a Super PAC that also has links to Coleman, to target seven primarily Democratic-held seats, the Journal reported last Friday.