How much was spent on legislative races in Scott County this election?

As the dust settles on the 2024 election, the Quad-City Times/Dispatch-Argus took a look through Iowa's campaign finance reports to see which legislative races in the area were the most expensive.

In Scott County, with the exception of one statehouse race, Republican candidates outraised and outspent Democrats for legislative office.

In one particularly high-dollar race, the Iowa Republican Party spent about $450,000 on digital, mail and television advertising since July for Davenport state Rep. Mike Vondran.

In comparison, his opponent Tracy Jones spent about $26,000 total since July and had few in-kind contributions.

Vondran won election to a second term to House District 94, defeating Jones by about 2,600 votes, of the 17,600 cast, to represent a district that covers a sliver of Davenport, part of Bettendorf and the city of Eldridge.

Here's how much candidates raised and spent in Scott County statehouse races this cycle.

House District 70 - Norlin Mommsen and Kay Pence

Voters elected Rep. Norlin Mommsen, R-DeWitt, to a sixth term. Since July, Mommsen raised about $43,400 and spent about $50,400, most of which went toward the Republican Party of Iowa as a political contribution.

Pence raised about $23,000 since July and spent about the same.

Neither candidate had much for in-kind contributions. The largest recorded was from the Iowa Republican Party, which spent about $3,400 on an advertising mailer for Mommsen in October.

House District 81 - Dan Gosa

Dan Gosa was the only Democrat in the state of Iowa to flip a seat from red to blue. A first-time state legislative candidate, he ran unopposed and won the seat held by Rep. Luana Stoltenberg, a first-term Republican who decided not to run for reelection.

Gosa, the Davenport school board president and Quad Cities Federation of Labor president, raised about $10,500 from July through Oct. 15. From when he announced his bid for the seat through July, he raised $28,000.

House District 82 - Bobby Kaufmann and Phil Wiese

Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, R-Wilton, cruised to reelection over Democrat Phil Wiese. Both raised significant funds compared to others in their party in Scott County.

From July 15 to the Tuesday ahead of the general election, Kaufmann raised about $205,000 and spent about $327,000 during that time, most of which went to the Republican Party of Iowa as a political contribution. The state party spent about $21,600 on mail and radio advertising for Kaufmann in the final weeks of the race.

From July through Oct. 15, Wiese raised $52,895 and spent $23,406.

House District 93 - Gary Mohr and Mindy Smith-Pace

Rep. Gary Mohr, R-Bettendorf, from July through Oct. 31, raised about $113,000 and spent about $175,000, which went mostly to the state Republican Party.

The Republican Party of Iowa spent about $44,000 in digital, mail and call and text advertising for Mohr.

Mindy Smith-Pace raised about $2,800 and spent about $2,300.

House District 94 - Mike Vondran and Tracy Jones

Vondran raised about $50,600 from July 15 through the Tuesday before the general election and spent about $61,000 during that period. He also had the in-kind donations mentioned above.

Jones raised about $20,200, and spent about $26,400 during that period.

House District 97 - Ken Croken and Josue Rodriguez

First-time candidate Josue Rodriguez out-raised and out-spent state Rep. Ken Croken, a Democrat from Davenport. Croken won by about 2,300 votes, of the about 13,200 cast.

Croken raised about $6,700 from July 15-Oct. 29, spent $3,700, and has about $12,000 in unpaid bills.

Rodriguez raised $11,800 and spent about $15,000 during that time.

Neither candidate had in-kind donations.

House District 98 - Monica Kurth and Nathan Ramker

This is one of the closest races in Scott County. With incumbent Democrat Monica Kurth ahead by 45 votes, first-time candidate Nathan Ramker, a Republican, has requested a recount.

From July 15 through Oct. 14, Kurth raised $9,500 and spent $2,300.

Ramker, of Blue Grass, raised $1,500 during that time and listed an in-kind donation from himself for $1,900 on campaign signs, car magnets and photos.

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Davenport, Scott County, local politics