National Organization for Marriage Makes Big Ad Buy in Iowa

The Iowa Independent’s Chase Martyn reports that the anti-gay marriage group is spending money in Iowa to support a Republican state house candidate.

According to a report filed with the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board yesterday, the anti-gay marriage group National Organization for Marriage has purchased $86,060 worth of television and radio ads to support Stephen Burgmeier, the Republican candidate in the special election in Iowa House District 90.

The “independent expenditure” report (pdf), which the group was required by law to file, is scant on any other details of the ad buy, and so far I do not see the ads published anywhere online. NOM Executive Director Brian S. Brown’s signature is at the bottom of the form, which lists a Washington, D.C., address.

It’s safe to say that in rural Iowa, $86,068 buys a lot of advertising time. It is comparable to the amount that some candidates — even in close races — will spend on television and radio over the course of a full-length general election campaign.

In case you’d forgotten, NOM drew a lot of attention earlier this year for this.