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By Sheena Dooley | Iowa Watchdog
State Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal
DES MOINES — A top state Senate Democrat’s successful fundraising efforts could threaten the Republican Party’s fight to secure a trifecta.
Iowa Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstol, D-Council Bluffs, has raised $500,000, leaving in the dust Minority Leader Jerry Behn and Republican Whip Brad Zaun, the GOP’s top Senate leaders, who have less than a combined $100,000 in their campaign coffers, according to Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board reports.
These fundraising figures do not bode well for the Republicans, who have had difficulty advancing their conservative agenda during the past two years, because Senate Democrats have blocked their proposals.
The Republicans are only two seats away from gaining control of the Senate in November. They currently hold the majority in the state House and head the governor’s office.
Behn and Zahn face re-election in November, although Zaun is running unopposed in a largely Republican district. Behn, however, faces a potentially competitive race. He is running against Shelly Stotts, a Boone educator.
