Why House Races Can Break Through and Senate Races Almost Never Do
What a simple spending quiz from Iowa reveals about the true barrier to third-party Senate campaigns
People often argue that third-party or independent candidates fail because of culture, polarization, or ballot access. Those factors matter, but money matters first. Even in a small state with a relatively inexpensive media market, the cost difference between House and Senate races is enormous. This short quiz uses Iowa to make that difference concrete.
Why this quiz
A recurring argument for third-party or independent runs is that some races are simply “too expensive” to contest seriously. That claim is not equally true across offices.
U.S. House races, especially in smaller states, can sometimes be competitive at single-digit millions. In Iowa, several House races have been decided by razor-thin margins, and there is at least one closely contested seat opening up because a Republican incumbent is running for the Senate. In that context, a well-organized, well-targeted House campaign costing a couple of million dollars can plausibly matter.
U.S. Senate races are different. Even in a small, relatively inexpensive media state, the financial scale is much larger.
I am illustrating this point by giving you questions on the relative costs of House and Senate races in Iowa, a small state with a relatively inexpensive media market.
Quiz Question 1: Iowa U.S. House (2024)
In the 2024 general election, Iowa held four U.S. House races. Looking only at campaign spending by the general-election nominees from the two major parties, how much did Republicans and Democrats spend in total, and what was the statewide House total?
A)
Republicans: $9.0 million
Democrats: $6.1 million
Statewide total: $15.1 million
B)
Republicans: $13.0 million
Democrats: $8.1 million
Statewide total: $21.1 million
C)
Republicans: $18.7 million
Democrats: $11.6 million
Statewide total: $30.3 million
D)
Republicans: $24.5 million
Democrats: $15.2 million
Statewide total: $39.7 million
Quiz Question 2: Iowa U.S. Senate (2020)
In the 2020 Iowa U.S. Senate general election, the race featured an incumbent Republican senator and a well-funded Democratic challenger.
How much did each major-party candidate spend, and what was the statewide total?
A)
Republican: Joni Ernst — $19 million
Democrat: Theresa Greenfield — $26 million
Statewide total: $45 million
B)
Republican: Joni Ernst — $34 million
Democrat: Theresa Greenfield — $73 million
Statewide total: $107 million
C)
Republican: Joni Ernst — $30 million
Democrat: Theresa Greenfield — $56 million
Statewide total: $86 million
D)
Republican: Joni Ernst — $46 million
Democrat: Theresa Greenfield — $94 million
Statewide total: $140 million
Answer and discussion
