Tibetts provides money snapshot of Iowa 1st District race.

Drawing on his own bank account, Bettendorf entrepreneur Mike Whalen raised more than $129,000 in the third quarter of this year for his 1st Congressional District campaign, boosting his year-to-date total to slightly more than his rival, Iowa Rep. Bill Dix, R-Shell Rock.

Dix, though, still has more money in the bank.

Whalen pumped $27,500 of his own money into the campaign for the three-month period that ended Sept. 30, according to reports filed with the Federal Election Commission.

The $129,271 he raised during the quarter brought his year-to-date total to $268,885. That is slightly more than the $267,070 Dix raised during the same period, $66,034 of it during the third quarter.

About 30 percent of Whalen’s money has come from his own pocket. Through the third quarter, he had contributed $82,742 to his campaign. Brian Dumas, his campaign manager, said Whalen’s lead in contributions and his hard work over the past several months show he is “solidifying the momentum in the race.”

Still, when Whalen’s contributions are discounted, Dix, the chairman of the Iowa House Appropriations Committee, maintains a lead in individual contributions as well as money in the bank. At the end of the third quarter, he had $184,728 on hand. Whalen reported having $131,040. “I’m flattered with the support we’ve received from Iowans,” Dix said.

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