Campaign finance requirements govern how much money candidates may receive from individuals and organizations, how often they must report those contributions, and how much individuals, organizations, and political entities may contribute to campaigns.
While campaign finance is not the only factor in electoral outcomes, successful fundraising can provide a candidate with advantages during a campaign. Fundraising can also indicate party momentum.
This article lists top fundraisers in the Minnesota State Senate, overall and by party. It is based on campaign finance reports that officeholders in and candidates for the State Senate submitted to the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board. It includes activity between Jan. 1, 2022, and June 30, 2022.
Top fundraisers in the Minnesota State Senate by party
The top fundraisers in Minnesota State Senate elections are shown below. Individuals are presented with the office that they are on the ballot for in 2022, if applicable.
In the Democratic Party, the top fundraisers in the most recent semiannual reporting period were:
- Kelly Morrison (District 45) – $100,108
- Grant Hauschild (District 3) – $69,471
- Aleta Borrud (District 24) – $60,750
- Clare Oumou Verbeten (District 66) – $59,405
- Heather Gustafson (District 36) – $55,352
In the Republican Party, the top fundraisers in the most recent semiannual reporting period were:
- Kathleen Fowke (District 45) – $188,552
- Paul Gazelka – $99,358
- Michelle Benson – $82,132
- Tom Dippel (District 41) – $61,958
- Steve Wenzel (District 10) – $43,571
Fundraising totals
Overall, Democratic officeholders and candidates raised $1.3 million in this period. Republican officeholders and candidates raised $1.3 million. Combined, all State Senate fundraisers in the Jan. 1, 2022, through June 30, 2022, filing period raised $2.6 million.
The five largest Democratic fundraisers were responsible for 27 percent of all Democratic State Senate fundraising. The five largest Republican fundraisers were responsible for 36 percent of all Republican State Senate fundraising.
The table below provides additional data from the campaign finance reports from the top 10 fundraisers during this period.
| TOP 10 FUNDRAISERS – MINNESOTA STATE SENATE (Jan. 1, 2022, through June 30, 2022) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Party Affiliation | Raised | Spent |
| Kathleen Fowke | Republican Party | $188,552 | $31,962 |
| Kelly Morrison | Democratic Party | $100,108 | $33,904 |
| Paul Gazelka | Republican Party | $99,358 | $156,957 |
| Michelle Benson | Republican Party | $82,132 | $205,095 |
| Grant Hauschild | Democratic Party | $69,471 | $14,732 |
| Tom Dippel | Republican Party | $61,958 | $20,638 |
| Aleta Borrud | Democratic Party | $60,750 | $54,309 |
| Clare Oumou Verbeten | Democratic Party | $59,405 | $18,236 |
| Heather Gustafson | Democratic Party | $55,352 | $15,099 |
| Erin Maye Quade | Democratic Party | $54,386 | $31,376 |
Campaign finance reporting periods
The data above are based on campaign finance reports that candidate PACs submitted to the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board. Candidate PACs represent individuals who have run for state or local office at any point, including past and present officeholders. This article does not include non-candidate PACs. Transparency USA publishes campaign finance data following major reporting deadlines. State or federal law may require filers to submit additional reports.
| Report Name | Report Due Date |
| 2022 Jan Annual | 1/31/2022 |
| 2022 Q1 | 4/14/2022 |
| 2022 Q2 | 6/14/2022 |
| 2022 Jul Semiannual | 7/25/2022 |
| 2022 Q3 | 9/27/2022 |
| 2022 Q4 | 10/31/2022 |
| 2022 Jan Annual | 1/31/2023 |
This article is a joint publication from Ballotpedia and Transparency USA, who are working together to provide campaign finance information for state-level elections. Learn more about our work here.