Editor’s note: This is the first in series of articles about local campaign financing.

MUSCATINE, Iowa — Political campaigns are not all about kissing babies and passing out parade candy.

They involve tough decisions and a lot of money — money that most Muscatine County candidates are dipping into their own pockets to come up with.

Deputy sheriff Mike Wade raised almost $5,700 in contributions before the Republican primary election in June. He finished last out of three sheriff candidates despite spending all but $80 of his funds.

“I think I learned a hard lesson there,” he said.

That lesson, Wade said, was about “spending a lot of money on a few votes” in the primary.   He attributed his loss to low voter turnout.

Wade filed a petition to have his name placed on the Nov. 4 ballot in the race against Republican C.J. Ryan and Democrat Dave White, and stopped spending money on campaigning.

“I haven’t received a dime since. I haven’t asked for any,” he said.

As of Oct. 14, Ryan had spent about $11,000 on the race and White had spent almost $8,500, according to disclosure reports filed through Oct. 14 with the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board.

“I was kind of watching to see what my opponents were going to do and trying not to get carried away,” White said.

White said his campaign expenses are greater than he had anticipated when he started saving money to run for the office when Sheriff Greg Orr decided not to seek re-election.

White opted not to accept outside contributions, and has financed his full campaign costs with personal in-kind donations.

“I didn’t want to go into the office obliging anyone or anyone feeling they had any special hand in the sheriff’s office,” White said.

Ryan raised more than $13,600 in contributions.

“I don’t see anything wrong with accepting campaign money. This is how elections are run in the United States of America,” he said.

Ryan personally gave almost $1,400 in cash and in-kind contributions toward his campaign.

“I believe if you’re going to run a campaign, you better invest in it yourself if you want other people to,” Ryan said.

Kerry Keller, a District 4 candidate for the Muscatine County Board of Supervisors, agreed.

“I’m running on my name and my record. I thought I should put some financing in it as well,” said Keller, a Republican trying to unseat Democrat Kas Kelly.

Keller and Kelly were each the largest individual contributors to their campaigns, donating about $425 and $310 respectively in cash and in-kind gifts. Kelly received about $2,655 in cash contributions, and Keller took in about $1,135.

Kelly’s campaign spent more than $2,300 as of Oct. 14, almost half of which was spent to order 25 new 4-foot-by-4-foot yard signs for $325 and 250 smaller signs for about $710 to differentiate between her and Keller’s similar last names.

Keller’s campaign spent $670, almost all of which was for printed campaign materials.

Neither Kelly nor Keller had spent money on advertisements, which both believe have less influence over voters than community forums and media profiles in which candidates can share their messages without charge.

The county Democrats and Republicans provided some group advertising for party candidates.

David Watkins, who is seeking a fourth term on the Board of Supervisors in District 3, said he spent about $300 on advertisements since the deadline for the last disclosure report.

Watkins ran the lowest budget campaign of any candidate in the three contested county races. He accepted only $290 in cash contributions through Oct. 14, and spent even less — about $140 for mailings and postage.

“It’s getting to the point that people are just spending so much on these campaigns that people are just outdoing it,” Watkins said.

Watkins’ opponent, Democrat Dale Bird, spent more than $1,200 on cable television and newspaper advertisements, campaign literature and more than 200 yard signs.

“(Watkins’) name’s out there, whereas my name was not,” Bird said.

Bird received about $1,000 in campaign contributions, and financed the balance of his more than $2,500 in expenditures with personal loans.

Ryan, who ran the costliest campaign, spent nearly $7,000 in newspaper, radio and cable television advertising, according to disclosure reports.

But, he said, “I think our biggest (individual expense) was direct mailers.”

A mailing in July cost Ryan’s sheriff campaign $1,900. Another mailing to remind residents to vote was planned before the Nov. 4 election.

“It’s very, very expensive when you run a political campaign,” he said.

Even candy for parades becomes costly, White said.

Disclosure reports show he spent about $171 compared to Ryan’s $174. No parade candy expenditures were listed for Wade.

Said White, “It’s amazing how much money gets spent.”

Reporter contact information

Jennifer Meyer: 563-262-0525

jennifer.meyer@muscatinejournal.com

By The Numbers

Sheriff candidates

C.J. Ryan

Party: Republican

Cash donations total: $13,689 ($1,025 personal)

In-kind donations total: $352.07 personal

Top 5 donors (including in-kind)

1. $2,500 — Paul Elshoff, Grandview

2. $1,377.07 — C.J. Ryan, Muscatine

3. $1,000 — I. Maureen Failor, Muscatine

4. $1,000 — Edward Failor, Muscatine

5. $1,000 — Diane Riggan

Expenditures: $10.962.74

Mike Wade

Party: Filed by petition

Cash donations total: $5,685

In-kind donations total: $677.77 ($17.42 personal)

Top 5 donors (including in-kind)

1. $500 — Vera Crumly, Wilton

2. $500 — Gary Devore, Wilton

3. $500 — Jennifer Stanton, Wilton

4. $313.98 — Carol Wade

(mother), Wilton

5. $250 Richard Valet, Wilton

Expenditures: $5,606.84

Dave White

Party: Democrat

Cash donations total: None

In-kind donations total: $8,474.10 personal

Top 5 donors: None

Expenditures: None

Source: Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board

Supervisor candidates

Kerry Keller, Dist. 4

Party: Republican

Cash donations total: $1,135 ($90 personal)

In-kind donations total: $335.93 personal

Top 5 donors (including in-kind)

1. $425.93 — Kerry Keller, Muscatine

2. $100 — Ralph Keller (uncle), Illinois City, Ill.

3. $100 — JJ Koehler, Illinois City

4. $100 — Michael Riggan, Muscatine

5. $50 — Tom Hendricks, Muscatine; Dennis Inman, Muscatine; Bill Mark, Muscatine; Kyle Rifert, Muscatine; Jerry Coffman, Muscatine; Robert Bahn, Muscatine; John Howell, Muscatine; Donna Meerdink, Muscatine; Paul Thompson, Muscatine

Expenditures: $667.78

Kas Kelly, Dist. 4

Party: Democrat

Cash donations total: $2,653

In-kind donations total: $688.51 ($307.51 personal)

Top 5 donors (includes in kind)

1. $307.51 — Kas Kelly, Muscatine

2. $300 — John Haskins, Muscatine

3. $250 — Richard Stanley, Muscatine

4. $225 — Strawberry Farm Bed and Breakfast (Karl and Linda Reichert), Muscatine

5. $200 — Michelle Heller, Muscatine

Expenditures: $2,303.69

Dale Bird, Dist. 3

Party: Democrat

Cash donations total: $990

In-kind donations total: $158.33

Top 5 donors (including in-kind)

1. $500 — American Federation of Labor, Local 431, Davenport

2. $100 — Tom Furlong, Letts

3. $100 — Quad City Federation of Labor, Rock Island, Ill.

4. $50 — Loren Bohnsack, Blue Grass; Betty McMahon, Muscatine; Don Paulson, Letts; Marilyn Schepers, Muscatine; Nancy Varner, Blue Grass

Expenditures: $2,526.81*

* Campaign owes debt and loans

David Watkins, Dist. 3

Party: Republican

Cash donations total: $290

In-kind donations total: $0

Top 5 donors (including in-kind)

1. $100 — Dan Petersen, Muscatine

2. $50 — Joan Axel, Muscatine

3. $50 — Bob Barrett, Wilton

4. $90 — Unitemized

Expenditures: $139.42

Source: Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board

Online

https://webapp.iecdb.iowa.gov/PublicView/?d=county%2fMuscatine%2fCounty_Candidate

NOTES: Ryan’s wife, Sue, also contributed $500 to the campaign and he accepted a combined $1,000 from Sheriff Greg Orr and Ardyth Orr.