2026 candidate · follow the money
Who funds Thomas Raymond Laehn?
The money.
- Raised
- $61K
- Spent
- $67K
- Cash on hand
- $9,035
- Individuals 99.6% $61K
- Candidate's own money & loans 0.3% $196
Campaign totals through Oct 14, 2026.
No independent expenditures for or against this filing are itemized in the bulk file.
Who gave.
Who gives $61K from individuals
19% in small-dollar gifts
$12K of $61K came unitemized: from donors whose gifts to the campaign this cycle total $200 or less, whom the campaign does not have to name.
Adding itemized gifts from donors whose itemized total is $200 or less, about 21%. Many small gifts sent through ActBlue or WinRed are itemized anyway, so the first figure runs low; this estimate groups donors by name and ZIP code as filed and counts only itemized gifts already in the FEC bulk file.
38% from Iowa · 62% from elsewhere
Of itemized gifts, by the state on each donor's mailing address. Giving from other states is lawful and common.
Top states
- Iowa $19K
- California $8,600
- Colorado $4,100
- Massachusetts $3,500
- New Mexico $3,500
- New York $3,500
- South Carolina $3,500
- Kentucky $1,500
Retired, self-employed, not employed or not given: $27K. Employers named by fewer than three donors, or filed as a person's name: $23K, not listed so no one donor is singled out.
Summary through Oct 14, 2026. Itemized gifts dated Jan 13, 2025 to Oct 12, 2026, net of refunds (81 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: $958K for / $101K against · $1.1M in the final two weeks
Source: FEC 24- and 48-hour reports. The final two weeks run Oct 21, 2026 to Nov 3, 2026, by the date each ad or mailing went out.
$19K of the $1.1M 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 64% $678K
- Ads, medium not stated 0.1% $713
- Mail, print & signs 29% $308K
- Phones & texts 4% $41K
- Other or unclassified 3% $31K
Largest late spenders for
- OUR HERITAGE MATTERS $711K
- HAWKEYE LIBERTY PAC $227K
- PRINCIPLED PATRIOTS PAC $19K
- STARKFREEDOM PAC $521
Largest late spenders against
Latest dissemination on these reports: November 2, 2026. FEC 24- and 48-hour independent-expenditure reports read November 4, 2026, with amended and re-filed reports counted once (59 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 $61K in itemized spending
- Advertising & outreach 27% $16K
- Consultants & strategy 9% $5,172
- Staff & payroll 3% $1,776
- Fundraising & processing fees 2% $1,089
- Travel, meals & events 13% $7,726
- Office, technology & overhead 2% $997
- Legal & compliance 29% $18K
- Other or unclassified 17% $10K
Largest payees
- SMARTPRESS $11K
- ART OF ARIES STUDIOS $2,746
- SQUARESPACE $1,480
- STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF IOWA $1,000
- HOYT, MORAIN & HOMMER, PC $950
Paid to individuals: $36K, such as staff, contractors and reimbursements. People who were paid are not named here.
Payments dated May 30, 2025 to Oct 14, 2026, as itemized by the principal campaign committee in FEC reports (207 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
- Joni K ErnstRepublican · $1.6M raised · $15K outside
- Nathan SageDemocrat · $1.4M raised
- James CarlinRepublican · $494K raised
- Jackie NorrisDemocrat · $364K raised
- James ScholtenDemocrat · $213K 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.