Spending in Iowa's 1st, 3rd House Districts nears $50 million

• Both Iowa races feature well-funded Democratic challengers to two Republican incumbents.

State of play: Spending in both races has skyrocketed in recent weeks after both were flipped from "lean Republican" to "toss-up" by the nonpartisan election forecaster Cook Political Report.

By the numbers: As of Oct. 31, nearly $23 million was spent in the 3rd District between Republican incumbent Rep. Zach Nunn and Lanon Baccam.

• Republicans narrowly outspent Democrats by around $500,000.

Almost $24 million has been spent in the 1st District between Republican Rep. Marianette Miller-Meeks and former Democratic state Rep. Christina Bohannan.

• Democratic spending was ahead by almost $4.5 million, per AdImpact.

Flashback: In two years, both races have seen fundraising increases.

• 3rd District spending in the 2022 election, when Nunn defeated Democratic incumbent Rep. Cindy Axne, was around $18 million, according to research group OpenSecrets.
• 1st District spending that same election cycle, the first matchup between Miller-Meeks and Bohannan, was just over $10.6 million.