Transparency and Campaign Spending in Minnesota

The “Transparency and Minnesota Public Affairs” project improves awareness of how the state’s democratic process works. This is a project of the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota. We are grateful for the contributions of Madeline Salucka and Matthew Motta. The authors are solely responsible for the content of this report. Other parties who use or draw conclusions from this research are solely responsible for their own views, which do not necessarily reflect those of the original authors. This research is supported by a grant from the McKnight Foundation.DFL candidates enjoy a more than 2 to 1 advantage overall when it comes to campaign contributions and independent expenditures. The DFL advantage is largely driven by contributions to, and independent expenditures made in support of, gubernatorial candidate Tim Walz. Republican state house candidates, however, are benefiting from more independent expenditures on their behalf than their DFL counterparts. The majority of money that individuals directly contributed to the gubernatorial campaigns is in the form of contributions of over $500 (65% of Walz’s funds; 72% of Johnson’s funds). Most of the money spent on Minnesota campaigns so far is coming from Minnesota, only AG candidate Keith Ellison is getting a sizable share of out-of-state money (50%). U.S. Senate and U.S. House races are not included because recent federal election spending has not yet been released.The McKnight Foundation