The top 10 Minnesota candidates raised 14.1% of all donations


In Minnesota politics, state-level candidates and PACs raised $36.9 million between Jan. 1, 2021, and Dec. 31, 2021. More than $5.2 million or 14.1 percent of all donations was raised by the 10 individuals at the top of the list. 

Top 10 Minnesota candidates (1/1/2021 – 12/31/21)

Here are the 10 Minnesota candidates who have raised the most money so far in the 2022 election cycle, according to the most recent campaign finance reports filed with the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board. 

RankCandidate Name Total DonationsTotal Expenditures
1.Tim Walz$2,453,590.83$1,324,421.38
2.Dr Jensen Scott$770,358.62$419,170.81
3.Paul Gazelka$526,926.67$114,266.30
4.Steve Simon$303,290.00$61,539.60
5.Dennis Smith$279,148.85$119,181.45
6.Keith Ellison$274,764.00$203,198.53
7.Dr Shah Neil$201,108.00$217,465.35
8.Michelle Benson$171,146.49$92,773.67
9.Doug Wardlow$114,571.14$267,726.18
10.James Schultz$106,800.00$1,390.45

Donations to top candidates in 10 states during the 2022 election cycle

Among state-level candidates and officeholders, fundraising varies widely. A number of factors, including state-specific campaign finance regulations, influence how donor activity varies across states. Here is how donations to the top 10 Minnesota candidates compare to nine other states with data available from Transparency USA for the 2022 election cycle:

Comparison of donations to top 10 candidates, by state

RankStateDonations to Top 10 CandidatesTotal DonationsReporting Period
1Florida$110,704,048.67$532,230,957.551/1/2021 – 2/28/2022
2Texas$105,345,995.42$375,309,268.771/1/2021 – 2/19/2022
3Pennsylvania$34,501,470.61$343,783,026.521/1/2021 – 3/09/2022
4Michigan$25,358,422.95$89,192,492.111/1/2021 – 12/31/2021
5Ohio$24,752,903.97$79,210,717.621/1/2021 – 4/13/2022
6Arizona$22,291,313.55$72,806,908.751/1/2021 – 12/31/2021
7Wisconsin$19,907,524.3755,603,885.141/1/2021 – 3/21/2022
8North Carolina$8,927,365.01$39,859,339.461/1/2021 – 12/31/2021
9Indiana$7,661,472.0249,459,363.581/1/2021 – 4/8/2022
10Minnesota$5,201,704.60$36,935,152.761/1/2021 – 12/31/2021

In some states, officeholders may accept donations to their campaign accounts when they are not up for election. Any reported donations by those officeholders are included in candidate donation numbers.

The data above are based on campaign finance reports that active Minnesota candidate PACs submitted to the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board. Transparency USA publishes campaign finance data following major reporting deadlines. State or federal law may require filers to submit additional reports.

Report NameReport Due Date
2022 Jan Annual1/31/2022
2022 Q14/14/2022
2022 Q26/14/2022
2022 Jul Semiannual7/25/2022
2022 Q39/27/2022
2022 Q410/31/2022
2022 Jan Annual1/31/2023

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.