I'm catching up reading party and PAC campaign finance reports at the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board; fortunately, staff at MinnPost and the Minnesota Reformer have checked out the money pots.
It's unfortunate that the code for the graphics in Peter Callaghan and Michael Nolan's DFL fundraising machine tops GOP after Minnesota’s September campaign finance deadline at MinnPost weren't useable by my platform's software--otherwise, I'd republished the article under the outlet's Creative Commons license.
Here's a taste of the article--head over to MinnPost for the rest of the copy and graphic illustrations of the facts:
Several independent expenditure groups supporting DFL candidates have spent more than $1 million so far, while the top GOP group spent just $709,000.
It is such a fact of life in Minnesota politics that it hardly even questioned anymore — Democrats will raise and spend more money than Republicans.
Credit — if you are a DFLer — or blame — if you are Republican — a more-than-decade-old fundraising network that combines a fundraising machine fueled by labor and some wealthy donors with potent data-driven campaigns. The state DFL party, the two DFL legislative caucuses, labor unions and their political action committees (PACs) and a permanent, full-time apparatus assures that the DFL is not short of funds to be competitive in statewide and legislative races.
The latest reports filed with the state Campaign Finance Board puts that on display — again. DFL-affiliated organizations are at the top of the list of fundraising and spending. The state DFL is outraising the state GOP; the DFL legislative caucuses are outraising the GOP caucuses; labor is outraising business; progressive PACs are outraising conservative PACs.
The triumvirate of DFL committees are the We All Do Better PAC, WIN Minnesota and Alliance for a Better Minnesota. The first two raise money, and ABM spends it. . . .
Republicans are trying to catch up with a new fund this year: Renew Minnesota. It was created by the Minnesota Private Business Council and has broken into the list of top fundraisers and spenders. Business groups like the Pro Jobs Majority and the Minnesota Business Partnership serve as major donors to GOP legislative races. . . .
And from the Minnesota Reformer: a look at both party's caucus fundraising.
Minnesota Democrats report record fundraising numbers with over a month left until election
by Michelle GriffithMinnesota House Democrats are steaming into the final 40 days of the election campaign with a $2.5 million cash advantage over House Republicans, according to campaign finance reports released Wednesday.
Labor unions and wealthy individuals with a long history of generous giving to Democrats combined to give the DFL a huge cash advantage going into the stretch run, allowing the party to open more offices with more field staff around the state and spend more on snail mail and digital advertising — all of which can tip races that will be decided by just hundreds or sometimes dozens of votes.
All 134 seats in the closely divided House will be on the ballot in November, but the two parties are focused on no more than two dozen battleground districts. Democrats currently hold a five-seat majority, and Republicans are fighting to gain control of the House to break up the DFL’s trifecta.
The latest batch of campaign finance reports are only from political party units and political action committees, not candidates, who will report their fundraising totals 10 days before the November election.
The House DFL caucus reported $3.5 million cash on hand as of Sept. 17, while the Minnesota House Republican Campaign Committee reported over $1 million. The House DFL has raised over $5.5 million since the beginning of the year, while House Republicans have raised over $1.8 million.
House Democrats in a statement said the caucus set a new fundraising record.
“We’re feeling the energy from voters at the doors as well, and we will be working hard to communicate with them until the polls close on election night,” House Speaker Melissa Hortman, DFL-Brooklyn Park, said in a statement.
House Republicans also said they broke fundraising records in their latest campaign finance report; $1.8 million raised this year broke a previous 2018 fundraising record by nearly $500,000.
“House Republicans are seeing record-setting support as we work to restore balance to Minnesota,” said House Minority Leader Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring, in a statement. “I’m grateful for the generous support we’ve seen from donors, grassroots supporters, and our members who have stepped up to build a strong campaign operation that has knocked nearly a quarter million doors and will be holding Democrats accountable for their extreme and expensive agenda.”
House Democrats received hundreds of thousands from political action committees of multiple labor unions, including over $400,000 from LIUNA — which represents construction workers across North America — and $110,000 from the Minnesota AFL-CIO. House Democrats have dished out hundreds of millions of dollars in public works projects across the state in recent years, including a $450 million project to renovate and expand the State Office Building, which is where House members have their offices.
Alida Messinger, ex-wife of former Gov. Mark Dayton and frequent DFL donor, gave the House DFL caucus $100,000 in February, and Vance Opperman gave House Democrats $100,000 in June.
House Republicans also received hefty donations from groups and individuals, including over $57,000 from the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association, over $15,000 from the Minnesota Business Partnership and $51,000 from the Minnesota Multi-Housing Association.
Control for the Minnesota Senate is also on the November ballot since former Sen. Kelly Morrison, DFL-Deephaven, resigned in June to focus on her congressional campaign. The Senate is now evenly split 33-33 between Democrats and Republicans, so the special election for Senate District 45 will likely draw millions in outside spending. The Republican running for the seat is Kathleen Fowke and the Democrat is former state Sen. Ann Johnson Stewart.
Minnesota Senate Democrats reported nearly $2 million cash on hand in their latest campaign finance report, and the Senate Republican caucus — known as the Senate Victory Fund — reported nearly $1.5 million cash on hand.
Labor unions also gave heavily to Senate Democrats. The Minnesota Association of Professional Employees donated $120,000 to the Senate Democratic caucus; Education Minnesota, the state’s teachers union, gave the caucus $75,000.
Large donors to the Senate Republicans include Stanley Hubbard, founder of Hubbard Broadcasting, which owns KSTP. Hubbard donated $60,000 so far this year to the Senate Republican caucus.
The Minnesota DFL Party reported over $2 million cash on hand, while the state Republican Party reported $38,000 cash on hand.
Large donors to the state’s DFL Party include Messinger, who has given the party $300,000; George Soros, who donated $125,000 to the DFL; and the Ohio Democratic Party, which gave its Minnesota counterpart $180,000 earlier this month.
Will money and enthusiasm maintain the DFL's trifecta? How will the pre‐general reports from candidates, due October 21, change the math?
Photo: Pricey! The Minnesota Capitol Building. Courtesy of Minnesota House Public Information Services, via Minnesota Reformer.
This Minnesota Reformer article is republished online under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
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