Sen. Jack Hatch raises $262,295 this year; funds coming at ‘increasing pace’

CEDAR RAPIDS - Democratic gubernatorial candidate Sen. Jack Hatch Monday reported raising $262,295 so far this year - less than a quarter of what incumbent Republican Gov. Terry Branstad has raised.

Hatch reported contributions and loans totaling $709,764 since entering the race for governor. His campaign has $312,354 cash on hand roughly six months ahead of the November general election.

Branstad's re-election campaign last week reported it had raised $1.1 million so far this year and is sitting on $4.5 million cash on hand.

'Fundraising is important,” Hatch campaign manager Grant Woodard said, 'but Iowans are more important, and we are seeing more and more people come on board every day. We know organized people beat organized money every time.”

It may not be important, but Branstad campaign spokesman Tommy Schultz said what is important is that Hatch hasn't met his fundraising goals. He referred to Hatch's comment when he entered the race a year ago he would need $6 million to $8 million to run a gubernatorial campaign. Hatch also said he needed to raise $1 million by the end of 2013 to show his viability.

However, Woodard said the hatch campaign has been raising money at 'increasing pace,” including nearly $100,000 since May 1.

Woodard pointed out that Hatch and Branstad are unable to accept contributions from political actions committees until 30 days after the May 2 adjournment of the Iowa Legislature.

Still, Woodard expects the campaign to be competitive in fundraising.

'The governor's only hope now is to pick up a bunch of big checks with the help of Chris Christie and the Koch Brothers,” he said. 'We will not let Terry Branstad buy this election.”

Branstad does have a fundraiser scheduled with New Jersey Gov. Christie later this month.

For his part, Hatch is bringing on board Scott Gale, a national fundraising consultant to help raise resources for the general election campaign. Gale's Fundraising Management Group was the first Democratic consultant to provide instate and in-district fundraising consulting. He was the American Association of Political Consultants 2011 Democratic Fundraiser of the Year.

Hatch soon will make an announcement about national Democratic Party figures fundraising in Iowa for his campaign, Woodard said.

'We'll be asking Iowans to invest while Branstad chases the big money Washington D.C. donors to save him,” Woodard said.

The Branstad campaign reported that 98 percent of the $1.1 million in contributions this year came from Iowans.

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