Campaign donations rise. Business Record subscriptions drop. Nearly $25 million spent on naming rights.

12/4/2024

Political campaign money flowed into the Iowa’s U.S. House of Representatives campaigns this past election season. All four of the House seats were up for grabs in Iowa’s congressional districts. Republicans were aiming to retain their dominance in the state, while Democrats were hoping to flip two of the districts, D1 and D3. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R) and Christina Bohannan (D) in D1, Ashley Hinson (R) and Sarah Corkery (D) in D2, Zach Nunn (R) and Lanon Baccam (D) in D3 and Randy Feenstra (R) and Ryan Melton (D) in D4. As of press time, Republicans won all of the races, pending the results of the recount in D1, which is currently called for Miller-Meeks. 

Coincidently, that was the race with the most money spent and contributed. In the D1 race, Bohannon raised $5,805,930 during the 2024 cycle and spent $5,017,985, while Miller-Meeks raised $4,760,276 and spent $3,617,267, according to their last congressional fillings on Oct. 16. Before the recount, Miller-Meeks won the race, 50.1% to 49.9%, ahead by just 801 votes.

In D2, Hinson grossly outspent Corkery. Hinson raised $5,227,684 and spent $3,334,339. Corkery raised $470,666 and spent $441,783. Hinson won the race, 57.1% to 41.6%.

D3 was a race national Democrats had hoped to flip in the 2024 election. Nunn raised $5,179,992 and spent $4,244,492 during his campaign. Challenger Baccam raised $4,780,817 and spent $4,503,813. Nunn won the race, 51.9% to 48.1%.

D4, Iowa’s reddest district, had the largest discrepancy. Incumbent Feenstra raised $4,119,112 and spent $3,928,797. This was Melton’s second attempt to unseat Feenstra, raising $131,928 and spending $101,072 during his campaign. Feenstra won the race, 67.2% to 32.8%. 

All the money raised by each of these campaigns totals $30,476,405. Yes, $30 million. According to opensecrets.org, a research group that tracks money in U.S. politics, four states other than Iowa had contributions more than one million dollars to these campaigns: California with $1,883,138, New York with $1,755,496, Florida with $1,283,073 and Texas with $1,228,232. 

Two spots on the Polk County Board of Supervisors, districts 2 and 3, were also up for grabs during this cycle. Mark E. Holm (R) won the District 3 race against Kim Hagemann (D), 53.8% to 46%. Using the IECDB state and local campaign disclosure database, CITYVIEW looked at the donations to these campaigns starting in January 2024. Fifty-three contributions totaling $56,639.73 were donated to the Mark Holm for Supervisor committee. His biggest donation was $10,000, which came from Marc Beltrame, a Des Moines attorney whose website claims he brings “a bipartisan approach to government relations advocacy both in Iowa and Washington D.C.” Holm also received three other donations of more than $5,000. Seth R. Moulton donated $5,205, Ankeny car collector and entrepreneur Dennis Albaugh donated $5,000 and cable TV mogul James Cownie donated $5,000. 

The Committee to elect Kim Hagemann received nearly double the number of contributions, with 92, totaling $15,208.04. Hagemann received four donations of $1,000 or higher. For comparison, Holm’s average donation was $1,068. The highest donation came from medical guru Paul Woodard, at $3,300. The other four-figure donations came from Kim Hagemann herself, donating $2,000 and $1,000. Jeffery Hagemann also donated $1,000.

District 3 was a much closer race. Jill Altringer (R) defeated John Forbes (D), 50.4% to 49.4%. Less than 600 votes separated the two. Jill Altringer for Supervisor reported 180 contributions, totaling $62,990.33. Three of them were returns to individuals. The committee sent back a $1,000 donation to Marcia Wahoske, $104.10 to Darlene Blake Beers and $1 to Emily Hillstrom. The highest donation to Altringer was $5,000 from Casey’s General Stores founder Donald Lamberti. She received four donations of $2,500 from Dennis Elwell, Jeff Lamberti, James Myers and the Citizens for Preservation of Racing. Altringer had 16 donations of $1,000 or more. 

Her challenger, John Forbes, received 331 donations totaling $67,928.66. Forbes received two $5,000 donations: one from the Polk County Democratic Central Committee, and one from real estate icon William Knapp. He also received a $2,500 contribution from Virginia Palmer and $2,000 from Curt Leaverton, the Laborers’ PAC, Heavy Highway Political Action Committee, and Dunae and Rhonda Burkhardt. …

In the Des Moines Business Record’s Oct. 25 edition, the weekly newspaper reported its U.S. postal service statement of ownership, management and circulation, which paid subscription newspapers are required to publish to receive postal discounts that publications like CITYVIEW don’t receive. The statement showed its average number of copies (net press run) each issue during the last 12 months was 5,219, and 5,200 for the number of single-issue copies published nearest to the filing date. That’s 200 less than what was reported last year. Far fewer are actually paid for. The total paid distribution on average was reported at 2,474, and 2,403 nearest to the filing date. …

Palmer Group released its 2025 salary guide. The 47 pages provide a look into how some Iowa organizations operate when it comes to hiring, providing raises, strategizing and more. According to its survey results:

• 45% of companies plan to hire new staff members, a 5% decrease from the year prior. 

• 94% plan to hire direct hire/permanent roles, and contract-to-hire roles dropped from 5% to 2%. 

Organizers plan to keep their focus on retention and training. When it comes to raises: 78% of businesses plan to give 3-4% raises in 2025, up from 65% in 2024. 

• 1-2% raises rose from 12% to 14%

• 5% or higher raises dropped heavily from 18% to 5%. …

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources recently released its Iowa Recycling Facility Study. According to the report, Iowans recycled 78.49 pounds per person and 125,203 tons in total in 2023. The total is split into four different types of recyclable material: paper, plastics, metal and glass. Paper was by far the most recycled item, with Iowans averaging 53.54 pounds per person and 85,399 total tons. Next most was plastic, with a 13.2 pounds per person average and 21,064 total tons. Next was metal, at 6.88 pounds per person and 10,974 tons. Last was glass at 4.87 pounds per person and 7,766 total tons. The report shared an estimate that the recycling led to 355,456 in MTCO2 emission reductions and generated $22,211,555 in revenue. Even though metal was the second lowest in total recycling, it produced $10,838,940 in generated revenue. …

What’s in a name? A lot of cash, apparently. Two significant name changes are planned to occur in downtown Des Moines in 2025. Wells Fargo Arena will be renamed the Caseys Center to the tune of $18.3 million over the next 10 years. Next door, Hy-Vee Hall will be renamed the EMC Expo Center, with naming rights purchased by EMC Insurance. The contract is also for 10 years with payments due in November starting at $500,000 this year, and rising by roughly $25,000 each year after, totaling $6,288,947. ♦