Limits to Campaign Contributions
In Minnesota, all limits to campaign contributions are per two-year period.
Candidates for Governor and Lieutenant Governor are limited to accepting $2,000 per donor or political action committee (PAC). Candidates for Attorney General are limited to accepting up to $1,500 per donor or PAC. The Secretary of State and State Auditor are limited to accepting up to $1,000. Legislative candidates are limited to accepting up to $1,000 per donor or PAC.
Candidates for Governor and Lieutenant Governor may accept up to $20,000 from a state political party committee, while candidates for Attorney General may accept up to $15,000 from a state political party committee. The Secretary of State and State Auditor are limited to accepting up to $10,000 and legislative candidates may accept up to $10,000 from a state political party committee.
Candidates for Governor and Lieutenant Governor may contribute up to $10,000 to their own campaign. Candidates for Attorney General may contribute up to $7,500 to their campaign. The Secretary of State and State Auditor may contribute up to $5,000 and legislative candidates may contribute up to $5,000 to their campaign.
Candidates may not accept contributions from a super PAC, corporation, or union.
Filing Deadlines
Candidates are required to file detailed reports on their campaign donations and expenditures. Transparency USA provides accurate, searchable data within days of its release by the Minnesota Campaign Finance Board.
See Minnesota’s campaign finance report deadlines here.
Additional reports may be required by Minnesota filers. If a report is skipped (often because its deadline is close to another), the data from that report is captured in the next update.
Minnesota Statewide Office Holders
Minnesota statewide office holders (such as the governor and lieutenant governor) serve four-year terms and are up for reelection in non-presidential election years.
The Minnesota Legislature
The Minnesota state legislature meets beginning in January of odd-numbered years and at a date agreed upon by both chambers during even-numbered years. The legislature may only meet for 120 consecutive days each biennium.
Minnesota State Representatives serve two-year terms.
Minnesota State Senators serve four-year terms.
Term Limits
Minnesota has no term limits.
How We Display Minnesota Campaign Finance Data
Campaign finance is complex, with reporting practices that vary widely from state to state. As a reporting system — and not a balance sheet — contributions and expenditures do not balance the way we’d expect if it were an accounting system. In most cases, this does not mean that the data is incomplete, but rather, that entities are following Minnesota’s unique reporting requirements.
To help put the numbers in context, we’ve created a state-specific explanation of how we display information reported. Click the link below for a more detailed description of Minnesota’s campaign finance data and how their unique system is displayed on TUSA: