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Democrat · Iowa Senate, district 37

Serving since Jan 3, 2023IA 2025–26 session

Portrait of Molly Donahue, rendered as a two-tone print
Official portrait
11.5×
the State Senate Democrat rate of personal attacks

27% of 244 statements contain a personal attack (67 statements); the average for State Senate Democrats is 2.4%. Ranks 1st of 329, where 1st is the highest rate.

An AI model reads each of Donahue’s posts on X and marks whether it attacks a person’s character, integrity or loyalty. The rate is the share of statements marked; it is compared with the average among State Senate Democrats and ranked against the same group.

At a glance

6 measures against State Senate Democrats. 1.2% of Donahue’s statements claim credit, in the bottom tenth of State Senate Democrats (average 16%). 1.5% of the 136 bills Donahue sponsored got out of committee, in the bottom quarter of the Iowa Senate.

The measures on which Donahue sits furthest from the middle of State Senate Democrats, each against the same group, with the CSIP score when there is one. Every number is explained in its own section below.

Personal attacks

27%

State Senate Democrats average 2.4% · ranks 1st of 329

Credit claiming

1.2%

State Senate Democrats average 16% · ranks 310th of 329

Out of committee

1.5%

Iowa Senate average 11% · ranks 43rd of 48

Extreme labels

2.5%

State Senate Democrats average 0.8% · ranks 39th of 329

Policy discussion

21%

State Senate Democrats average 43% · ranks 283rd of 329

CSIP ideology

−0.68

Left of 0, the centre of the scale · ± 0.04

Peer group: State Senate Democrats. Rank 1 is the highest value in the group; the thick bar is Donahue, the thin grey bar the peer average. The headline is the measure on which Donahue is most unusual among peers (Methods, §08).

Back to topNext: What politicians say

What Donahue says

Donahue claims credit less than 93% of State Senate Democrats. Credit claiming in 1.2% of 244 statements, against 16% for the average State Senate Democrat; 310th of 329.

An AI model reads each of Donahue’s 244 statements in the IA 2025–26 session (244 posts on X) and marks the kinds of statement it contains: a personal attack, criticism of a policy, discussion of policy, bipartisanship, credit claiming, and extreme labels. A statement can carry several. Every rate is compared with the average for State Senate Democrats and ranked among them.

Kinds of statement

Share of statements carrying each label, the IA 2025–26 session

0%80%
Donahue
Peers
Rank
Personal attacks67 statements
27%
2%
1st of 329
Policy discussion52 statements
21%
43%
283rd of 329
Policy criticism29 statements
12%
10%
112th of 329
Bipartisanship3 statements
1%
3%
217th of 329
Credit claiming3 statements
1%
16%
310th of 329
Show the data
Donahue's share of statements in each category against the State Senate Democrats average.
RowDonahuePeers
Personal attacks27%2%
Policy discussion21%43%
Policy criticism12%10%
Bipartisanship1%3%
Credit claiming1%16%
244

statements classified

244 posts on X.

posts on X: 244 (100.0%)posts on X 244
Show the data
Donahue's statements by source
PartValue
posts on X244
How to read the bars

The thick bar is Donahue; the thin grey bar is the average State Senate Democrats. A longer thick bar means Donahue does this more than peers. Rank 1 is the highest rate in the group.

Extreme labels

Donahue used extreme labels in 2.5% of statements, 3.0 times the peer average. 6 statements, most often aimed at Ashley Hinson; peers 0.8%.

  1. “extreme”2
  2. “MAGA”1
  3. “fascist”1

Who gets the labels

Targets named alongside an extreme label, by number of statements

  1. Ashley Hinson1
  2. magas1
  3. Republican Party1
  4. Your party1
What an extreme label is

Calls a politician, a party or a policy “far left”, “far right”, “MAGA”, “extreme”, “radical”, “woke”, “fascist” or “communist”. The target is who or what the label was aimed at. The lists show the five most used labels and targets; the toggle shows the rest.

Month by month

Share of statements per month, the IA 2025–26 session

Statements2025-01: 182025-02: 172025-03: 132025-04: 102025-05: 192025-06: 102025-07: 112025-08: 162025-09: 132025-10: 102025-11: 62025-12: 42026-01: 82026-02: 32026-03: 52026-04: 12026-05: 132026-06: 122026-07: 22026-08: 32026-09: 92026-10: 41peak 41 · Oct ’26Personal attackspeak 56.3% · Aug ’25 · latest 53.7%Personal attacks, 2025-01: 5.6% of 18Personal attacks, 2025-02: 23.5% of 17Personal attacks, 2025-03: 38.5% of 13Personal attacks, 2025-04: 30.0% of 10Personal attacks, 2025-05: 10.5% of 19Personal attacks, 2025-06: 20.0% of 10Personal attacks, 2025-07: 27.3% of 11Personal attacks, 2025-08: 56.3% of 16Personal attacks, 2025-09: 15.4% of 13Personal attacks, 2025-10: 20.0% of 10Personal attacks, 2025-11: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2025-12: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2026-01: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2026-02: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2026-03: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2026-04: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2026-05: 7.7% of 13Personal attacks, 2026-06: 25.0% of 12Personal attacks, 2026-07: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2026-08: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2026-09: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2026-10: 53.7% of 41Policy criticismpeak 30.0% · Apr ’25 · latest 0.0%Policy criticism, 2025-01: 11.1% of 18Policy criticism, 2025-02: 29.4% of 17Policy criticism, 2025-03: 23.1% of 13Policy criticism, 2025-04: 30.0% of 10Policy criticism, 2025-05: 26.3% of 19Policy criticism, 2025-06: 10.0% of 10Policy criticism, 2025-07: 27.3% of 11Policy criticism, 2025-08: 0.0% of 16Policy criticism, 2025-09: 0.0% of 13Policy criticism, 2025-10: 20.0% of 10Policy criticism, 2025-11: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2025-12: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2026-01: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2026-02: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2026-03: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2026-04: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2026-05: 7.7% of 13Policy criticism, 2026-06: 8.3% of 12Policy criticism, 2026-07: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2026-08: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2026-09: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2026-10: 0.0% of 41Policy discussionpeak 52.6% · May ’25 · latest 12.2%Policy discussion, 2025-01: 11.1% of 18Policy discussion, 2025-02: 35.3% of 17Policy discussion, 2025-03: 30.8% of 13Policy discussion, 2025-04: 40.0% of 10Policy discussion, 2025-05: 52.6% of 19Policy discussion, 2025-06: 20.0% of 10Policy discussion, 2025-07: 27.3% of 11Policy discussion, 2025-08: 6.3% of 16Policy discussion, 2025-09: 7.7% of 13Policy discussion, 2025-10: 20.0% of 10Policy discussion, 2025-11: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2025-12: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2026-01: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2026-02: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2026-03: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2026-04: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2026-05: 23.1% of 13Policy discussion, 2026-06: 16.7% of 12Policy discussion, 2026-07: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2026-08: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2026-09: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2026-10: 12.2% of 41Bipartisanshippeak 10.0% · Apr ’25 · latest 0.0%Bipartisanship, 2025-01: 0.0% of 18Bipartisanship, 2025-02: 0.0% of 17Bipartisanship, 2025-03: 0.0% of 13Bipartisanship, 2025-04: 10.0% of 10Bipartisanship, 2025-05: 0.0% of 19Bipartisanship, 2025-06: 0.0% of 10Bipartisanship, 2025-07: 0.0% of 11Bipartisanship, 2025-08: 0.0% of 16Bipartisanship, 2025-09: 0.0% of 13Bipartisanship, 2025-10: 0.0% of 10Bipartisanship, 2025-11: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2025-12: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2026-01: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2026-02: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2026-03: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2026-04: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2026-05: 0.0% of 13Bipartisanship, 2026-06: 8.3% of 12Bipartisanship, 2026-07: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2026-08: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2026-09: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2026-10: 0.0% of 41Credit claimingpeak 10.0% · Apr ’25 · latest 0.0%Credit claiming, 2025-01: 0.0% of 18Credit claiming, 2025-02: 5.9% of 17Credit claiming, 2025-03: 0.0% of 13Credit claiming, 2025-04: 10.0% of 10Credit claiming, 2025-05: 5.3% of 19Credit claiming, 2025-06: 0.0% of 10Credit claiming, 2025-07: 0.0% of 11Credit claiming, 2025-08: 0.0% of 16Credit claiming, 2025-09: 0.0% of 13Credit claiming, 2025-10: 0.0% of 10Credit claiming, 2025-11: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2025-12: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2026-01: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2026-02: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2026-03: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2026-04: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2026-05: 0.0% of 13Credit claiming, 2026-06: 0.0% of 12Credit claiming, 2026-07: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2026-08: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2026-09: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2026-10: 0.0% of 41Extreme labelspeak 16.7% · Jun ’26 · latest 2.4%Extreme labels, 2025-01: 5.6% of 18Extreme labels, 2025-02: 5.9% of 17Extreme labels, 2025-03: 0.0% of 13Extreme labels, 2025-04: 0.0% of 10Extreme labels, 2025-05: 0.0% of 19Extreme labels, 2025-06: 0.0% of 10Extreme labels, 2025-07: 0.0% of 11Extreme labels, 2025-08: 0.0% of 16Extreme labels, 2025-09: 7.7% of 13Extreme labels, 2025-10: 0.0% of 10Extreme labels, 2025-11: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2025-12: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2026-01: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2026-02: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2026-03: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2026-04: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2026-05: 0.0% of 13Extreme labels, 2026-06: 16.7% of 12Extreme labels, 2026-07: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2026-08: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2026-09: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2026-10: 2.4% of 41Jan ’25Jul ’25Jan ’26Jul ’26Oct ’26
Show the data
Monthly rates for Donahue, each row shaded against its own peak, with statement volume. Months with fewer than 10 statements are left blank.
ColumnStatementsPersonal attacksPolicy criticismPolicy discussionBipartisanshipCredit claimingExtreme labels
Jan ’25185.6%11.1%11.1%0.0%0.0%5.6%
Feb ’251723.5%29.4%35.3%0.0%5.9%5.9%
Mar ’251338.5%23.1%30.8%0.0%0.0%0.0%
Apr ’251030.0%30.0%40.0%10.0%10.0%0.0%
May ’251910.5%26.3%52.6%0.0%5.3%0.0%
Jun ’251020.0%10.0%20.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%
Jul ’251127.3%27.3%27.3%0.0%0.0%0.0%
Aug ’251656.3%0.0%6.3%0.0%0.0%0.0%
Sep ’251315.4%0.0%7.7%0.0%0.0%7.7%
Oct ’251020.0%20.0%20.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%
Nov ’256— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
Dec ’254— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
Jan ’268— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
Feb ’263— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
Mar ’265— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
Apr ’261— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
May ’26137.7%7.7%23.1%0.0%0.0%0.0%
Jun ’261225.0%8.3%16.7%8.3%0.0%16.7%
Jul ’262— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
Aug ’263— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
Sep ’269— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
Oct ’264153.7%0.0%12.2%0.0%0.0%2.4%
How to read the strips

Each row is one kind of statement; each cell is a month, shaded against that row’s own peak (darker = closer to the peak), with the peak and the latest value written at the right. The top row counts statements. The strip covers every month of the IA 2025–26 session, the same span as the rates above, including months with no statements. A month with fewer than 10 statements is hatched, not shaded: one or two posts would swing its rate to 0% or 100%. 9 months are hatched here.

In Donahue’s words

Real statements from the classifier’s example set, with the labels it assigned

Personal attacks

The text of this post is on X; follow the source link to read it.

Oct 24, 2026 · Posts on X (state legislators) · personal attacks · Source

Credit claiming

The text of this post is on X; follow the source link to read it.

May 7, 2025 · Posts on X (state legislators) · policy criticism; policy discussion; credit claiming; Agriculture and Food · Source

Extreme label

The text of this post is on X; follow the source link to read it.

Oct 6, 2026 · Posts on X (state legislators) · policy discussion; Government Operations and Politics; Armed Forces and National Security; extreme label “MAGA” aimed at Republican Party · Source

Examples by category

Up to five recent statements in each category

Category

Overtly questions a named person’s character, integrity or loyalty, or calls them names. Criticising a record or a policy does not count.

  1. Posts on X (state legislators)

    The text of this post is on X; follow the source link to read it.

    personal attacksSource

  2. Posts on X (state legislators)

    The text of this post is on X; follow the source link to read it.

    personal attacks · policy discussion · Education · target: Rob SandSource

  3. Posts on X (state legislators)

    The text of this post is on X; follow the source link to read it.

    personal attacks · target: Zach LahnSource

  4. Posts on X (state legislators)

    The text of this post is on X; follow the source link to read it.

    personal attacks · target: ZachLahnSource

  5. Posts on X (state legislators)

    The text of this post is on X; follow the source link to read it.

    personal attacks · target: Zach LahnSource

All 244 statements

Newest first, the IA 2025–26 session

The full feed

Five statements at a time, newest first; filters apply to the statements loaded so far. Export saves the statements that match. Sources: 244 posts on X.

Back to topNext: Policy

Policy

Education is what Donahue talks about most: 42% of policy statements, 2.9 times the peer share. Talk and legislation agree at 0.56 on a 0–1 scale (State Senate Democrats average 0.56; 129th of 228).

Each policy statement is tagged by the AI model with one or more of 25 policy areas from the Congressional Research Service list, so the shares say what Donahue talks about. The bills Donahue sponsors and cosponsors carry the same areas, so the two can be compared.

What Donahue talks about

Share of policy statements by area, the IA 2025–26 session

0%47%
Donahue
Peers
Education22 statements
42%
15%
Economics and Public Finance12 statements
23%
10%
Health9 statements
17%
17%
Agriculture and Food6 statements
12%
5%
Government Operations and Politics6 statements
12%
14%
Show the data
Policy areas Donahue talks about, as a share of policy statements, against the State Senate Democrats average.
RowDonahuePeers
Education42%15%
Economics and Public Finance23%10%
Health17%17%
Agriculture and Food12%5%
Government Operations and Politics12%14%
How to read the bars

The thick bar is the share of Donahue’s policy statements in an area; the thin grey bar is the average share for State Senate Democrats. A statement counts once in each of its areas, so shares can add to more than 100%. The five largest areas are shown; the toggle shows the rest.

Talks about · legislates on

Left: share of statements by policy area. Right: share of bills. Areas in order of their share of statements; both sides run from 0 to 47%. Grey ticks are the State Senate Democrats averages.

Talks aboutLegislates onEducationEducation, talks about: 42% (State Senate Democrats 15%)42%Education, legislates on: 15% (State Senate Democrats 9%)15%Economics and Public FinanceEconomics and Public Finance, talks about: 23% (State Senate Democrats 10%)23%Economics and Public Finance, legislates on: 1% (State Senate Democrats 3%)1%HealthHealth, talks about: 17% (State Senate Democrats 17%)17%Health, legislates on: 21% (State Senate Democrats 15%)21%Agriculture and FoodAgriculture and Food, talks about: 12% (State Senate Democrats 5%)12%Agriculture and Food, legislates on: 2% (State Senate Democrats 3%)2%Government Operations andPoliticsGovernment Operations and Politics, talks about: 12% (State Senate Democrats 14%)12%Government Operations and Politics, legislates on: 7% (State Senate Democrats 8%)7%
Show the data
Donahue's share of statements against share of bills in each policy area.
AreaTalks aboutState Senate Democrats, talks aboutLegislates onState Senate Democrats, legislates on
Education42%15%15%9%
Economics and Public Finance23%10%1%3%
Health17%17%21%15%
Agriculture and Food12%5%2%3%
Government Operations and Politics12%14%7%8%
0.56

talk-to-bills agreement, 0 to 1

State Senate Democrats average 0.56. Ranks 129th of 228.

What agreement means, and what it doesn’t

Agreement is 1 minus the distance between the two distributions (Jensen–Shannon): 1 means Donahue legislates on exactly the areas Donahue talks about, in the same proportions; 0 means no overlap. It does not say whether the bills match the positions in the statements, only the subjects. Bills Donahue sponsored count fully, cosponsored bills a quarter. Shown with at least 20 policy statements and 5 bills.

Back to topNext: Ideology

Ideology

Donahue sits at −0.68 on the CSIP scale, left of 0, more liberal than 55% of State Senate Democrats. Approximate range −0.72 to −0.64, which understates the uncertainty; from 655 donors and 1,009 roll calls.

CSIP, the lab’s Common-Space Ideal Point, places every official, federal and state, on one left–right scale, estimated from roll-call votes, who gives money to whom, and the text of statements. Negative is left of 0, positive right of it; 0 is the centre of the scale, not a definition of “moderate”.

−0.68

CSIP ideal point

Approximate range −0.72 to −0.64. From 655 donors and 1,009 roll calls. Run 2026-10-25T215945. Blue is left of 0, red right of 0.

← More liberalMore conservative →0Donahue −0.7State Senate Democrats −0.7Iowa Senate +0.4All State Senate +0.1

The outlined dot is Donahue, coloured by its side of 0 (blue left, red right, deeper further out); the bar through it is the approximate range (±1.96 standard errors), which understates the uncertainty; the grey ticks below are the medians of Donahue’s groups. 0 is the centre of the scale, not “moderate” by definition.

What this means, and what it doesn’t

The score summarises how an official votes, who funds them and how they talk, relative to everyone else. It does not grade positions as good or bad, and two officials with the same score can differ on any single issue. The ± range is 1.96 standard errors, which understates the uncertainty: scores whose ranges overlap may not differ at all, and even scores whose ranges do not overlap may not differ.

Where Donahue sits

Every official in each group, on the CSIP scale

−2.0−1.00.0+1.0+2.0← More liberalMore conservative →State Senate Democratsmedian −0.7Donahue −0.7Iowa Senatemedian +0.4All State Senatemedian +0.1
Show the data
Donahue's CSIP score of −0.68 placed against State Senate Democrats, Iowa Senate, All State Senate.
GroupOfficialsMedianShare left of Donahue
State Senate Democrats825−0.745%
Iowa Senate49+0.414%
All State Senate1909+0.119%
How to read the strips

Every small dot is one official on the same scale, coloured by its own score (blue left of 0, red right of 0, grey at 0, deeper further out) and spread up and down only to keep dots apart; where a group is crowded the dots overlap, and darker patches mean more officials. The large outlined dot is Donahue in every row; the rule is each group’s median. The table under the figure gives the share of each group to the left of Donahue.

Back to topNext: Money

Money

Donahue reported $16.0K in the 2026 cycle, 29% of the State Senate Democrats’ median of $55.5K. State filings report no small-donation total. 82% of itemized individual money came from Iowa.

Campaign money from state campaign-finance filings, as aggregates only; the lab never shows an individual donor. Campaigns must report by name every person who gives them more than $200 in a cycle (“itemized”); smaller gifts are reported only as one total (“unitemized”), so donor counts, donor states, employers and occupations describe itemized donors only. State filings report no small-gift total, so these figures add up itemized contributions only.

Election cycle
$16.0K

itemized in the 2026 cycle

From 97 itemized donors. State Senate Democrats’ median $55.5K.

Where the money came from

Each square is one percent of itemized contributions in the 2026 cycle.

Individuals (itemized): $10.3K (64.3%)Individuals (itemized): $10.3K (64.3%)Individuals (itemized): $10.3K (64.3%)Individuals (itemized): $10.3K (64.3%)Individuals (itemized): $10.3K (64.3%)Individuals (itemized): $10.3K (64.3%)Individuals (itemized): $10.3K (64.3%)Individuals (itemized): $10.3K (64.3%)Individuals (itemized): $10.3K (64.3%)Individuals (itemized): $10.3K (64.3%)Individuals (itemized): $10.3K (64.3%)Individuals (itemized): $10.3K (64.3%)Individuals (itemized): $10.3K (64.3%)Individuals (itemized): $10.3K (64.3%)Individuals (itemized): $10.3K (64.3%)Individuals (itemized): $10.3K (64.3%)Individuals (itemized): $10.3K (64.3%)Individuals (itemized): $10.3K (64.3%)Individuals (itemized): $10.3K (64.3%)Individuals (itemized): $10.3K (64.3%)Individuals (itemized): $10.3K (64.3%)Individuals (itemized): $10.3K (64.3%)Individuals (itemized): $10.3K (64.3%)Individuals (itemized): $10.3K (64.3%)Individuals (itemized): $10.3K (64.3%)Individuals (itemized): $10.3K (64.3%)Individuals (itemized): $10.3K (64.3%)Individuals (itemized): $10.3K (64.3%)Individuals (itemized): $10.3K (64.3%)Individuals (itemized): $10.3K (64.3%)Individuals (itemized): $10.3K (64.3%)Individuals (itemized): $10.3K (64.3%)Individuals (itemized): $10.3K (64.3%)Individuals (itemized): $10.3K (64.3%)Individuals (itemized): $10.3K (64.3%)Individuals (itemized): $10.3K (64.3%)Individuals (itemized): $10.3K (64.3%)Individuals (itemized): $10.3K (64.3%)Individuals (itemized): $10.3K (64.3%)Individuals (itemized): $10.3K (64.3%)Individuals (itemized): $10.3K (64.3%)Individuals (itemized): $10.3K (64.3%)Individuals (itemized): $10.3K (64.3%)Individuals (itemized): $10.3K (64.3%)Individuals (itemized): $10.3K (64.3%)Individuals (itemized): $10.3K (64.3%)Individuals (itemized): $10.3K (64.3%)Individuals (itemized): $10.3K (64.3%)Individuals (itemized): $10.3K (64.3%)Individuals (itemized): $10.3K (64.3%)Individuals (itemized): $10.3K (64.3%)Individuals (itemized): $10.3K (64.3%)Individuals (itemized): $10.3K (64.3%)Individuals (itemized): $10.3K (64.3%)Individuals (itemized): $10.3K (64.3%)Individuals (itemized): $10.3K (64.3%)Individuals (itemized): $10.3K (64.3%)Individuals (itemized): $10.3K (64.3%)Individuals (itemized): $10.3K (64.3%)Individuals (itemized): $10.3K (64.3%)Individuals (itemized): $10.3K (64.3%)Individuals (itemized): $10.3K (64.3%)Individuals (itemized): $10.3K (64.3%)Individuals (itemized): $10.3K (64.3%)PACs and other committees: $5,700 (35.7%)PACs and other committees: $5,700 (35.7%)PACs and other committees: $5,700 (35.7%)PACs and other committees: $5,700 (35.7%)PACs and other committees: $5,700 (35.7%)PACs and other committees: $5,700 (35.7%)PACs and other committees: $5,700 (35.7%)PACs and other committees: $5,700 (35.7%)PACs and other committees: $5,700 (35.7%)PACs and other committees: $5,700 (35.7%)PACs and other committees: $5,700 (35.7%)PACs and other committees: $5,700 (35.7%)PACs and other committees: $5,700 (35.7%)PACs and other committees: $5,700 (35.7%)PACs and other committees: $5,700 (35.7%)PACs and other committees: $5,700 (35.7%)PACs and other committees: $5,700 (35.7%)PACs and other committees: $5,700 (35.7%)PACs and other committees: $5,700 (35.7%)PACs and other committees: $5,700 (35.7%)PACs and other committees: $5,700 (35.7%)PACs and other committees: $5,700 (35.7%)PACs and other committees: $5,700 (35.7%)PACs and other committees: $5,700 (35.7%)PACs and other committees: $5,700 (35.7%)PACs and other committees: $5,700 (35.7%)PACs and other committees: $5,700 (35.7%)PACs and other committees: $5,700 (35.7%)PACs and other committees: $5,700 (35.7%)PACs and other committees: $5,700 (35.7%)PACs and other committees: $5,700 (35.7%)PACs and other committees: $5,700 (35.7%)PACs and other committees: $5,700 (35.7%)PACs and other committees: $5,700 (35.7%)PACs and other committees: $5,700 (35.7%)PACs and other committees: $5,700 (35.7%)
  • Individuals (itemized)64 squares$10.3K
  • PACs and other committees36 squares$5,700
Show the data
Sources of Donahue's money, 2026 cycle, one square per percent
SourceAmountShare
Individuals (itemized)$10.3K64.3%
PACs and other committees$5,70035.7%
What this means, and what it doesn’t

Totals say how much a campaign took in, not how it was spent, and they rise sharply when a seat is up for election; compare cycles with that in mind.

Receipts by cycle

Itemized contributions, 2020 to 2026. The grey line is the State Senate Democrats’ median for 2026.

2020 cycle: $90.9K$90.9K20202022 cycle: $60.1K$60.1K20222024 cycle: $18.5K$18.5K20242026 cycle: $16.0K$16.0K2026State Senate Democrats median $55.5K
Show the data
Donahue's receipts by cycle against the 2026 State Senate Democrats median.
ItemValue
2020 cycle$90.9K
2022 cycle$60.1K
2024 cycle$18.5K
2026 cycle$16.0K

Top donor states, 2026

Itemized contributions by donor state. 82% came from Iowa.

  1. Iowa$8,460
  2. Washington$1,200
  3. Arizona$425
  4. New York$50
  5. Minnesota$50

Small donations

State filings report no total for small gifts.

Not reported in state filings.

Where itemized donors live

Individuals who gave more than $200, by donor state

Alaska: no dataAKMaine: no dataMEVermont: no dataVTNew Hampshire: no dataNHWashington: $1,200WAIdaho: no dataIDMontana: no dataMTNorth Dakota: no dataNDMinnesota: $50MNIllinois: no dataILWisconsin: no dataWIMichigan: no dataMINew York: $50NYRhode Island: no dataRIMassachusetts: no dataMAOregon: no dataORNevada: no dataNVWyoming: no dataWYSouth Dakota: no dataSDIowa: $8,460IAIndiana: no dataINOhio: no dataOHPennsylvania: no dataPANew Jersey: no dataNJConnecticut: no dataCTCalifornia: $25CAUtah: no dataUTColorado: no dataCONebraska: no dataNEMissouri: no dataMOKentucky: no dataKYWest Virginia: no dataWVVirginia: no dataVAMaryland: no dataMDDelaware: no dataDEArizona: $425AZNew Mexico: no dataNMKansas: $50KSArkansas: no dataARTennessee: no dataTNNorth Carolina: no dataNCSouth Carolina: no dataSCDistrict of Columbia: no dataDCOklahoma: no dataOKLouisiana: no dataLAMississippi: no dataMSAlabama: no dataALGeorgia: no dataGAHawaii: no dataHITexas: no dataTXFlorida: $25FL
Show the data
Donahue's itemized individual contributions by donor state, 2026 cycle
StateValue
Iowa$8,460
Washington$1,200
Arizona$425
Minnesota$50
New York$50
Kansas$50
California$25
Florida$25
AlaskaNo data
MaineNo data
VermontNo data
New HampshireNo data
IdahoNo data
MontanaNo data
North DakotaNo data
IllinoisNo data
WisconsinNo data
MichiganNo data
Rhode IslandNo data
MassachusettsNo data
OregonNo data
NevadaNo data
WyomingNo data
South DakotaNo data
IndianaNo data
OhioNo data
PennsylvaniaNo data
New JerseyNo data
ConnecticutNo data
UtahNo data
ColoradoNo data
NebraskaNo data
MissouriNo data
KentuckyNo data
West VirginiaNo data
VirginiaNo data
MarylandNo data
DelawareNo data
New MexicoNo data
ArkansasNo data
TennesseeNo data
North CarolinaNo data
South CarolinaNo data
District of ColumbiaNo data
OklahomaNo data
LouisianaNo data
MississippiNo data
AlabamaNo data
GeorgiaNo data
HawaiiNo data
TexasNo data
97

itemized donors

People who gave more than $200

82%

from Iowa

Of itemized individual dollars

How to read the map

Every state the same size. Darker states gave more itemized money; hatched states had no itemized donors; the outlined state is Iowa. Gifts of $200 or less carry no address and are left out.

Top donor occupations

Itemized, 2026 cycle.

No occupations reported.

Top committees

PAC and committee contributions, 2026 cycle.

  1. IOWA HEALTH PAC$1,000
  2. CEDAR RAPIDS DEVELOPMENT GROUP PAC$750
  3. CREDIT UNION PAC$500
  4. INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF ELECTRICAL WORKERS PAC IBEW$500
  5. IOWA PROVIDERS PAC$500

Top employers

Itemized, 2026 cycle.

No employers reported.

Aggregates only. Individual donors are never named.

Back to topNext: Votes

Votes

Donahue voted with the majority of Iowa Senate Democrats on 97.2% of party-line votes and missed 6.6% of 589 roll calls. Iowa Senate on average: 95.7% party unity, 93.9% attendance. Across all roll calls, Donahue voted against the majority of Iowa Senate Democrats 17 times.

589 roll calls Donahue could vote on in the IA 2025–26 session, compared with Iowa Senate. Attendance is the share with a vote recorded. Party unity counts only party-line roll calls, where most Democrats and most Republicans voted on opposite sides, and is the share of those where Donahue voted with the majority of Iowa Senate Democrats. The count of votes against that majority covers every roll call where the majority took a side.

17

votes against the majority of Iowa Senate Democrats

Party unity 97.2%, Iowa Senate average 95.7%, ranks 30th of 49. 589 roll calls in the IA 2025–26 session.

Attendance and party unity

The thick bar is Donahue, the thin grey bar the Iowa Senate average. The scale runs from 80% to 100% to show the gap.

80%100%
Donahue
Peers
Rank
Attendance
93.3%
93.9%
37th of 49
Party unity
97.2%
95.7%
30th of 49
Show the data
Donahue's attendance and party unity against Iowa Senate.
RowDonahuePeers
Attendance93.3%93.9%
Party unity97.2%95.7%
What this means, and what it doesn’t

A missed roll call has many causes, from illness to campaigning, so attendance says how often, not why. A vote against the majority can be on procedure as well as substance, and many fall on roll calls where both parties split; the key votes below show the ones that decided something.

Key votes

25 roll calls the lab flagged as key in the IA 2025–26 session

Key votes
Party split (yea–nay)Why it’s key
Oct 2, 2026
HF 2801
A bill for an act modifying the major economic growth attraction program, and including effective date provisions.
Shall the bill pass?
NayWith majoritypassD 2–13 · R 26–6Democrats 2 yea, 13 nay; Republicans 26 yea, 6 naybecame law · party crossover
May 3, 2026
SF 2472
A bill for an act relating to state and local government taxes, fees, financial authority, and budgets, by modifying property assessment provisions, divisions of revenue, and funding from the secure an advanced vision for education fund, establishing a program for first-time homebuyers, modifying an
Shall the bill pass?
Did not vote—passD 11–1 · R 30–0Democrats 11 yea, 1 nay; Republicans 30 yea, 0 naybecame law
May 3, 2026
HF 2788
A bill for an act relating to abortions including definitions, informed consent, dispensing of abortion-inducing drugs, and other abortion-related provisions.
Shall the bill pass?
Did not vote—passD 0–11 · R 30–0Democrats 0 yea, 11 nay; Republicans 30 yea, 0 naybecame law
May 2, 2026
HF 2765
A bill for an act providing for the regulation of mining, making penalties applicable, and including effective date provisions.
Shall the bill pass?
Did not vote—passD 15–0 · R 31–0Democrats 15 yea, 0 nay; Republicans 31 yea, 0 naybecame law
May 2, 2026
HF 1036
A bill for an act relating to human trafficking, including screening children, civil statutes of limitations, an annual stakeholder meeting and report, depositions of victims, restitution, restorative facilities and protective services, and investigation and prosecution, and including effective date
Shall the bill pass?
Did not vote—passD 14–0 · R 31–0Democrats 14 yea, 0 nay; Republicans 31 yea, 0 naybecame law
How key votes are chosen

Automatically: a final-passage or override vote where the measure became law, the margin was under 10%, at least 10% of either party voted against its majority, or the bill was among the 25 most mentioned in officials’ own statements. Up to 25 per window, most recent first; five are shown. Bars show yea on the left, nay on the right, per party.

Votes most often with

The colleagues who voted the same way as Donahue most often

  1. Janet PetersenD494 shared votes97%
  2. Cindy WincklerD550 shared votes96%
  3. Janice WeinerD536 shared votes95%
  4. Art StaedD544 shared votes95%
  5. Liz BennettD458 shared votes95%

Votes least often with

The colleagues who voted the same way as Donahue least often

  1. Julian GarrettR237 shared votes64%
  2. Adrian DickeyR533 shared votes65%
  3. Dave RowleyR287 shared votes65%
  4. Dan ZumbachR470 shared votes65%
  5. Jack WhitverR497 shared votes65%
How to read the agreement lists

The share of roll calls both members voted on where they voted the same way, among colleagues sharing at least 50 such votes. High agreement with members of the other party is common on routine votes.

Full voting record

IA 2025–26 session, loads in batches

Back to topNext: Legislation

Legislation

Donahue sponsored 136 bills in the IA 2025–26 session; none became law. Cosponsored 0 others. 1.5% of sponsored bills got out of committee (Iowa Senate average 11%; 43rd of 48).

The bills Donahue sponsored and cosponsored in the IA 2025–26 session, from the official bill records, and how far each got: introduced, referred to or acted on in committee, passed one chamber, passed both, became law. A bill counts at every stage it has reached, so the blocks only shrink to the right.

Bills by stage

Counts for the IA 2025–26 session

Sponsored136 billsSponsored, Introduced: 136136Sponsored, In committee: 136136Sponsored, Passed one chamber: 22Sponsored, Passed both chambers: 00Sponsored, Became law: 00Cosponsored0 billsCosponsored, Introduced: 00Cosponsored, In committee: 00Cosponsored, Passed one chamber: 00Cosponsored, Passed both chambers: 00Cosponsored, Became law: 00IntroducedIncommitteePassed onechamberPassed bothchambersBecamelaw
Show the data
Bills Donahue sponsored and cosponsored, by furthest stage reached
RoleIntroducedIn committeePassed one chamberPassed both chambersBecame law
Sponsored136136200
Cosponsored00000
How to read the blocks

Ink blocks are bills Donahue sponsored, ochre blocks bills Donahue cosponsored; the figure above each block is the count. Most bills in any legislature never leave committee, so a short staircase is the norm.

1.5%

of sponsored bills got out of committee

Iowa Senate average 11%. Ranks 43rd of 48.

Cosponsorship partners

Colleagues who most often cosponsor with Donahue, by number of shared bills in the IA 2025–26 session; the square shows their party.

  1. Janet Petersen90
  2. Art Staed83
  3. Bill Dotzler78
  4. Tom Townsend75
  5. Cindy Winckler72
What this means, and what it doesn’t

The score is the share of sponsored bills that a committee reported out or a chamber passed, with at least 5 sponsored bills, ranked within the peer group. Members of the majority party and committee chairs move more bills, so the rank reflects position in the chamber as well as effort. Cosponsorship partners are the five colleagues who share the most of Donahue’s bills; the toggle shows more.

Bill list

Sponsored and cosponsored, with status and policy area; five are shown, the toggle shows the rest

Bills sponsored and cosponsored
SR 111A resolution recognizing the 150th anniversary of the establishment of the University of Northern Iowa.SponsorMar 23, 2026Passed one chamberUnassignedResolution adopted. Mar 25, 2026
SF 2360A bill for an act relating to partial payments of property taxes and including applicability provisions.SponsorFeb 17, 2026In committeeTaxation(model)Subcommittee: Dawson, Bisignano, and Gruenhagen. Feb 24, 2026
SF 2350A bill for an act relating to the use of automatic registration plate readers, and providing penalties.SponsorFeb 16, 2026In committeeCrime and Law Enforcement(model)Subcommittee: Schultz, Blake, and Bousselot. Feb 17, 2026
SF 2271A bill for an act relating to captioning requirements for motion picture theaters.SponsorFeb 11, 2026In committeeCivil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues(model)Subcommittee: Rozenboom, Schultz, and Townsend. Feb 12, 2026
SF 2272A bill for an act providing for a veterans’ benefits and services poster for employers to display in the workplace.SponsorFeb 11, 2026In committeeArmed Forces and National Security(model)Subcommittee: Reichman, Costello, and Townsend. Feb 12, 2026

Back to topNext: Online

Online

A site that has not changed in 90 days. Donahue’s official site had 1 page when last crawled on Oct 1, 2026.

The lab crawls Donahue’s official and campaign websites (weekly for Congress, monthly for the states) and keeps every page’s text, so changes can be read later; it also records social accounts and describes the images Donahue posts with a vision model.

Websites

How to read the counts

“Pages crawled” is the size of the site at the last crawl; “changes in 90 days” counts pages whose text differed from the previous crawl. Sites change for many routine reasons, such as new press releases, so a high count is not by itself notable.

Images Donahue posted

No images from Donahue’s posts have been described.

About the descriptions

Written by a vision model and may be wrong. Open the post to see the original. Five are shown; the toggle shows the rest.

State floor speeches

47 turns, Jan 12, 2026 to Oct 2, 2026

Floor speeches

Transcribed from chamber video or captions by the lab. They are not classified for kinds of statement.

Back to topNext: Methods and sources

Methods and sources

How this page was made. Profile built Oct 28, 2026; site last built Oct 28, 2026. Every number on the page is computed from the sources listed here, by the same rules for every official; nothing is written by hand.

The headline

The headline is the measure on which Donahue is most unusual among State Senate Democrats, chosen by one rule for every official of every party. The candidates are the rate of each kind of statement and of extreme labels, party unity, attendance, the small-donor share, the in-state share and total receipts of the latest cycle, the share of sponsored bills that got out of committee, talk-to-bills agreement, and the CSIP score’s place within the party group.

The builder ranks every measure within the same peer group the page compares it with, and writes each official’s percentile: the share of the group below the value, ties counting half, so 0.5 is the median and a value shared by many never ranks first. A measure’s score is how far that percentile sits from the median (0 in the middle, 0.5 at either end), and the highest score leads if it is above 0.25, outside the middle half of the group. Scores within 0.03 of each other are a tie, broken in this order: votes against the party majority, kinds of statement, ideology, roll calls missed, small donations, in-state money, legislation, agreement, extreme labels, receipts.

A measure counts only with at least 200 statements, 100 roll calls or 5 sponsored bills behind it and a peer group of at least 10. Two things never lead: high party unity or attendance, where most members sit, and a high rate of a kind of statement backed by fewer than 10 statements. When nothing qualifies, the headline is a neutral fact instead: statements classified, or years in office. The wording always names the direction (“in the bottom 5% of …”, “votes against the majority of …”).

Identifiers

Profile id
d675a03b-f474-4e1c-b48a-b78b399488c4
Open States
ocd-person/d675a03b-f474-4e1c-b48a-b78b399488c4

Bulk files with the same data for every official:

Freshness of this profile’s data

  • What politicians sayOct 27, 20261 days agoMembers of Congress: tweets since 2017; press releases, newsletters and floor speeches since 2022. State legislators: tweets since May 2024. Governors: tweets since January 2025. Labels from an LLM classifier.
  • Roll calls (state)Oct 21, 20267 days agoOpen States floor roll calls, 2019 on (none for AK and MO).
  • Bills (state)Oct 28, 2026todayOpen States bills and sponsors, 2019 on; stages from roll calls.
  • Campaign money (state)no dateState campaign-finance agencies, 2019 on; aggregates only.
  • Ideology (CSIP)Oct 25, 20263 days agoCommon-Space Ideal Points (CSIP), current validated run.
  • WebsitesOct 25, 20263 days agoWeekly crawls of federal sites since April 2026; monthly state crawls since June 2026.
  • State floor speechesOct 21, 20267 days agoState floor speech turns (published transcripts and captions), 2020 on; not LLM-classified.

How the measures work

What politicians say
Every post, press release, newsletter and congressional floor speech is read by a language model and marked for personal attacks, policy criticism, policy discussion, bipartisanship and credit claiming. A statement can be in several. Rates are shares of statements in the window. The methods paper.
Extreme labels
A statement has an extreme label when it calls a politician, party or policy “far left”, “far right”, “MAGA”, “extreme”, “radical”, “woke”, “fascist” or “communist”. The target is who the label is aimed at.
Policy areas and agreement
Statements and bills share 25 Congressional Research Service policy areas (state bills are assigned by a language model). Agreement is 1 − Jensen–Shannon distance between the two distributions, shown with at least 20 policy statements and 5 bills.
Ideology (CSIP)
Common-Space Ideal Points place federal and state officials on one left–right scale, estimated jointly from roll calls, campaign contributions and the text of statements, with standard errors. Only a validated run is shown. The methods paper.
Campaign money
Campaigns report by name only donors who give more than $200 in a cycle; smaller gifts are reported as one total. Federal totals and the small-donor share come from the FEC’s financial summaries of each campaign committee. Donor counts, donor states, employers and occupations cover itemized donors only. State filings report no small-gift totals, so state figures are itemized only. The lab never publishes donor names.
Votes and key votes
Attendance, party unity and the count of votes against the majority of an official’s own party come from roll calls (Voteview for Congress, chamber records for the states). Key votes are final-passage or override votes that became law, were decided by under 10%, saw at least 10% of a party vote against its majority, or concerned one of the 25 bills most mentioned in officials’ statements.
Peers and ranks
Comparisons are with the same party, chamber and level (for example House Democrats); state legislators are compared within their state and chamber for votes. Every comparison names its group. Rank 1 is the highest value in the group; tied values share the average of their ranks, and the percentile is the share of the group below the value, ties counting half.

America’s Political Pulse · Polarization Research Lab

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