United States 2026 / By state / Iowa
Iowa · Midterm elections · 3 November 2026
Who paid to reach Iowa voters
The Democratic side outspent the Republican side in Iowa, $7.1M to $3.4M. The costliest race: House, district not named, at $3.6M. Ashley Hinson was the most-attacked name in the state.
Ads delivered from 4 May 2026 to 4 November 2026 · Results: unofficial count as of 6 November 2026
The races
Each race links to its candidates’ pages, with the unofficial count above its spend. Spend counts every ad about the race, the candidates’ own and outside groups’.
Democratic sideRepublican sideNo side (white figures)
U.S. Senate
Turek vs Hinson
$3.2M · 2,899 ads · 43 pages
- Joshua Turek$1.4M own
- Ashley Arenholz$158.8K own
- Outside groups and others$1.6M
Largest pages
- Josh Turek$1.4M
- WinSenate$966.7K
- AFP Action$165.8K
Governor
Sand vs Lahn
$1.6M · 2,448 ads · 52 pages
Largest pages
- Rob Sand for Iowa$1.1M
- Iowa Updates$303.3K
- Iowa Democratic Party$30.2K
U.S. House
House · 4 districts
$4.5M · 3,641 ads · 78 pages
- IA-3 · Sarah Trone Garriott$364.5K
- IA-1 · Christina Bohannan$278.2K
- IA-2 · Lindsay James$126.6K
- 1 other district, and ads naming none$3.7M
Other statewide offices
$266.8K · 802 ads · 16 pages
- Joshua Turek$348 own
- Outside groups and others$266.5K
Largest pages
State legislature
$1.2M · 2,529 ads · 158 pages
Largest pages
- The Truth About Josh Turek$409.3K
- Iowa House Republicans$232.2K
- Josh Turek$56.5K
Ballot measures
- Amendment 1 · Require a two-thirds vote of both legislative chambers to pass a bill that would increase the individual or corporate income tax ratePassedYes 56.3% · No 43.7%
$72.5K · 89 ads · 14 pages
Largest pages
Local races
$95.6K · 342 ads · 68 pages
Largest pages
- Vote Downballot$14.1K
- GoodPower$12.5K
- John Forbes for Polk County Supervisor$10.7K
U.S. House, district by district
4 districts with ads. A district is placed only when the ad names it, or the candidate’s FEC record does.
| District | Candidates with ads | Result | Largest page | Ads | Spend | Side |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IA-3 | Sarah Trone Garriott, Zach Nunn | Sarah Trone Garriott D 53.6% | Sarah for Iowa | 314 | $364.5K | |
| IA-1 | Christina Bohannan, Mariannette Miller-Meeks | Christina Bohannan D 52.8% | Bridgford For Iowa | 409 | $278.2K | |
| IA-2 | Lindsay James, Joe Mitchell | Lindsay James D 49.5% | Iowa Voice | 310 | $126.6K | |
| IA-4 | Dave Dawson, Chris McGowan | Chris McGowan R 59.1% | Josh Turek | 114 | $61.2K | |
| District not named | One Nation | 2,494 | $3.6M |
Who paid
The pages that spent the most on Iowa’s races; spend here is what each page spent in this state.
| # | Advertiser | Side | Race | Ads | Spend | Attack |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Josh TurekPaid for by Josh Turek for Iowa | Dem. | Senate | 2,571 | $1.6M | 31% |
| 2 | WinSenatePaid for by WINSENATE | Dem. | Senate | 177 | $1.2M | 100% |
| 3 | Rob Sand for Iowa | Dem. | Governor | 2,069 | $1.1M | 25% |
| 4 | The Truth About Josh TurekPaid for by SLF PAC | Rep. | House, district not named | 455 | $839.1K | 100% |
| 5 | One Nation | Rep. | House, district not named | 575 | $524.8K | 0.0% |
| 6 | American Bridge 21st CenturyPaid for by AB PAC | Dem. | House, district not named | 75 | $411.1K | 100% |
| 7 | VoteVetsPaid for by VOTEVETS | Dem. | House, district not named | 54 | $387.2K | 37% |
| 8 | Iowa VoicePaid for by SLF PAC | Rep. | House, district not named | 317 | $324.5K | 53% |
| 9 | Iowa UpdatesPaid for by Rob Sand for Iowa | Dem. | Governor | 20 | $303.3K | 100% |
| 10 | LCV Victory FundPaid for by LCV VICTORY FUND | Dem. | House, district not named | 20 | $270.3K | 100% |
| 11 | The American CenterPaid for by American Center | Dem. | House, district not named | 11 | $261.3K | 100% |
| 12 | Iowa House RepublicansPaid for by Republican Party of Iowa | Rep. | Legislature | 391 | $233.9K | 45% |
| 13 | Sarah for Iowa | Dem. | House IA-3 | 96 | $230.6K | 31% |
| 14 | AFP ActionPaid for by AMERICANS FOR PROSPERITY ACTION, INC.(AFP ACTION) | Rep. | Senate | 52 | $199.8K | 17% |
| 15 | Working America | Dem. | House, district not named | 562 | $188.9K | 54% |
| 16 | America PAC | Rep. | House, district not named | 48 | $187.3K | 100% |
| 17 | Ashley HinsonPaid for by ASHLEY FOR IOWA | Rep. | Senate | 86 | $172K | 31% |
| 18 | Bridgford For IowaPaid for by Bridgford for Iowa | None | House IA-1 | 145 | $129.4K | 23% |
| 19 | Zach Nunn for CongressPaid for by Iowans for Zach Nunn | Rep. | House IA-3 | 185 | $118.4K | 21% |
| 20 | Senate Leadership FundPaid for by SLF PAC | Rep. | House, district not named | 19 | $111.2K | 100% |
| 21 | Bird for Iowa | Rep. | Other statewide | 476 | $101.6K | 46% |
| 22 | Government That Works PAC | Dem. | House, district not named | 152 | $94.5K | 91% |
| 23 | Christina Bohannan for IowaPaid for by Christina Bohannan for Congress | Dem. | House IA-1 | 185 | $86.3K | 47% |
| 24 | CFFE PAC | Dem. | Senate | 12 | $75.6K | 100% |
| 25 | NRSC | Rep. | Senate | 78 | $72.6K | 36% |
Every page with ads about Iowa, with search and the CSV: the advertisers.
Who was attacked
| Target | Attack spend | Mostly by |
|---|---|---|
| Ashley Hinson | $2.4M | Democratic side |
| Josh Turek | $1.1M | Republican side |
| Zach Lahn | $367K | Democratic side |
| MAGA Republicans | $334.9K | Democratic side |
| Hinson | $162.8K | Democratic side |
| far-right money machine | $154.6K | Democratic side |
| Zach Nunn | $97.3K | Democratic side |
| Mariannette Miller-Meeks | $87.8K | Democratic side |
Google and YouTube
Google’s register holds 5,292 election ads from 188 verified advertisers aimed at Iowa alone since 4 May 2026, worth $46.4–56.4M by Google’s ranges, and 1,125 more named the state among others. Democratic committees and their allies bought the most.
5,292
Google ads aimed at Iowa alone
$46.4–56.4M
spent, by Google’s ranges
188
verified advertisers
56 / 44
% Dem. / Rep. side, of placed Google spend
| Advertiser | Side | Ads | Google spend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rob Sand for Iowa | Dem. | 475 | $5.6–6.8M |
| Josh Turek for Iowa | Dem. | 432 | $4.7–5.9M |
| SLF PAC | Rep. | 234 | $4.4–5.3M |
| WINSENATE | Dem. | 320 | $3.6–4.4M |
| Lahn for Governor | Rep. | 217 | $2.1–2.5M |
An ad counts for the state only when its targeting named no other; Google’s state split is cumulative since 2018 and is not used. Spend is a sum of Google’s per-ad ranges; a side comes from the advertiser’s FEC committee, or failing that from a web search of its verified name. No ad text is published, so Google ads are not placed in races.
A state’s page counts ads about its races and measures; the state comes from the ad’s text, page and payer, or the candidate’s FEC record. Ads about no single state are not here. Candidates are those whose FEC committees paid; state and local candidates appear through their pages.