DES MOINES (AP) — Democrat Christie Vilsack is mounting a serious financial challenge to veteran Republican Rep. Steve King in western Iowa's newly redrawn 4th District, according to financial reports released Thursday. But she still faces big hurdles in the GOP-leaning district.
The financial disclosures show that Vilsack has raised nearly $1.16 million for her campaign, compared with the $817,142 King has raised. Vilsack has $751,530 in the bank and King has $529,490 in cash on hand, according to the reports.
State records show that the 4th District is the most heavily Republican of Iowa's four congressional districts. It has 179,681 registered Republicans, compared with 132,576 registered Democrats, but it also has 179,133 registered voters who aren't affiliated with either party.
Vilsack is the wife of Tom Vilsack, the former Iowa governor now serving as U.S. agriculture secretary. King was first elected to Congress in 2002 and currently represents the 5th District.
But Iowa was one of 10 states — primarily in the Northeast and industrial Midwest — that lost congressional seats after the 2010 Census. Eight states, largely in the South, gained seats.
Both candidates are already spending heavily, the disclosure reports show, with King reporting spending of $468,749 and Vilsack spending $403,593 ahead of the Nov. 6 election.
Drake University political science professor Dennis Goldford said Thursday that the financial picture is an essential first step but said there are still big hurdles.
"For her to make it competitive, she's got to raise a ton of money," Goldford said. "Even in a Democratic year, this would be an uphill battle for her, and this doesn't look like a Democratic year."
"Remember, money is necessary but not sufficient," he added.
One of the advantages Vilsack will have is there isn't a lot of competition for political attention this year. There are no statewide elections on the Iowa ballot this year, and only a couple of congressional elections look competitive.
When the Legislature drew new congressional district boundaries last year it tossed Democratic Rep. Leonard Boswell and Republican Rep. Tom Latham into the same central Iowa district. Both are now running in the newly redrawn 3rd District, which includes Des Moines and much of southwest Iowa.
That race is shaping up as one of the most competitive and expensive congressional races in the country as Democrats seek to regain control of the U.S. House.
The financial disclosures show Latham with a big edge in campaign money. He has raised nearly $1.7 million compared with the $662,131 Boswell has raised. The reports also show that Latham has more than $1.9 million in the bank, compared with the $493,783 Boswell reported for cash on hand. Both carried over money from earlier campaigns that weren't terribly competitive.
State election officials say there are 165,595 registered Republicans in the 3rd District compared with 159,595 registered Democrats. Another 150,704 voters are registered without declaring a party affiliation.
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