Branstad outpaces Hatch in fundraising, spending

DES MOINES - Republican Gov. Terry Branstad continues to hold lopsided fundraising and spending advantages over Democratic challenger Jack Hatch.

Reports filed with the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board indicated Hatch, a three-term state senator from Des Moines, raised $269,230 and spent nearly $328,000 during the latest period. That compared with the $726,569 raised by Branstad and spending by the five-term GOP incumbent topping $1.39 million through July 14.

'We're going to have a campaign that's going to work our plan and allow us to have a substantial election effort come now and through the election cycle,” said Hatch, whose campaign has raised $983,293 to date.

Branstad, who has run multiple campaign commercials early in the race that culminates Nov. 4 with the general election, ended this month's reporting period with a little more than $4 million in cash on hand and no campaign debt. Hatch had $182,142 in cash on hand and had $140,000 in outstanding loans.

'We continue to raise funds primarily from Iowans, who are choosing to invest in new leadership and a fresh start, while Gov. Branstad raises money from New York and New Jersey donors like Donald Trump, who gave him $10,000,” said Grant Woodard, manager for the Hatch-Vernon campaign.

'Our donors include labor organizations representing hardworking Iowans,” Woodard added, 'and we will have the resources to get our message out, no matter how much the big out-of-state donors and their corporate friends who fund the Republican Governors Association do to try and bail out Terry Branstad from his scandal-ridden last term.”

During the last fundraising period, Hatch ran unopposed in the June primary, named Monica Vernon of Cedar Rapids as his running mate and hired a national fundraising consultant. The campaigns were restricted in where they could solicit and collect funds until June 2 under state fundraising rules that barred gubernatorial candidates from receiving donations during the 2014 legislative session and for the 30 days after the session that the governor had to take action on bills. The restrictions did not apply to fundraising from individuals.

Jake Ketzner, campaign manager for Branstad-Reynolds, said the numbers show that Hatch's campaign is not viable by the Democrat's own benchmark.

'Jack Hatch has failed to meet his basic fundraising goal for 2013 - and we are a full seven and half months into 2014,” Ketzner said in a statement.

'Hatch has already pledged to raise taxes, spend more of hard-working Iowans' money and take us back in time to the disastrous Chet Culver era. It comes as no surprise that he can't find many donors to finance such terrible ideas,” he added.

Ketzner said Hatch told reporters in May 2013 that he would need to raise between $6 million and $8 million for the 2014 campaign and that he would have to raise $1 million by the end of 2013 or 'you'll question whether or not I can continue as a candidate.”

'By Jack Hatch's own standard, he's not viable. Unfortunately for Jack, numbers don't lie,” according to a news release issued by the Branstad-Reynolds campaign. 'Over the last 419 days, and 7 1/2 months after Jack Hatch's own self imposed viability deadline, Hatch has only raised $843,316 and once again, has not passed his own threshold of viability.”

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