House District 23

2026 general election · 2-way race · 2024: Ray Bubba Sorensen +44.4%

Voter registration (Sep 2026): R+32.1 of 19,914 active voters · R +2.1 since Nov 2024

Democratic 18% · No party 31% · Republican 50% · Other 1%

Ray Bubba Sorensen holds 4.2× the campaign cash of Karen Varley — $25,256.90 to $6,045.14.

Ray Bubba Sorensen

Republican

Cash on hand (money in the bank) · as of 2026-07-18

$25,256.90

raised $6,250.00 in the latest report (2026) · $39,396.21 in cash this election (since 2025)

plus $586.76 in donated goods and services this election (since 2025) — staff, mail, polling and the like, which is support rather than money in the bank

Biggest donors · cash, since 2023

Cedar Rapids Development Group PAC $6,000.00

Brent and Teresa Voss $5,000.00

Credit Union PAC $3,000.00

Full committee money →

Incumbent · voting record →

Karen Varley

Democrat

Cash on hand (money in the bank) · as of 2026-07-19

$6,045.14

raised $3,626.00 in the latest report (2026) · $11,416.00 in cash this election (since 2025)

Biggest donors · cash, since 2023

Adair County Democratic Central Committee $4,300.00

Linda Miller $600.00

Susan Olesen $500.00

Full committee money →

Where the money comes from

Who gives to each campaign, and where those donors live, for this election (since 2025). Cash the state lists donor-by-donor.

Ray Bubba Sorensen · Republican

Who gives · this election (since 2025)

Individuals 36% ($11,846.21)PACs & committees 64% ($21,300.00)

Shares are of the $33,146.21 that donors gave this election (since 2025). Of the $21,300.00 from PACs and committees, $19,700.00 is from PACs, $100.00 from other candidates' campaigns and $1,500.00 from committees whose type isn't in the filings we hold (they file no Iowa disclosure report of their own, so the state's records we have don't say whether they are a PAC, a party or a candidate).

Where they live · this election (since 2025)

In the district 12% ($3,860.00)ZIP crosses the district line 15% ($5,000.00)Elsewhere in Iowa 60% ($19,836.21)Iowa, ZIP not mapped 7% ($2,250.00)Outside Iowa 7% ($2,200.00)

Between 12% and 27% of the $33,146.21 whose donor listed an address came from inside the district (House District 23) this election (since 2025). It's a range because donor addresses are placed by ZIP code, and some ZIP codes cross the district line.

93% came from somewhere in Iowa and 7% from outside the state. $2,250.00 of the Iowa money has a ZIP code with no area on the map (a post office box, for example), so it can't be placed in or out of the district.

Its filings report $39,396.21 raised in cash this election (since 2025), and $33,146.21 of that is listed donor-by-donor. The bars use the donor-by-donor part. Its newest report (filed 2026-07-18, $6,250.00 raised, for the period ending 2026-07-14) is not yet in the donor-by-donor rows we hold, so the bars stop at the report before it. · full record →

Not in the bars: $586.76 in donated goods and services this election (since 2025).

Karen Varley · Democrat

Who gives · this election (since 2025)

Individuals 44% ($3,440.00)PACs & committees 55% ($4,300.00)Other organizations 1% ($50.00)

Shares are of the $7,790.00 that donors gave this election (since 2025). Of the $4,300.00 from PACs and committees, $4,300.00 is from party committees.

Where they live · this election (since 2025)

In the district 79% ($6,150.00)ZIP crosses the district line 4% ($300.00)Elsewhere in Iowa 17% ($1,340.00)

Between 79% and 83% of the $7,790.00 whose donor listed an address came from inside the district (House District 23) this election (since 2025). It's a range because donor addresses are placed by ZIP code, and some ZIP codes cross the district line.

100% came from somewhere in Iowa and 0% from outside the state.

Its filings report $11,416.00 raised in cash this election (since 2025), and $7,790.00 of that is listed donor-by-donor. The bars use the donor-by-donor part. Its newest report (filed 2026-07-19, $3,626.00 raised, for the period ending 2026-07-14) is not yet in the donor-by-donor rows we hold, so the bars stop at the report before it. · full record →

Method: itemized cash contributions (Schedule A, transaction type CON) since 2025-01-01, refunds netted, the committee's own account interest excluded. Each donor is placed by the state and 5-digit ZIP code on the filing. A ZIP code counts as in the district when at least 98% of its Iowa land area (Census ZCTA) falls inside it, as crossing the line when between 2% and 98% does, and as elsewhere in Iowa otherwise. Iowa ZIP codes with no Census area (post office boxes) are shown on their own. In-kind support and loans are never in either bar.

The seat's record

Current officeholder: Ray Sorensen (Republican) · full voting record →

Voted YES on SF 607 : Unemployment insurance employer tax cut

Voted YES on HF 639 : Hazardous liquid pipeline / eminent domain limits

Voted YES on SF 472 : Public-sector union recertification petitions

Voted YES on HF 2104 : CO2 pipeline eminent domain ban

From the key-votes set on wages, labor, utilities and eminent domain, and school funding — the same set for every legislator, both parties. Each bill is described by what it does; its official title is on the bill page.

Explore win scenarios for this race → what turnout and crossover it would take, on the real electorate

Fundraising rate

New money raised per day of each candidate's latest report — the pace of fundraising, comparable even when reports cover spans of different length. The small bars trace how that pace moved across recent reports.

Ray Bubba Sorensen $102/day

$6,250.00 over 61 days · latest report

Karen Varley $59/day

$3,626.00 over 61 days · latest report

Rate = money raised ÷ days the report covers. ("Money raised" is the report's cash-contribution line — Schedule A.) Faded bars are earlier reports' rates; the solid bar is the latest. State committees only. A period's total can arrive as one large check or many small gifts — the rate can't tell them apart; a committee's donation page breaks its money down by gift size.

More of your 2026 ballot

Governor → · every 2026 race →

General election: Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Check your registration and polling place with the Iowa Secretary of State. Legislative districts are rarely publicly polled; if a qualifying public poll appears for this race it will be shown here.

Candidates: Iowa Secretary of State 2026 general-election list. Cash figures: each candidate's latest state disclosure filing; a newly announced challenger may not have filed yet. State money only — any federal committee is separate.