Iowa GOP accepts campaign fund of disgraced ex-Senate leader

[47of74]

Of course they did

The party's central committee accepted a $522,000 contribution from Dix's campaign on March 26, two weeks after the Shell Rock farmer quit the Legislature in disgrace, according to campaign finance disclosures filed this week.

Dix resigned hours after the Iowa Starting Line, a Democratic-leaning news site, published video of the married lawmaker and father kissing a female lobbyist in a Des Moines tavern. Republican leaders, including Gov. Kim Reynolds, said they were disappointed in Dix's unprofessional behavior and cozy relationship with someone who was lobbying to save millions in state payments to municipalities.

Dix had faced criticism and some calls to step down last year after the state paid a $1.75 million legal settlement to former Senate GOP communications director Kirsten Anderson, who was fired hours after complaining about a culture of workplace sexual harassment. A jury ruled last year that Senate Republican Caucus leaders violated Iowa laws preventing workplace harassment, discrimination and retaliation and awarded Anderson $2.2 million. Dix claimed that Anderson was fired for poor work performance.

Dix had $550,000 in his campaign, Friends for Dix, when he resigned from office on March 12. Under Iowa law, he could have given the money to political and charitable groups, returned it to donors or sent it to the state general fund.

[rurallib]

1. This stinks - should have gone toward paying that settlement

that WE are paying.