State representative raises thousands for possible Congressional campaign

One of the candidates who’s eyeing Jim Nussle’s seat in Congress has raised 117-thousand dollars in the past two months for a campaign. Republican Bill Dix of Shell Rock has been a state Representative for the past decade, and is preparing to run for Congress in the First Congressional district which includes Davenport, Dubuque and Waterloo. “We’re just very encouraged,” Dix says of the fundraising. “It’s quite exciting the number of people who are coming forward with their checkbooks.” Dix, because he’s a legislator, cannot raise money from registered lobbyists during the legislative session for a state race, but there’s no restriction on raising money from lobbyists for a federal race. But Dix has decided to keep his fundraising to residents of the first congressional district for the time being. “It’s no different than anything else. When you start talking about things like this, you begin with your family, your friends, your close supporters and then they begin talking with others.” Yesterday, Brian Kennedy, chairman of the Iowa Republican party 10 years ago when Dix was first elected to the Iowa House, entered the race. Republican Mike Whalen of Bettendorf, owner of the Machine Shed restaurant chain, has also started his own campaign for Nussle’s seat. There are a number of Democrats who are eyeing Nussle’s seat, too, including Bill Gluba who ran against Nussle in 2004.