first on decorahnews.com: The race for Iowa House District 55 cost $450,000

Campaign financing documents filed with the State of Iowa show that Republican Darrell Branhagen and Democrat Rick Edwards spent a combined $450,755.54 on their race in Iowa House District 55.

Branhagen spent a total of $271,419.76 on his campaign to succeed Democratic incumbent Roger Thomas.  Edwards spent $179,335.78 on his campaign, which fell just 31 votes shy of Branhagen out of 12,000 votes cast.

But the most interesting information included in the campaign financing statements could be where the money came from for both campaigns.  Of the $179,000 spent by Edwards, just 14 percent of that amount--$24,645.88--was raised from local donations.  $153,840.60 of the money spent by Edwards was actually spent by the Iowa Democratic Party on behalf of Edwards.

In Branhagen's case, even more of his campaign was financed by the Iowa Republican Party.  Branhagen received $21,170 in local contributions--and $250,249.76 in "in-kind" contributions from the Iowa Republican Party, meaning Des Moines paid for 92 percent of his campaign.

Both the Iowa Democratic Party and the Iowa Republican Party paid for television ads for the candidates, mail flyers for the candidates and other campaign expenses.  Combined the two political parties paid over $400,000--$404,939.66 to be exact--on the campaign in House District 55.