House Speaker Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring, announced she is running in the August GOP primary election during a press conference in front of the Minnesota Capitol. (Photo by Michelle Griffith/Minnesota Reformer)
ST. PAUL, Minn. (Minnesota Reformer) – A super PAC backing Republican House Speaker Lisa Demuth’s campaign for Minnesota governor received a $10 million cash infusion in recent weeks, cutting into Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s longtime financial advantage in the race.
Restore Sanity — a political action committee that has provided the most significant outside money in support of a statewide Republican candidate in years — received $10 million in the past four weeks from the Restoration of America PAC, which is primarily funded by Wisconsin billionaire duo Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein. The Uihleins own one of North America’s largest distributors of shipping and packaging supplies.
The Uihleins have donated $70 million this election cycle in favor of GOP candidates and causes, making them the fifth-largest donors in the midterm election so far, according to the Washington Post.
The Restore Sanity PAC has spent nearly $4.4 million on digital and TV ads in support of Demuth’s campaign for governor and nearly $1.8 million on ads against Klobuchar’s campaign, according to campaign finance reports released Wednesday that detail spending and fundraising up to Sept. 15. The independent expenditure committee has raised $14.1 million, of which over $13 million came from the Uihlein-funded PAC. Restore Sanity has nearly $7 million in cash in the final weeks leading up to the Nov. 3 election.
The cash infusion suggests at least some big-money Republicans see glimmers of hope here in Minnesota, where Democrats haven’t lost a statewide race since 2006 but have been weighed down since by embarrassing stories about the looting of the state’s safety net by fraudsters.
Klobuchar, who is ending a 20-year Senate career to run for governor, has raised over $12.5 million since launching her campaign at the end of January and has spent $9 million, mostly on consulting and ads. Her campaign has over $3.5 million in cash.
Demuth’s gubernatorial campaign has raised nearly $2.6 million this year, half of which came from a $1.3 million public subsidy payment last month. The state provides the subsidy to candidates who agree to spending and fundraising limits. Klobuchar opted out of the subsidy, which allowed Demuth to receive a larger payment. Klobuchar didn’t participate in the subsidy because she would have had to cap her fundraising.
Klobuchar’s cash advantage will likely be compounded by Democratic-Farmer-Labor-aligned allies like the Alliance for a Better Minnesota, which has historically been backed by wealthy benefactors like Rockefeller heiress Alida Messinger and public-sector unions.
The Alliance for a Better Minnesota PAC has raised $3.55 million this year and has spent over $1.3 million on digital ads against Demuth.
In addition to the governor’s race, all 201 seats in the Minnesota Legislature will be on the ballot in November, so the rival legislative caucuses and political parties are fundraising and will spend big to gain control of state government.
House Democrats have raised $5.6 million this year and have $3.2 million in cash in the final weeks before the midterms. House Republicans have raised over $2 million this year and have about $2 million in cash.
Senate Democrats have raised $5.7 million and have nearly $5.2 million in cash. Senate Republicans have raised nearly $3 million this year and have $3.8 million in cash.
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