2026 candidate · follow the money
Who funds Joni K Ernst?
What they did in office.
Sitting member of Congress · Joni Ernst
In the U.S. Senate (IA) since 2015 · current term ends Jan 3, 2027
- Recorded yea or nay on 15 of the 16 key Senate floor votes captured in Hugin's snapshot
- 4 committees: Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, Armed Services, Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Small Business and Entrepreneurship (Chairman) · 8 subcommittees
- 159 committees reported contributions to them this cycle · 1 committee reported outside spending for or against them
Linked to this filing by its exact FEC candidate ID (S4IA00129) in the congress-legislators roster of Oct 21, 2026. Votes are one key floor vote per bill on bills named in contractor lobbying reports (Oct 29, 2026); committee seats are the roster as of Oct 24, 2026; money counts are FEC reports for 2026 as of Oct 24, 2026. These are what Hugin's snapshots captured, not complete records, and none of them is a score or evidence of motive.
The money.
- Raised
- $1.6M
- Spent
- $2.4M
- Cash on hand
- $1.8M
- Individuals 61% $997K
- PACs & other committees 39% $637K
- Other receipts 0.6% $9,386
Campaign totals through Sep 30, 2026. Excludes $363K moved between the candidate's own committees.
Outside groups: $0 supporting · $15K opposing
Biggest spenders opposing
- INDIVISIBLE ACTION $15K
Largest direct PAC contributions
Who gave.
Who gives
27% from Iowa · 73% from elsewhere
Of itemized gifts, by the state on each donor's mailing address. Giving from other states is lawful and common.
100% of itemized dollars came earmarked through a conduit such as ActBlue or WinRed; each gift is counted once.
Top states
- Iowa $60K
- Florida $45K
- Pennsylvania $20K
- Ohio $19K
- South Carolina $13K
- Virginia $13K
- North Carolina $10K
- Washington $9,541
Top employers named by donors
- APOLLO $11K
- CAPITAL CDC $1,250
Employers as donors wrote them on the form. A company listed here did not give this money; people who work there did.
Employers named by fewer than three donors, or filed as a person's name: $344K, not listed so no one donor is singled out.
Itemized gifts dated Jan 1, 2025 to Dec 2, 2025, net of refunds (31,054 entries). Every itemized contribution on FEC.gov ↗
From the principal campaign committee's FEC reports; joint-fundraising transfers and later reports are not included, and no donor is named here. A contribution is not evidence of a vote, favor or wrongdoing.
Outside money in the final weeks.
Outside spending including late reports: $0 for / $15K against · $0 in the final two weeks
Source: FEC regular reports. The final two weeks run Oct 21, 2026 to Nov 3, 2026, by the date each ad or mailing went out.
$15K of the $15K on late reports was filed as an estimate. A 24- or 48-hour report is due within a day or two of the spending; the spender's later regular report carries the final cost.
What it bought, per the late reports
- Digital ads 100% $15K
Largest late spenders against
- INDIVISIBLE ACTION $15K
Latest dissemination on these reports: July 7, 2025. FEC 24- and 48-hour independent-expenditure reports read November 4, 2026, with amended and re-filed reports counted once (1 entries). These reports on FEC.gov ↗
Outside spending is, by law, made without coordinating with the candidate and is not the candidate's money. Purposes are grouped from each spender's own description, so the groups are approximate. A dollar figure is not evidence of a vote, favor or wrongdoing.
Where it went.
Where the money went $1.2M in itemized spending
These itemized payments cover $1.2M of the $2.4M the campaign reported spending through Sep 30, 2026. The FEC has not yet itemized the rest in its bulk file, which runs to Jun 29, 2026.
- Advertising & outreach 29% $359K
- Consultants & strategy 8% $101K
- Fundraising & processing fees 22% $264K
- Polling, research & data 12% $142K
- Travel, meals & events 1% $14K
- Office, technology & overhead 4% $52K
- Legal & compliance 16% $190K
- Other or unclassified 8% $98K
Largest payees
- TARGETED VICTORY $344K
- SOCKO STRATEGIES LLC $210K
- CMDI $142K
- VENABLE LLP $133K
- TRUIST VISA $97K
Paid to individuals: $1,073, such as staff, contractors and reimbursements. People who were paid are not named here.
Payments dated Jan 2, 2025 to Jun 29, 2026, as itemized by the principal campaign committee in FEC reports (390 entries). Every payment on FEC.gov ↗
Grouped by each campaign's own description of the payment, so the groups are approximate. Payments of $200 or less to one payee need not be itemized, detail filed only as memo entries counts under other or unclassified, and spending by the candidate's other committees or by outside groups is not included. A payment is not evidence of a favor or wrongdoing.
Others who filed for this seat.
- Joshua TurekDemocrat · $23M raised · $10M outside
- Ashley Hinson ArenholzRepublican · $10M raised · $15M outside
- Nathan SageDemocrat · $1.4M raised
- James CarlinRepublican · $494K raised
- Jackie NorrisDemocrat · $364K raised
- James ScholtenDemocrat · $213K raised
- Thomas Raymond LaehnLibertarian · $61K raised
- Zach P WahlsDemocrat · $233K outside
Questions worth asking.
Money shows who backed a campaign, not how a person will act. Compare it with what they did and said: their votes or official actions if they have held office, their own statements, and their answers to a finding. Use the same questions for every candidate.
FEC bulk data read November 4, 2026. Campaign totals come from each filing's own FEC summary through its latest processed report. Outside spending is independent expenditures itemized in committee reports in the FEC bulk files, primaries included; late 24- and 48-hour reports, party coordinated spending, communication costs and groups that do not report to the FEC are not included. Outside spending is, by law, made without coordinating with the candidate, and it is not the candidate's money. A contribution or expenditure is not evidence of a vote, favor or wrongdoing. This page identifies the filing by its FEC candidate ID; a person can hold more than one filing.