With primaries done, campaigns expect to step up spending

WASHINGTON — With June 4 behind them, candidates in the upcoming November general election say they expect to ramp up activity as their campaigns seek to sway voters through event appearances, doorstep conversations and advertisement spots.

The first round of campaign finance reports filed with the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board went public last month. Aside from the occasional contribution or expense above $1,000, most of the numbers were relatively small: a few hundred dollars spent on campaign signs and mileage reimbursement for candidates traveling to fundraisers, and mostly modest donations from organizations and individuals alike.

That’s about to change, according to the candidates. All four people running for Washington County’s state legislature seats say they anticipate more focused fundraising, higher spending and louder campaigning now that the general election looms on the horizon.

There are plenty of reasons for that. For one thing, state law forbids sitting Iowa lawmakers from fundraising during the legislative session, usually for the first several months of the year. Plus, policymaking is a full-time job that keeps them in Des Moines, where they’re preoccupied with other matters.

“When I’m in session, my family goes without me for a long period of time, so when I come back, that’s kind of the focus,” said State House Rep. Heather Hora, a Republican running for re-election. “For me, the campaign doesn’t really get rolling, nor do I have time for it to get rolling finance-wise, until the end of June, probably.”

Financial activity was limited for Hora and State Sen. Dawn Driscoll as a result in their first round of 2024 campaign finance disclosures.

Hora’s contributions so far include just three donations from various political action committees, raising a combined total of $1,800 from the FUEL Iowa Political Action Committee, Truck PAC Iowa and ABATEPAC. Her campaign expenditures were limited to a $500 contribution to the state’s Republican Party at its annual legislative breakfast, and a $50 administrative fee for a clerical error in campaign paperwork.

Driscoll, also a Republican, gathered $3,550 in the first five months of 2024. The majority of that, $2,000, came from the FUEL Iowa PAC, although 10 other names appear in the disclosure paperwork, a mix of individuals and political action committees.

Her campaign hadn’t spent a cent as of May 19, according to the disclosure document. And the senator started the reporting period with a $48,204 war chest left over from 2022’s election, where she ran one of the state’s highest-budget campaigns thanks to a massive ad-buying endeavor from the Iowa Republican Party.

“The campaign is definitely off to a great start, especially with such a significant fundraising advantage,” Driscoll said in an email. “I’m fortunate to receive broad-based support across the district, whether it be financially or people who are willing to come to events, help me knock doors, or even just put signs in their yard.”

The lawmakers’ Democratic opponents, however, say they plan to ramp up campaign activity too. Like their incumbent counterparts, neither Democratic legislative candidate faced opposition in their respective primary races.

Both enjoyed comfortable coasts through June, where they could focus on getting their names out without an urgent need to drum up financial support.

“I’m happy with what I’ve taken in so far,” said Ed Chabal, the Democratic state senate candidate from Washington. “There’s a lot tied to fundraising, but to me it’s just getting out and meeting the people and talking to them, that’s real important to me at this point.”

Chabal has raised a sizable $10,312 so far, from a total of more than 60 contributions. And he’s spent almost $5,350, largely on signs and a website, plus processing fees from ActBlue, a fundraising platform for Democrats.

While he said his campaign has prioritized meeting with people first and foremost, Chabal said the fundraising side had intentionally focused on a few key donors. The candidate received $2,000 from restaurant owner Lorraine Williams, and $1,000 from Richard Gilmore, a frequent critic of Hora and Driscoll. He also got a $500 check from the Washington County Democratic Party, according to financial disclosure documents.

“What’s worked in the past is to make some calls to people, and to be honest, I haven’t done a lot of that yet because I’m still working a full-time job,” he said. “I need to probably prioritize that more and make sure I’m doing all I can.”

In the months since her own campaign announcement, State House Candidate Anna Banowsky has raised $6,955. Like Chabal, that’s come from about 60 people. She’s spent just over $2,000, over half of which went to campaign signs, while much of the rest paid for printing, postage and donation processing fees, according to memos in the disclosure document.

While it’s less financial activity than Chabal’s campaign, Banowsky’s opponent has less cash on hand coming out of primary season — Hora’s campaign account had $19,511in the bank on May 19, when records were disclosed.

“So far, my campaign has been very grassroots,” Banowsky said. “A lot of more individual and local donors, which I think is really a good thing, since that’s a show of support from the community.”

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com