
From Left: Bruce Braley, Pat Murphy, Dave Loebsack, Staci Appel and Jim Mowrer
Do you ever wonder why there are infinitely more political commercials complaining about Joni Ernstâs support from the Koch Brothers than there are commercials by the Koch brothers supporting Joni Ernst?
That made me a little curious. Just who is getting the most PAC support in the current elections? Not Republican Ernst.
Ernstâs opponent in the Senatorial race, Democrat Rep. Bruce Braley, took in a whopping $1,191,380 in PAC money through June 30, 2014, according to OpenSecrets.org. In comparison, Ernst took in only $423,035 in the same time period.
Braley seems to be the favorite candidate of big spenders, too. Ernst had $456,215 from small contributions, while Braley, with three times as much total funding, only had $8,714 in small contributions, according to OpenSecrets.org.
PAC money spent against
These numbers contributed to the candidates are chicken feed (sorry, Bruce Braley) when you look at what some of the Super PACs are spending on negative advertising against the candidates.
The liberal Senate Majority PAC spent $2,050,416 against Joni Ernst as of 9/19/14, including recent media buy. Senate Majority PAC only spent $549,164 in favor of its own candidate, Bruce Braley. Talk about negative advertising!
Super PACs spending money against Ernst
- Senator Majority PAC – $2,050,416
- Planned Parenthood Votes PAC – $ 466,582
- NextGen Climate PAC – $ 297,980
And thatâs just a sample. (Source: OpenSecrets.org)
Ernst keeps getting labeled as âTea Partyâ (not that thereâs anything wrong with that.) Do you know how much Ernst got from the Tea Party Patriots Citizen Fund Super PAC? Zero. They did spend $56,000 against Bruce Braley, though. How does all this compare with the much-maligned Koch Brothers? The Koch Brotherâs Freedom Partners Action Super PAC spent $1,115,753 for Ernst. Oooooooooh. So why all this big evil, corporate hub -bub, when the Democrats with their Senate Majority PAC spent almost twice that against Ernst? Looks like the larger problem is fat-cat big spending pro-abortion Democrats.
Pro-abortion Rep. Dave Loebsack, incumbent in the race for Iowaâs 2nd Congressional District, has $551,100 in PAC contributionsâover 50% of his total contributions vs. Mariannette Miller-Meeksâ $39,000 in PAC money.
Abortion activist candidate Staci Appel (wife of Iowa Supreme Court Justice Brent Appelâjust sayinâ, since her website doesnât, for some reason), earned more than three times the PAC money than her Republican opponent David Young. Appel netted $293,438 in PAC money, compared to Youngâs $82,891.
More noteworthy is Appelâs top PAC contributor: Emilyâs List, which focuses solely getting radically pro-abortion women elected. Emilyâs List boosted Appelâs coffers with a $69,665 contribution. If you think Appelâs going to reach across the aisles on the life issue, think again.
David Youngâs top contributor was Senator Chuck Grassleyâs Hawkeye PAC, with $15,000. To understand how far outside the mainstream Emilyâs List is, you must understand their leader. Emilyâs List President, Stephanie Schriock, previously managed the 2008 Senatorial campaign of Minnesota way left Sen. Al Franken.
Appelâs third largest donor was Des Moines-based Knapp Properties with $11,150. The Knapps are notorious for their support of Planned Parenthood in Iowa and owner Bill Knappâs wife, Susan Knapp, even has a Planned Parenthood center in Des Moines named for her in the Drake University neighborhood. But that is just the beginning. There was even more pro-abortion money to be had.
More Pro-Abort PAC money
NARAL Pro-Choice America PAC
- Staci Appel $5,000
- Bruce Braley $5,000
Planned Parenthood Action Fund Inc. PAC
- Bruce Braley $5,340
- Staci Appel $1,088
Washington Women for Choice PAC
- Bruce Braley $5,000
Emilyâs List PAC (in addition to the $69,665 received from Emilyâs List)
- Staci Appel $5,000
Nancy Pelosiâs PAC to the Future
- Staci Appel $10,000
- Jim Mowrer $ 5,000
- Pat Murphy $ 5,000
- Dave Loebsack $ 2,000
Debbie Wasserman-Schultzâs Democrats Win Seats PAC
- Bruce Braley $5,000
- Pat Murphy $5,000
- Staci Appel $2,500
- Dave Loebsack $1,000
- Jim Mowrer $1,000
Braley also received $10,000 each from PACs run by darlings of the abortion industry: Senators Harry Reid (D-NV), Elizabeth Warren (DMA), Dick Durban (D-IL), Charles Schumer (D-NY), Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Al Franken (D-MN).
From Braleyâs own Bringing Leadership Back PAC
- Dave Loebsack $10,000
- Pat Murphy $ 5,000
- Jim Mowrer $ 1,000
- Staci Appel $ 1,000
(Sorry Staciâdonât you know thereâs a War on Women going on?)
Republican Rod Blum, challenging Democrat Pat Murphy for Braleyâs former House seat, in District 1, has the least PAC money
of the House races at $21,000. Murphyâs $201,572 in PAC contributions seems hefty by comparison.
Only Republican Rep. Steve King had more PAC contributions than his pro-abortion opponentâand just barely. King had $235,824 in PAC contributions compared to Democrat Jim Mowrerâs $195,668. Still, Mowrer has three times as much as Steve King in out-of-state contributions: $328,008 for Mowrer vs. Kingâs $101,780.  77% of Kingâs contributions were from Iowa vs. only 50% of Mowrerâs contributions from Iowa.
So the next time you see a Letter to the Editor in your local paper or online comments bemoaning Joni Ernst and the Koch Brothers, donât stay silent. Write them and fight back. The pro-abortion Democrats have cornered the market on PAC money.
To find even more, go to www.OpenSecrets.org.