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Examining fundraising reports for four Iowa congressional races

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May 30th, 2012 by Ric Hanson

The latest campaign disclosure reports show there’s a lop-sided fundraising race between Tom Latham and Leonard Boswell — the two incumbent Iowa congressmen who’re running against one another in November. Republican Congressman Tom Latham had nearly two-million dollars in cash in his campaign account by May 16th. That was a deadline day for reporting fundraising totals. It’s six times more than Democratic Congressman Leonard Boswell had. Boswell had about 300-thousand dollars in his campaign account by mid-May.

Democratic Congressman Bruce Braley of Waterloo raised about 100-thousand dollars since April 1st. Congressman Dave Loebsack, a Democrat from Iowa City, raised about 13-thousand more than that. But former Iowa First Lady Christie Vilsack, the Democrat who plans to challenge Republican Congressman Steve King in November, raised more than Braley and Loebsack combined. Her haul in the six-week period was 230-thousand dollars.Congressman King, however, is a more aggressive fundraiser than he has been in the past, collecting nearly 373-thousand dollars during that six-week period. King had about a million dollars in his campaign account by mid-May. Vilsack had about 144-thousand less.

Two Republicans face off in June’s primary to win the G-O-P nomination to challenge Braley in November. Loebsack faces a Democratic challenger in the primary who hasn’t set up a campaign website or raised enough money to require disclosing his donors. And two Republicans are running in the second congressional district for the change to run against Loebsack in November.

(O. Kay Henderson/Radio Iowa)