Minnesota DFL Gov. Tim Walz spends big in final election push

Republican candidate for governor Scott Jensen netted slightly more cash that DFL Gov. Tim Walz over the past month, but Walz's overall fundraising and spending far outweighs that of other candidates in the race.

Minnesota candidates submitted their final pre-election campaign finance reports, offering a last look at the tens of millions of dollars flowing into statewide races ahead of Election Day on Nov. 8.

In September, DFL candidates for statewide office largely reported having far more cash stashed away for the final push than their GOP counterparts. The latest October reports, which track fundraising through Oct. 24, show Democrats aren't hanging on to that money any longer.

Democrats Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison and Secretary of State Steve Simon all dramatically outspent their Republican challengers between late September and late October. The state auditor's race bucked that trend. In the past month or so, GOP candidate Ryan Wilson had more cash go out the door than incumbent Democrat Julie Blaha, with the bulk of Wilson's dollars going to ads.

However, candidates' reports paint only a partial picture of the cash that is fueling these races, many of which are also seeing a flood of outside spending.

Republican Scott Jensen outraised DFL Gov. Tim Walz over the past month by about $108,500. Meanwhile, Walz spent twice what Jensen has doled out in that timeframe and the Democrat's overall fundraising this year and remaining cash is substantially more than Jensen's. The GOP candidate received a $584,000 taxpayer subsidy after opting to cap his spending, which Walz did not decide to do. Independent Hugh McTavish has continued to devote significant sums to his own campaign.

Democratic Attorney General Keith Ellison has raised $1.5 million so far this year and GOP challenger Jim Schultz has secured more than $1.1 million. The two are in a tight race for the state's top legal office. Ellison dramatically outspent Schultz in the latest fundraising period, between Sept. 20 and Oct. 24. The Democrat spent $1.2 million in that timeframe, compared to Schultz's $500,000.

DFL Secretary of State Steve Simon spent nearly 10 times as much money as Republican Kim Crockett over the past month. The two are competing to oversee how elections are run in Minnesota.

GOP state auditor candidate Ryan Wilson has spent more than twice as much money as DFL State Auditor Julie Blaha over the most recent reporting period. But over the course of the year, Blaha has raised and spent more cash. Wilson, meanwhile, has leaned heavily on in-kind contributions and expenditures from himself. The two are locked in a fight for the office that reviews local government spending.

Source: Minnesota Campaign Finance Board

Note: All figures are based on filings from Jan. 1 through Oct. 24, but some candidates' cash-on-hand totals include fundraising from prior years. Candidates who raised less than $50,000 since Jan. 1, or have not filed reports, are not listed. The numbers do not include in-kind figures or non-campaign expenditures.