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 July 1, 2022, and Dec. 31, 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 were 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) – $177,154
- Liz Boldon (District 25) – $62,743
- Judy Seeberger (District 41) – $61,100
- Grant Hauschild (District 3) – $59,384
- Zaynab Mohamed (District 63) – $56,085
In the Republican Party, the top fundraisers in the most recent semiannual reporting period were:
- Doug Fulton (District 50) – $116,220
- Paul Hillen (District 42) – $69,577
- Kathleen Fowke (District 45) – $67,549
- Andrea Zupancich (District 3) – $55,193
- Carla Nelson (District 24) – $43,960
Fundraising totals
Overall, Democratic officeholders and candidates raised $1.4 million in this period. Republican officeholders and candidates raised $1.2 million. Combined, all State Senate fundraisers in the July 1, 2022, through Dec. 31, 2022, filing period raised $2.6 million.
The five largest Democratic fundraisers were responsible for 30 percent of all Democratic State Senate fundraising. The five largest Republican fundraisers were responsible for 30 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 (July 1, 2022, through Dec. 31, 2022) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Party Affiliation | Raised | Spent |
| Kelly Morrison | Democratic Party | $177,154 | $292,511 |
| Doug Fulton | Republican Party | $116,220 | $146,764 |
| Paul Hillen | Republican Party | $69,577 | $87,906 |
| Kathleen Fowke | Republican Party | $67,549 | $402,002 |
| Liz Boldon | Democratic Party | $62,743 | $83,939 |
| Judy Seeberger | Democratic Party | $61,100 | $115,753 |
| Grant Hauschild | Democratic Party | $59,384 | $133,044 |
| Zaynab Mohamed | Democratic Party | $56,085 | $74,930 |
| Andrea Zupancich | Republican Party | $55,193 | $92,924 |
| Heather Gustafson | Democratic Party | $53,181 | $117,950 |
Campaign finance reporting periods
The data above are based on campaign finance reports that candidate committees submitted to the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board. Candidate committees 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 committees. Transparency USA publishes campaign finance data following major reporting deadlines.
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.