Senator A Sweeney was one of the twenty two senators that voted against landowner protections from eminent domain abuse with her NO vote on HF639 on 12 May 2025. She calls herself a friend of agriculture and yet could NOT lift a finger to protect landowners. No favorable legislation has moved out the Iowa Senate, in the four years preceding that vote, from any of the dissenters of HF639.

I have attended her townhall meetings and have raised concerns. I have asked her at a recent meeting in Poweshiek County this past fall, if she has ever received, either directly or indirectly funds from Bruce Rastetter. Senator Sweeney avoided the question and followed the consent of one of her surrogates at the meeting and directed me to look at her record on the Iowa Ethics pages.

In May 2012, her last year in the Iowa House, her campaign received two wire transfers from TEAM IOWA Political Action Committee, PAC #9775, as logged by her treasurer – the first one was for $40,000.00 on 5/17/12, the second was for $5,000 on 5/31/12, a total of $45k, both were wire transfers directly into campaign coffers. The Sweeney campaign also received a check for $250.00 from Team Iowa PAC.

That same month she also received In-Kind Contributions from the same PAC totaling more than $45,625.50.

During the same month, May 2012, Bruce Rastetter, of Summit, made three different contributions to TEAM IOWA PAC, first one was $10,000.00 on 5/09/12, second was $20,000.00 on 5/15/12 and lastly $15,000.00 on 5/17/12 …. totaling $45,000.00.

In that particular year, the General Assembly adjourned on 5/09/12.

All this may all be innocent, and all above board, but the perception is NOT good!

Mr. Rastetter has been very generous with his political contributions and the record shows that he made 17 contributions to Team Iowa PAC totaling $356,000.00 per the Iowa Ethics Website.

Our Senator has a conflict of interest. Ground purchased from Summit, indirect contributions from B Rastetter…. I’m still exploring, but that alone and the force fed comment in her Jan. 1, 2026 newsletter tells me that she has lost our trust and should recuse herself from any and all votes on Carbon Capture and Sequestration.