Fallon reports raising nearly $172,000

Monday, April 14, 2008

(The Des Mojnes Register)

JANE NORMAN
REGISTER WASHINGTON BUREAU

Washington, D.C. – A Democratic challenger in central Iowa filed a campaign finance report today showing he has raised $171,618 in his bid to unseat U.S. Rep. Leonard Boswell, a Des Moines Democrat.

Ed Fallon, a Des Moines Democrat and former state legislator, said in Federal Election Commission documents that all of the contributions, collected between Jan. 1 and March 31, came from individuals.

Fallon has been highly critical of Boswell for collecting 74 percent of his campaign money from political action committees last year, while Boswell and his supporters have pointed out that Fallon benefits from organizations such as Democracy for America that direct contributions to campaigns via the Internet.

Fallon said in the FEC report that he spent $151,885 and has about $19,700 cash left in the bank.

Aides to Boswell said that he raised about $260,000 during the first quarter of the year. Of that sum, close to $141,000 came from individuals, or about 54 percent. The rest, about 46 percent, came from political action committees, a marked decrease in reliance on PACs for Boswell compared to 2007.

Boswell ended the quarter with nearly $841,000 in the bank, far more than Fallon, Boswell aides pointed out. Mark Daley, a spokesman, said that Boswell had a "tremendous" fund-raising event earlier this month with Gov. Chet Culver and Lt. Gov. Patty Judge at the home of Democratic activists James and Roxanne Conlin, and many contributions came in prior to the event so they were included in the first-quarter report.

Fallon said in a press release that he had 2,082 contributors during the quarter, who gave an average of $82.43 each.

However, the FEC report shows some Fallon supporters giving much larger amounts.

Those giving $2,300 each, the maximum individual contribution allowed under the law, included lawyer Tarita Benzoni of Des Moines; lawyer James Benzoni of Des Moines; Ben Cohen of Sioux Falls, S.D., the co-founder of Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream; freelance writer Laura Belin of Windsor Heights; retiree Carol Fuchs of Ames; pipe fitter Tom Heston of Des Moines; Barb Hurd of Des Moines; David Hurd of Des Moines; Colorado physician Jeremiah Kaplan; Marilynn Keller of Cedar Rapids; Phyllis Stevens of West Des Moines; Iowa State University professor Jerry Lamsa; and publisher John Langan of Voorhees, N.J.

Also listed are two contributions to the campaign, of $187.50 each, that are listed as having come from Fallon but are labeled as a "partnership attribution."

Stacy Brenton, a campaign spokeswoman, said that the contributions represent two emails sent from I'M for Iowa to the group's supporters, in which Fallon's candidacy was mentioned. Fallon started I'M for Iowa last year to promote issues such as climate control and clean elections, as well as to draw a salary.

Brenton said Fallon estimated he spent four hours on each e-mail and $187.50 was the value of his labor.

State Sen. Dick Dearden has said he plans to complain to the Federal Elections Commission about Fallon's use of the advocacy group. Dearden, also a Democrat, has alleged that Fallon's group violated federal campaign law by promoting his campaign for Congress without disclosing its source of money.

Dearden supports Boswell.

Fallon has denied any impropriety and says Boswell and his backers are trying to avoid discussing the issues.

I'M for Iowa is registered as a trade name with the Polk County recorder, not as a corporation with the Iowa Secretary of State. Neither are required to disclose their sources of money. Fallon has said I'M for Iowa has not received contributions from corporations.

He has also said that he felt obliged to notify his I'M for Iowa supporters that he would be a candidate for Congress, as he did in a January e-mail before announcing his candidacy.