What's Iowa Sen. Iverson up to?

[CornField]

I was just poking around while doing a bit of research on the upcoming Iowa Senate races. Guess who raised the second highest amount for the 2004 campaign season? District 5 Sen. Stew Iverson (Story, Hamilton, Wright & a part of Webster county).

The first highest was an unsuccessful Democratic candidate (Sands). What's interesting was that Iverson wasn't even on the ballot during the 2004 campaign yet he still raised $496,462.

I started checking the list and number four was also a seat not on the ballot and also a republican, Sen. Jeff Lamberti of District 35 (upper Polk Co.). I did a bit more looking and it turns out that he is planning a run against Boswell in US House Dist. 3. His money-hugging at least makes sense now.

The next person on the list who didn't have a seat on the ballot, but gathered funds was Chuck Larson, but he was way down on the list with about $57,467. I figure most of that came from name recognition because of his service overseas.

I checked out Iverson's district... not much to speak of. It's above Polk County and does not include Ames. I believe the largest city in that area is Independence. To contrast, Sen. Mary Lundby who ran in 2004 in the Cedar Rapids metro area, raised $72,124 for her entire campaign.

Did I miss something? Is Iverson planning a bid somewhere else?

And just FYI, of the money Iverson raised: 99.8% came from Business; .2% came from Party Contributions; and 0% came from Labor. His largest contributor was the Insurance industry, followed closely by Real Estate and then General Contractors. Food Processing/Sales and the Healthcare Industry rounded out the top five.

Edited to add: Sorry, I sometimes forget that I'm Queen Geek when it comes to bill tracking and so-forth. The reasons his contributors are so interesting to me is that they would have fallen really closely to the the time that the Iowa House approved HF 833, which called for the implementation of a drug prescription database. It was sent over to the Senate and became stalled when groups like the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa started reading it. Among other things, it would maintain the person's name, the name of the drug, and how the person paid for the drug. Originally it was touted as a way to cut down on meth production, but left big holes for possible abuse.

[Broke Dad]

1. Majority Leaders buy their votes from fellow senators

Iverson came to power in 1996 bypassing then Republican Senate Minority Leader Jack Rife by raising a butt load of money in August, September and October 1996, and giving it to state senate candidates who were in tight races with Democratic incumbents (Neal Scheurer, Kitty Rehberg, Larry McKibben, Steve King, etc.) Eight of them won, shifting control of the Iowa State Senate. They repaid Iverson for his help/money be electing him Senate Majority Leader. Big hog was one of the groups that gave money to Iverson in 1996 and he has repaid them many times over in the last ten years by blocking any meaningful regulation of confinement hog operations.

Gronstal does the same thing on the Dem side. He bangs on Democratic leaning contributors for hundreds of thousands of dollars and then funnels it to Democratic state senate candidates that he favors and who agree to vote for him for leader. Its not unlike Tom DeLay, just on a smaller and slightly cleaner level.

Raising money when you don't need it for your personal race is one way to: 1) Increase your influence with potential candidates/or the leadership who elevates you to a chairmanship if you raise enough money to make it easier for the leader to buy votes from other candidates, and 2) Scare off potential challengers who look at a half million dollar war chest and say, "Screw running for office - with that much money they will be running nonstop television and radio ads accusing me of being Saddam's half brother.

Iverson has his work cut out in 2006. Larson is retiring and a couple of other seats are in play. At 25-25, there is no margin for error. In the Iowa Senate 0 to 24 seats is the same. The party with 26 names all the committee chairs, runs the daily agenda, meets with the Gov, and the party with less than 26 gets to suck its thumb. Any senator breaking ranks to support a good idea of the minority party gets the Animal House hazing treatment and if they do it very often, they get a primary challenge from a leadership backed candidate in their own party.

Just so you know . . .

[CornField]

2. I always knew there was a reason I wasn't in politics

LOL! Thanks for breaking it down for me. I'm still an Iowa newbie and learning how all the faces fit together in Des Moines. All in all, it reminds me of how pecking order was set on the playground in third grade.

There are 14 dem seats up in 2006, 11 republican -- I feel pretty good about 3-4 of those R seats turning our way, but I'm not sure if we can hold onto all the D seats. Of course it will probably depend on which party can whip its base into the biggest frenzy of outrage.

[Critters2]

3. "Business" means big hog

Iverson and DeCoster are close friends--really!! Add egg operations like Sparboe, and you've got the majority of Iverson's funders. He constantly tells voters that CAFOs are the only economic future for the district. He's a dick. He and his ilk are also why I don't eat meat or eggs. If you do, you support the corruption that is Stewart Iverson. I used to go to every "town meeting" he had, and challenge him about the confinements. Sometimes he just refused to answer.

He gets elected because of some strange unthinking loyalty people have to the Repug Party. But I think that's starting to change.

[Critters2]

4. Oh, and btw

I'd really appreciate it if you wouldn't refer to my home as "not much to speak of". I just returned from a trip there, and realized, again, how much I love it...the open space, the slow pace, and that huge, unending sky. I recommitted myself to returning one day. It beats the effing hell out of the suburban sprawl I live in now. Buildings on top of buildings, and people on top of people is my diea of "not much to speak of".

Jerk.

[CornField]

7. Oh, and btw

Don't refer to me as a jerk and I won't refer to you as an asshole. Okay?

[Critters2]

10. On one condition

You'll need to stop acting like a jerk first.

[CornField]

11. Holy kindergarten spats, Batman!

I've no doubt that you have a certain sentimental attachment to that region of Iowa. Regardless of that cavat, the truth remains that there is little of interest there in the political realm of things... at least none that I've been able to discover or one which would warrant such a huge war chest for a state senator. Since I'm in no way responsible for 1) your sentimental attachment or 2) the lack of overt economic development in the region, I'm now going to cease participation in the juvenile name-calling match you've begun.

[Critters2]

12. You've said you're an Iowa newbie

so you apparently don't understand the importance of animal agriculture to the state economy, or the centrality of Wright and Hamilton counties to that industry. The owners of CAFOs are powerful, especially in GOP politics, and Wright county has the most CAFOs in the state--hogs and chickens. Iverson is doing his damnedest to protect that very corrupt, yet powerful industry. Hence, his large war chest and his power in the state GOP. You need to do a little looking into the role of the confinement industry in Iowa politics.

Don't assume that a small population equals political powerlessness. The average joe in that part of the state you feel free to write off has little power, but De Coster and others have friends in high places (just ask Mr. Gross!!). And, whether there are a lot of 'em or not, the people of North Central Iowa are deserving of a little respect.

If you don't think so, well...I don't know where you came to Iowa from, but I'll bet it's still there.

[Critters2]

5. Btw #2

Independence isn't the largest city in the district. Webster City is larger, and I think Nevada may be # 5 as well.

[tom2]

6. Sources

Could you give me some sources you used to get the data on campaign contributions? I have opensecrets.com for Lamberti's contributions for the US House race, but is there something similar for Iowa races?

[CornField]

8. Sure

Here is the link: http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?si=200412&c=407019

There are breadcrumbs at the top of the page if you want to back-track and look at Lamberti's info.

[tom2]

9. Many Thanks!