Grassley outraises Democrats; has $5.5 million on hand

CEDAR RAPIDS – Moments before a forum featuring Democratic U.S. Senate hopefuls Roxanne Conlin and Tom Fiegen ended May 27, Sen. Chuck Grassley's campaign reported it had raised $432,935 in the past seven weeks and now has $5.5 million cash on hand for the senator's bid for a sixth term.

The reaction that provoked from the candidates for the Democratic nomination to face Grassley was as different as anything that divided them during the hour-long forum.

“We won't match him dollar-for-dollar,” Conlin said. “He may have the money, but we have the spirit, we have the volunteers that he just can't match.”

Conlin, who reported raising $181,553 and having 870,643 cash on hand, said she will have the resources to compete with Grassley.

“We will have enough money to be on the air and to reach out to the people,” the Des Moines attorney said. “We have something he doesn't have: a huge cadre of committed, inspired volunteers who are willing to go door-to-door, and make telephone calls. We've made more than 100,000 telephone calls.”

Fiegen, a bankruptcy attorney, took another tack. Given the anti-Washington, anti-incumbent mood this year, “Money is the enemy,” he said.

“There is a certain type of jujitsu this year that the more money you've got the more vulnerable you are,” he said.

Fiegen, who has yet to report his latest fundraising numbers, but raised $15,219 last quarter and had $582 cash on hand, said he's “not in awe” of Grassley's money.

“I expect him to have $15 million and I think I can scare the hell out of him and beat him,” Fiegen said.

Krause, who did not participate in the League of Women Voters of Johnson County, IowaPolitics.com, The Gazette, and Mediacom forum because his travel plans from an out-of-state business trip were disrupted by an airline mechanical failure, has yet to report his latest numbers. At the end of March, his campaign showed $20,214 raised and $352 cash on hand, according to the Federal Election Commission.