March 29, 2024

Allen, Heartsill are out: What happens to their campaign money?

‘Doors and dollars’

Heartsill and Allen may be nearly out of politics, but for both soon-to-be former legislators there are still issues to resolve as they prepare to leave public service. Both candidates have sizable campaign accounts, and dissolving those accounts will take time, both men said in separate interviews.

Allen, whose campaign account has a balance of nearly $32,000, said he plans to divide the remainder of his campaign funds into three separate categories. During an interview Tuesday afternoon, the outgoing state senator said he’ll donate $10,000 to the Jasper County Democrats, along with an additional $17,000 to the Senate Majority Fund.

“That’s the plan right now. That could change as I go through this,” Allen said.

Allen said he plans to hold onto the remaining $5,000 to cover any additional expenses he incurs as he finishes out his term.

“That would be mileage, I think a hotel room, incidentals you do as an elected official,” Allen said. “I’m not going to buy any campaign signs or any of that stuff, but I still think I need to have something.”

For Heartsill, the question is less clear. During a phone interview last week, Heartsill said he hasn’t given much thought yet to how he plans to shut down his campaign operations.

A Jan. 19 campaign filing shows Heartsill’s campaign account has a balance of a little more than $5,000. After finishing the legislative session earlier this year, he transitioned quickly back to his full-time business, building fences. Business has been booming and Heartsill said he and his wife, Angie, who has served as his campaign manager, have yet to discuss how to disperse the remaining funds.

“I haven’t even sat down to think about it,” Heartsill said. “I’ve jumped from one job into the other, and with the exception of handling some constituent issues over the summer, you shut the legislative brain off.”

Candidates aren’t required to close their accounts within a specific time frame once they’ve left the race, according to Megan Tooker, executive director and legal counsel for the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Board. As long as candidates file once per year, they can leave their campaign accounts open indefinitely, whether or not they plan to run for public office in the future.

Tooker noted unlike state and legislative candidates, who tend to raise and spend money year-round, individuals who campaign at the local levels often go through long periods where their accounts remain dormant. Citing school board candidates, Tooker said often the only activity those accounts have is during an election season.

“There’s nothing in Iowa law that would require you to close a committee,” Tooker said.

Once a candidate decides to close down a campaign committee, there are some rules they have to follow, Tooker said. According to Iowa Code section 68A.301, candidates are prohibited from transferring funds from their campaign account to the account of another candidate. While they can transfer money to their state and local party organizations, Tooker said candidates are prohibited from specifying how the money is to be used. Tooker cited Shell Rock Republican Bill Dix, who resigned from the Iowa State Senate after a video of him kissing a lobbyist in a Des Moines bar surfaced earlier this year. On March 22, Dix transferred $252,000 from his campaign committee to the state Republican party.

While some candidates may return money to the party, that isn’t always the case, Tooker said. She cited former Republican gubernatorial candidate Ron Corbett as an example.

“We have some candidates that are not as close to their party as others, those people are less likely to give to their parties,” Tooker said. “If you look at (Ron) Corbett, he’s been returning money, which kind of makes sense, given the circumstances.”

Corbett, a Newton native, was kicked off the ballot after Former Political Director for the Republican Party of Iowa Craig Robinson challenged the signatures on his nomination papers. Unlike Dix, Corbett has opted to return as many campaign contributions to his donors as possible. Returning those contributions can be tricky, and Tooker said she typically advises candidates to come up with a consistent policy as they return contributions.

“What I tell them is to come up with a consistent plan to return contributions on a prorated basis,” Tooker said.

In addition to auditing campaign finance declarations from candidates across the state, Tooker also serves as a sounding board for candidates looking to close down their campaigns. She said her goal is to make sure she helps candidates disperse their money legally. Allen said he decided how to divvy up the funds remaining in his account after conferring with Tooker.

Allen said he has no plans to run for any elected office. Although both Dan Nieland, Allen’s Democratic replacement, and his opponent Zach Nunn, have invoked his name during the campaign, the outgoing state senator said he plans to keep a low profile during the campaign. While he’s met with Nieland, Allen said he wants to stay out of the limelight. He doesn’t want Nieland to feel like he’s imposing. On Tuesday, Allen credited his success to people who’ve done what he plans to do for Nieland — help behind the scenes.

“We had success in Newton because we had people in the right place at the right time,” Allen said. “A lot of people volunteered a lot of time and got a lot of work done, I was just the cheerleader. There’s so many people out there that have done so much.”

Like Allen, Heartsill ruled out a return to elected office. While he has endorsed Republican Jon Thorup in the race for his former seat, the Columbia Republican said he plans to stay on the sidelines this fall.

“At some point you have to take a step back,” Heartsill said. “I think he should adopt his own message, and adopt his own style. At this point, I’m just letting him run his way.”

Despite their promises to stay out of the election, both Heartsill and Allen offered the same advice to the candidates who have replaced them on the ballot this year — knock on as many doors as you can.

“That was my strategy, I knocked on practically every door,” Heartsill said. “If they’d already voted me that was the only reason I didn’t knock on that door.”

Allen distilled that strategy down to a simple message — campaigns are all about “doors and dollars.” Candidates need to meet as many voters as they possibly can and raise as much money as they can.

“You’ve got to get out there and let people ask you questions and answer them to their face,” Allen said.

Contact David Dolmage at 641-792-3121 ext. 6532 or ddolmage@newtondailynews.com