Two state senators are proposing an amendment to Iowa’s Constitution that would ban Iowa corporations from making donations to political candidates or political action committees. Senator Zach Wahls, a Democrat from Coralville who is running for the U.S. Senate, says it’s similar to a Montana initiative that sought to prohibit corporations from directly or indirectly contributing to candidates. “Iowa’s democracy should belong to Iowans,” Wahls said, “not to corporate dark money and not to anonymous political spenders.” Senator David Sires, a Republican from Cedar Falls, says a PAC — allowed to conceal the names of its donors — spent tens of thousands of dollars trying to defeat him during his 2024 campaign for the state senate. “When donors are hidden, citizens can’t evaluate who’s trying to influence them,” Sires said. “Anonymous influence allows powerful influence to shape outcomes without public accountability.”
Earlier this month, Montana’s Supreme Court ruled the concept was unconstitutional and it’s unlikely to be considered in the Republican-led Iowa Legislature. In 2010, the U-S Supreme Court ruled corporate spending to support causes or candidates amounted to political speech that’s protected by the First Amendment of the U-S Constitution.
