Cownie, Hatch raise $567,674 in their bids to become Des Moines' next mayor

Austin Cannon | The Des Moines Register

Show Caption Hide Caption Watch: Des Moines 2019 mayoral candidates meet with the Register's editorial board Des Moines mayoral candidates Frank Cownie, Joe Grandanette, Jack Hatch and Chase Holm meet with the Register's editorial board on Oct. 10, 2019.

Frank Cownie and Jack Hatch both invested thousands of dollars of their own money in their campaigns for Des Moines mayor, according to new financial disclosure documents.

Hatch loaned his campaign $130,000 in the latest financial reporting period, according to documents filed Monday with the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board. In total, Hatch has loaned $205,000 to his campaign since September.

Meanwhile, Cownie loaned $50,000 to his campaign nine days after the general election.

Monday was the deadline for candidates to submit fundraising reports to the state ahead of Tuesday's runoff election. The deadline, typically five days before an election, was extended because of the Thanksgiving holiday.

The latest reports cover the fundraising period from Oct. 27 through Nov. 23. A final spending report is due later this month.

There were three races on the ballot in Tuesday's runoff election.

Cownie defeated Hatch by fewer than 300 votes to win an unprecedented fifth term at Des Moines mayor.

► Des Moines election: Where do Cownie and Hatch stand on taxes, racial profiling, water?

Carl Voss defeated Jacquie Easley for an at-large seat on the Des Moines City Council, while incumbent Linda Westergaard beat out Skip Moore for the Ward 2 seat on the city's northeast side.

Money raised is most since 2003

Cownie raised an eye-popping $118,545 during the latest reporting period, while Hatch raised $24,356. In total, Cownie has raised $255,720 in his reelection bid while Hatch has collected $56,954 in donations.

Including the personal loans, the campaigns raised a total of $567,674 for the general and runoff elections.

The next Des Moines mayor will make $57,760 annually after the city council approved an 11% pay increase for the position this fall.

The total raised this year dwarfs spending in the last three mayoral elections.

Combined, Cownie raised around $77,000 for his 2007, 2011 and 2015 reelection campaigns, and spent around $26,000. His opponents did not raise the $750 minimum threshold to require filing a financial statement with the state.

The last Des Moines mayoral election to reach such spending heights was 2003, when six candidates shelled out a combined $619,000 between the primary and general election.

Cownie defeated Councilwoman Christine Hensley that year to replace Preston Daniels. The two finalists spent a combined $381,000.

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Cownie led in big donor dollars

Cownie collected 64 individual donations during the latest reporting period, all of them after the Nov. 5 general election. He didn’t have as many donors as Hatch, but his donors on average gave more.

Five people gave $10,000 each: James Conlin, Andrea Abel, John Reichardt, Arthur Coppola and James Cownie, the mayor’s cousin. Kum and Go CEO Kyle Krause and his wife Sharon gave Cownie $2,500, and developer William Knapp, the chairman emeritus of Knapp Properties, gave the mayor $9,000.

► Des Moines election: Cownie calls for tax cut; Hatch says it's 'reactionary campaigning'

Hatch collected 137 individual donations, 99 of which came after Nov. 5.

Monica Vernon, his gubernatorial running mate in 2014, gave $250, and former Meredith Corp. CEO Stephen Lacy gave $1,000. His largest donation was $3,000 from Teamsters Local 90 D.R.I.V.E.

Former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Fred Hubbell gave $500 to both Hatch and Cownie.

The mayoral hopefuls spent heavily on advertisements during the runoff period, with both campaigns releasing attack ads accusing the other of misusing taxpayer money.

Cownie spent more than $96,000 on advertising during the runoff, while Hatch spent more than $54,000. Both campaigns had multiple payments to Des Moines’ network television affiliates.

FROM THE CANDIDATES

Voss led city council election spending

In Ward 2, Westergaard vastly out-raised her challenger, taking in nearly $40,000 during the fundraising period. She spent about $10,750 and had more than $31,600 left for the last 10 days before the election.

Moore raised $5,760 during the period, adding to the $10,382 he already had on hand. He spent more than $11,200 and had just over $4,930 remaining.

After raising more than $100,000 before the general election, Voss continued to bring in donations, raising $28,525 and spending all but $20,559 before the filing deadline.

Easley started her runoff campaign in a deficit, but raised $8,665. She spent more than $6,600, and ended the period with a $1,100 deficit.

Des Moines City Council members will earn $28,880 per year starting Jan. 1, when new council members are sworn in.

The polls are open Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. To find your polling location, visit the Polk County auditor’s website.

Des Moines election coverage

Austin Cannon covers the city of Des Moines for the Register. Reach him at awcannon@registermedia.com or 515-284-8398. Your subscription makes work like this possible. Subscribe today at DesMoinesRegister.com/Deal.