House GOP super PAC to pump millions in ads into Iowa's tight 1st and 3rd Congress races
The top House Republican super PAC is sending Iowa's 1st and 3rd Congressional District races an influx of $4.2 million in ad spending, zeroing in on the highly competitive races that will help determine who controls Congress after the November general election.
The Congressional Leadership Fund on Tuesday announced planned additions to its fall ad reservations for Republican incumbent U.S. Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Zach Nunn, who are seeking reelection in the 1st and 3rd districts, respectively, according to information shared with the Des Moines Register.
The independent group is endorsed by House Speaker Mike Johnson and House GOP leadership.
As House Republicans look to stave off challenges against their vulnerable incumbents, these two races will be influential in deciding which party controls the chamber. The ad buys signal which congressional seats the group believes are most at risk Nov. 5.
Iowa Poll: For Congress, 3 races favor GOP, while 1st District voters prefer a Democrat
Republicans and Democrats are pouring millions of ad dollars into the districts as political forecasters rate the two races either “lean Republican” or “tilt Republican.” Republicans currently hold all four of Iowa's congressional seats.
Miller-Meeks, whose district encompasses Iowa City, Davenport and rural southeast Iowa, will get a $2.3 million bump in ad spending between three markets: Cedar Rapids, Davenport and Des Moines. This is the group's first ad spending on the 1st District race in the 2024 election cycle.
Nunn, whose district covers the Des Moines metro and rural south central Iowa, will see another $1.9 million in ad spending. That's in addition to a $2.7 million ad buy in the 3rd District that the PAC announced in May as part of $141 million reserved across 37 markets nationwide.
The ad buy across three Iowa markets includes:
$2.5 million in Des Moines.
$925,000 in Davenport.
$775,000 in Cedar Rapids.
“We’re fully committed to Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Zach Nunn winning in November," Congressional Leadership Fund President Dan Conston said in a statement.
The group spent more than $1.3 million to support Miller-Meeks' reelection bid to a second term in 2022 and more than $3 million to get her elected in 2020. It spent nearly $1.7 million to help Nunn unseat Democrat Cindy Axne in 2022.
Both districts have a history of close contests. Miller-Meeks won by just six votes, defeating Democrat Rita Hart in 2020, the last presidential election year. Nunn won by just over 2,000 votes in 2022.
Recent polling has shown the 1st District contest in particular is intensifying as the election approaches.
The latest Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll conducted earlier this month found that more likely Iowa voters prefer a Republican candidate over a Democrat in three of the state’s four congressional districts. The 1st District was the only area where likely voters preferred a Democrat, a shift from the June Iowa Poll when likely voters in all four districts favored a GOP candidate.
In the 3rd District, the Iowa Poll found 52% of likely voters favor a Republican, while 44% prefer a Democrat. Four percent say they are not sure.
In the 1st District, the Democrat has the edge among 49% of likely voters and the Republican is preferred by 46% of likely voters. Five percent are not sure.
Marissa Payne covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. Reach her by email at [email protected]. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @marissajpayne.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: House GOP PAC makes $4.2 million ad buy in Iowa's 1st, 3rd Districts