Minnesota senate president raises $35,360 this election cycle


According to campaign finance reports filed with the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board, Minnesota State Sen. David Osmek has raised $35,360 and spent $8,118 between Jan. 1, 2021, and Mar. 31, 2022. Osmek currently serves as the president of the state senate.

Osmek is a member of the Republican Party and assumed office in 2013. In Minnesota, the president of the senate is a state senator elected to the role by the members of the chamber. The primary job of a state senate president is to preside over legislative sessions and ensure that members of the chamber abide by procedural rules. Osmek’s current term ends in 2023.

Osmek’s reported campaign finance activity, by quarter (2017-2022)

Source: Transparency USA

Contributions to Osmek

Of the $35,360 already reported in the 2022 election cycle, $18,000 came from the top 10 donors.

Top Donors to Osmek (1/1/2021 – 3/31/2022)

RankTotal AmountDonor NameDonor Type
1.$5,000.0033rd Senate District RPMENTITY
2.$5,000.00David OsmekINDIVIDUAL
3.$1,000.00Gabi MolnarINDIVIDUAL
4.$1,000.00Gabriel JabbourINDIVIDUAL
5.$1,000.00George ZenankoINDIVIDUAL
6.$1,000.00Greg MolnarINDIVIDUAL
7.$1,000.00Jean SimonINDIVIDUAL
8.$1,000.00Jerry O RelphENTITY
9.$1,000.00John BralandINDIVIDUAL
10.$1,000.00Justin ZenankoINDIVIDUAL

Expenditures by Osmek

Osmek reported $8,118 in expenditures, with $7,515 going to the 10 payees topping this list. 

Top Expenditures by Osmek (1/1/2021 – 3/31/2022)

RankTotal AmountPayee NamePayee Type
1.$2,034.27Suburban ChevroletENTITY
2.$1,775.79MicrocenterENTITY
3.$825.00David OsmekINDIVIDUAL
4.$742.58George ZenankoINDIVIDUAL
5.$530.21Chase Printing Company IncENTITY
6.$452.51T-MobileENTITY
7.$352.77Frank LongINDIVIDUAL
8.$315.48Back Channel BrewingENTITY
9.$250.00TargetENTITY
10.$236.66David OsmekENTITY

How donations to Osmek compare to the equivalent role in other states

A number of factors, including whether the position holder is the lieutenant governor or a state senator, can influence donor activity. Here is how Osmek compares to the 10 other senate presidents with campaign finance data available from Transparency USA in 2022:

Across the U.S., 30 senate presidents are members of the Republican Party and 19 are members of the Democratic Party, with one vacancy. The lieutenant governor serves as the president of the senate in 25 states. In other states, the president of the senate is a state senator chosen by the members of the chamber. 

The data above are based on campaign finance reports that active Minnesota 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.