Joni Ernst announced that her U.S. Senate campaign raised $202,774.22 from more than 1,100 donors in the 4th quarter in 2013. They said they had donations from every county in Iowa.
“I am humbled by the generous support my campaign continues to receive from all corners of our great state. Our message to bring our shared, and genuine, Iowa values to the United States Senate is clearly resonating. As a mother, soldier and proven conservative, I am the Republican candidate who can, and will, defeat Bruce Braley next fall. I am truly thankful to each and every donor to my campaign,” said Ernst.
The Ernst campaign noted that their donor base has more than doubled. In the Q3 they had 502 donors, Q4 they had 1,100. They said this demonstrates they continued momentum in the race. They also note since they have had donations from every county in Iowa they have breadth in their grassroots support.
Ernst has raised the most among Republican candidates running for Iowa’s open U.S. Senate seat. Her campaigns total fundraising surpasses $454,000 with over 1,600 donors. That position may not hold for long as Mark Jacobs announced $400,000 raised in the Q4 among Iowans in 57 counties, but the Des Moines Register reported that he also loaned his campaign $200,000 and gave his campaign $321,000 in kind donations in Q3 during his exploratory phase. One of his strengths is his ability to self-fund if necessary, whether he will garner the same amount of grassroots support the other candidates have or will be able to continue at that fundraising pace remains to be seen.
Ernst campaign also notes that in Q4, 86% of contributions to her campaign were under $200. Most of her donor base has not maxed out how much they are legally allowed to give which could help as June 3rd approaches.