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 Minnesota House of Representatives, overall and by party. It is based on campaign finance reports that officeholders in and candidates for the House submitted to the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board. It includes activity between Jan. 1, 2022, and June 30, 2022.
Top fundraisers in the Minnesota House of Representatives by party
The top fundraisers in Minnesota House of Representatives 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 in the most recent semiannual reporting period were:
- Kelly Morrison (District 45) – $100,108
- Samakab Hussein (District 65A) – $80,854
- Melissa Hortman (District 34B) – $60,451
- Josiah Hill (District 33B) – $41,366
- Leigh Finke (District 66A) – $34,378
In the Republican Party, the top fundraisers in the most recent semiannual reporting period were:
- Eric Lucero (District 30) – $38,450
- Thomas Knecht (District 49B) – $32,231
- Isaac Schultz (District 10B) – $31,137
- Matt Norri (District 7B) – $29,594
- Kelly Fenton (District 47B) – $28,019
Fundraising totals
Overall, Democratic officeholders and candidates raised $1.4 million in this period. Republican officeholders and candidates raised $1.0 million. Combined, all House fundraisers in the Jan. 1, 2022, through June 30, 2022, filing period raised $2.5 million.
The five largest Democratic fundraisers were responsible for 22 percent of all Democratic House fundraising. The five largest Republican fundraisers were responsible for 15 percent of all Republican House fundraising.
The table below provides additional data from the campaign finance reports from the top 10 fundraisers during this period.
| TOP 10 FUNDRAISERS – MINNESOTA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES (Jan. 1, 2022, through June 30, 2022) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Party Affiliation | Raised | Spent |
| Kelly Morrison | Democratic Party | $100,108 | $33,904 |
| Samakab Hussein | Democratic Party | $80,854 | $62,555 |
| Melissa Hortman | Democratic Party | $60,451 | $38,403 |
| Josiah Hill | Democratic Party | $41,366 | $33,141 |
| Eric Lucero | Republican Party | $38,450 | $54,444 |
| Leigh Finke | Democratic Party | $34,378 | $8,649 |
| Rob Ecklund | Democratic Party | $33,281 | $11,786 |
| Thomas Knecht | Republican Party | $32,231 | $14,845 |
| Arik Forsman | Democratic Party | $32,090 | $11,753 |
| Isaac Schultz | Republican Party | $31,137 | $11,128 |
Campaign finance reporting periods
The data above are based on campaign finance reports that candidate PACs submitted to the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board. 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. Transparency USA publishes campaign finance data following major reporting deadlines. State or federal law may require filers to submit additional reports.
| Report Name | Report Due Date |
| 2022 Jan Annual | 1/31/2022 |
| 2022 Q1 | 4/14/2022 |
| 2022 Q2 | 6/14/2022 |
| 2022 Jul Semiannual | 7/25/2022 |
| 2022 Q3 | 9/27/2022 |
| 2022 Q4 | 10/31/2022 |
| 2022 Jan Annual | 1/31/2023 |
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.
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