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 Michigan 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 Michigan Secretary of State. It includes activity between January 1, 2021, and December 31, 2021.
Top fundraisers in the Michigan State Senate by party
The top fundraisers in Michigan 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 were:
- Stephanie Chang – $229,515
- Jim Ananich – $164,945
- Sean McCann (District 19) – $159,274
- Curtis Hertel – $155,450
- Winnie Brinks – $154,900
In the Republican Party, the top fundraisers were:
- Aric Nesbitt – $572,540
- Mark Huizenga – $249,490
- Roger Hauck (District 34) – $221,875
- Curt VanderWall – $205,650
- TC Clements (District 16) – $181,415
Fundraising totals
Overall, Democratic officeholders and candidates raised $2.12 million in this period. Republican officeholders and candidates raised $3.78 million. Combined, all State Senate fundraisers in the January 1, 2021, through December 31, 2021, filing period raised $5.90 million.
The five largest Democratic fundraisers were responsible for 41 percent of all Democratic State Senate fundraising. The five largest Republican fundraisers were responsible for 38 percent of all Republican State Senate fundraising.
The table below provides additional data from the campaign finance reports from the top ten fundraisers during this period.
TOP TEN FUNDRAISERS – MICHIGAN STATE SENATE (January 1, 2021, through December 31, 2021)
| Name | Party Affiliation | Raised | Spent |
| Aric Nesbitt | Republican Party | $572,540 | $154,005 |
| Mark Huizenga | Republican Party | $249,490 | $312,486 |
| Stephanie Chang | Democratic Party | $229,515 | $112,172 |
| Roger Hauck | Republican Party | $221,875 | $154,095 |
| Curt VanderWall | Republican Party | $205,650 | $165,576 |
| TC Clements | Republican Party | $181,415 | $112,135 |
| Jim Ananich | Democratic Party | $164,945 | $156,194 |
| Lana Theis | Republican Party | $161,445 | $55,683 |
| Sean McCann | Democratic Party | $159,274 | $41,445 |
| Curtis Hertel | Democratic Party | $155,450 | $113,549 |
Campaign finance reporting periods
The data above are based on campaign finance reports that candidate PACs submitted to the Michigan Secretary of State. 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. In 2022, Transparency USA will publish campaign finance data after the following major reporting deadlines. State or federal law may require filers to submit additional reports.
| Report Name | Report Due Date |
| 2022 Annual/January | 1/31/2022 |
| 2022 April (PACs) | 4/25/2022 |
| 2022 July (PACs) | 7/25/2022 |
| 2022 Post-Primary | 9/1/2022 |
| 2022 Pre-General | 10/28/2023 |
| 2022 Post-General | 12/8/2022 |
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.