Republicans mostly hold fundraising advantage three weeks out from election

DES MOINES — Republicans are holding onto significant fundraising advantages in all but one race for statewide office with just weeks to go to the November election.

Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds outraised Democratic challenger Deidre DeJear almost 3-1 in the last three months, according to reports filed with the state’s Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board.

Reynolds raised $2.2 million between July 15 and Oct. 14 toward her re-election bid, while DeJear raised a little over $806,000. Rick Stewart, the Libertarian candidate in the race, raised $53,700 over that period.

Reynold has nearly $2.5 million in cash on hand, while DeJear has $365,000.

In total, Reynolds has brought in close to $4.3 million since Jan. 1, while DeJear has raised close to $1.9 million. Stewart has raised $71,800 this year and ended the period with $68,000 in cash on hand.

The totals come as a recent Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll showed Reynolds held a commanding lead over DeJear, with 52 percent of support from likely voters. DeJear had 35 percent and Stewart had 4 percent.

Attorney General

Republican Brenna Bird, who is challenging longtime Democratic incumbent Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller, more than doubled Miller’s fundraising in the last three months and raised the most of the statewide candidates.

Bird’s $2.3 million haul came largely from $1.8 million in donations from the Republican Attorneys General Association, as it sees an opportunity to flip the seat to Republican.

Miller raised a little over $1 million in the same period, garnering $800,000 in two donations from the Democratic Attorneys General Association.

Since Jan. 1, Bird has raised over $3 million, while Miller has raised $1.6 million. Bird ended the period with $1.5 million cash on hand, and Miller had $430,000 cash on hand at the end of the period.

State Auditor

State Auditor Rob Sand was the sole statewide Democrat to maintain a fundraising lead over his opponent. He brought in $274,000 in the last three months, while Republican challenger Todd Halbur raised $19,700.

Since the beginning of the year, Sand has brought in $676,000, while Halbur has raised $28,800. Sand ended the reporting period with $618,000 in the bank, while Halbur had close to $3,900.

State Treasurer

In his bid to defeat State Treasurer Michael Fitzgerald, Republican state Sen. Roby Smith continued to significantly outraise the Democratic incumbent.

In the last three months, Smith raised nearly $177,000, while Fitzgerald raised close to $20,000.

Since the beginning of the year, Smith has brought in $342,000, while Fitzgerald has raised $45,400. Smith ended the period with $224,000 in cash on hand, while Fitzgerald had $10,000 in the bank.

Other races

In the race for Iowa Secretary of State, incumbent Republican Paul Pate maintained his advantage over Democrat Linn County Auditor Joel Miller. Pate raised $53,600 in the last three months, while Miller raised $45,500.

Since the beginning of the year, Pate has raised $73,800, while Miller has raised $51,000. Pate closed the reporting period with $86,300 on hand while Miller had $24,500.

Incumbent Republican Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig also kept up his advantage over Democratic challenger John Norwood. Naig raised $225,000 over the last three months, while Norwood raised $45,600.

This year, Naig has raised close to $314,000 while Norwood has raised $86,400. Naig had $336,000 in cash on hand while Norwood had $9,800.