This document is made available electronically by the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library as part of an ongoing digital archiving project. http://www.leg.state.mn.us/lrl/lrl.asp STATE OF MINNESOTA CAMPAIGN FINANCE AND PUBLIC DISCLOSURE BOARD 2009 / 2010 CAMPAIGN FINANCE SUMMARY LEGISLATIVE CANDIDATES JUDICIAL CANDIDATES CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICE CANDIDATES SPECIAL ELECTION CANDIDATES POLITICAL PARTY UNITS POLITICAL COMMITTEES AND POLITICAL FUNDS INDEPENDENT EXPENDITURE COMMITTEES AND FUNDS Issued: November 2011 CAMPAIGN FINANCE AND PUBLIC DISCLOSURE BOARD Suite 190, Centennial Office Building 658 Cedar Street St. Paul MN 55155-1603 Telephone: 651/296-1721 or 800/657-3889 Fax: 651/296-1722 For TTY/TDD communication contact us through the Minnesota Relay Service at 800/627-3529 Email: [email protected] Worldwide web site: http://www.cfboard.state.mn.us EXECUTIVE SUMMARY - ELECTION CYCLE – 2009/ 2010 The Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board (Board) is charged with the administration of Minnesota Statutes Chapter 10A. During an election year campaign committees of candidates who file for office are required to file three Reports of Receipts and Expenditures: pre-primary-election, pre-general-election, and year-end reports. Campaign committees of candidates whose office is not up for election and candidates who chose not to file for office, file one year-end report. Offices open for election in 2010 were Constitutional Offices, Senate, House of Representatives and certain Judicial seats. Political party units filed pre-primary- election, pre-general-election, and year-end reports. Additional reports were required for political committees and political funds in 2010: two pre-primary election reports, two pre-general election reports and a year-end report. New legislation passed in 2010 recognizes the concept of an independent expenditure political committee or fund which is permitted to accept corporate and other unregistered association contributions, but cannot make contributions to principal campaign committees or party units. This summary includes reported information for 26 registered independent expenditure committees or funds in 2010. This summary is based on reports received by the Board for election cycle 2009/2010. Reports were filed by principal campaign committees of candidates for 4 constitutional office seats (27 candidates filed), 67 state senate seats (153 candidates filed), 134 state representative seats (285 candidates filed), by 60 candidates for elective judicial seats and 3 special election candidates in Senate District 26 in 2010. Additionally, this summary includes data supplied by 334 political party units, 423 political committees and political funds including ballot question committees and funds, and 26 independent expenditure political committees and funds. Comparison of total data from election year 2010 by principal campaign committees, political committees, or political funds with similar data from election years 2008 and 2006 is also included. The data has not been verified or audited. This summary includes, for each candidate committee, political party unit, political committee or political fund, total contributions received; total transfers to candidates, committees, or funds; total expenditures; beginning and ending cash balances; and the total amount of public subsidy received by qualifying candidates. Outstanding loans payable, unpaid bills, or disbursements other than campaign expenditures or transfers to candidates are not itemized in the summary but are reflected in the totals reported in the summary. Over the election cycle 2009/2010, Constitutional office candidates reported receiving $12,400,088 in contributions from individuals, lobbyists, political committees and political funds, $1,297,208 from public subsidy, and a total of $89,509 from political parties. Senate candidates reported receiving $3,288,563 in contributions from individuals, lobbyists, political committees and political funds, $1,433,619 from public subsidy, and $382,602 from political parties. House of Representatives candidates reported receiving $4,746,163 in contributions from individuals, lobbyists, political committees and political funds, $1,265,500 from public subsidy, and $543,516 from political parties. A total of $793,454 in contributions were reported received by 60 judicial candidates who filed for office. Not included in the above totals are committees of candidates who did not file for office. Those committees reported receiving $3,700,556 in contributions and making total expenditures of $5,135,580. A listing of the names of individuals, committees, or funds contributing in aggregate of $500 or more begins on page 135. The following is a comparison of contributions of $500 or more received by candidates running in 2010: Constitutional office candidates received 5,284 donations, totaling $12,489,597 (56% of the total contributions they received). State Senate candidates received 1,227 donations, totaling $6,022,353 (27% of the total contributions they received). House of Representatives candidates received 1,335 donations, totaling $4,011,981 (18% of the total contributions they received). Judicial candidates received 285 donations, totaling $449,458 (78% of the total contributions they received). Most candidates voluntarily agree to limit expenditures in order to receive public subsidies. These subsidies include direct payments to eligible candidates during election years and the right to participate in the Political Contribution Refund (PCR) program. In 2009 money to support the PCR program was unalloted and the program was not available to candidates or party units after June 30, 2009. Agreements to abide by spending limits in order to receive money from the State Elections Campaign Fund were signed by 90% of registered candidates filing for office. A total of $4,011,039 in public subsidy was distributed to candidates for the 2010 election. See page 6 for a breakdown of public subsidy by office. Campaign expenditures are made for the purpose of influencing the nomination or election of a candidate and apply toward the expenditure limit applicable to candidates who signed a Public Subsidy Agreement. In 2010, 27 candidates who filed for Constitutional office reported making campaign expenditures of $18,288,722, an 85% increase in campaign spending when compared with total expenditures of $9,862,832 in 2006. Campaign expenditures for 153 senate candidates totaled $4,496,338, a 4% decrease in comparison with $4,704,302 spent in 2006. House candidate campaign expenditures for 285 candidates totaled $5,343,856, a 13% decrease in comparison with $6,158,038 spent in 2006. Independent expenditure committees and funds received cash contributions totaling $18,494,257 and made independent expenditures of $9,134,914 during 2009 and 2010. The significant difference between receipts and independent expenditures for this group results from the fact that some independent expenditure committees and funds made donations to other independent expenditure committees and funds rather than making their own independent expenditures. This summary includes selected data from reports filed by political party units, political committees and political funds. Reports filed by 334 political party committees and 423 political committees and political funds during the 2009/2010 election cycle disclosed receipt of contributions totaling $79,351,267 from which they made total contributions of $27,273,528 to state candidate committees and political committees and political funds. Included in the $79,351,267: • $16,522,294 was contributed to Democratic Farmer Labor party units which made $5,474,483 in contributions to state candidate committees and other committees and $3,713,376 in independent expenditures and $8,625,898 in general expenditures; • $ 7,520,242 was contributed to Republican Party of Minnesota party units which made $965,090 in contributions to state candidate committees and other committees and $1,554,683 in independent expenditures and $5,638,783 in general expenditures; • $63,655 was contributed to Independence Party of Minnesota party units which made $21,920 in contributions to state candidate committees and other committees and $46,084 in general expenditures; • $43,597 was contributed to Green Party of Minnesota party units which made $1,162 in contributions to state candidate committees and other committees and $53,831 in general expenditures; Included in this summary is a list of political committees, political funds, independent expenditure political committees and funds that made independent expenditures expressly advocating the election or defeat of a clearly identified candidate (starting on page 278). The summary also includes names of donors who contributed $500 or more to candidate committees, political committees, political funds or political party units during 2009 and 2010 (starting on page 362). TABLE OF CONTENTS Entities in this Summary ............................................................................................................. 1 Abbreviations .............................................................................................................................. 1 Comparison of Election Cycle Reports ....................................................................................... 2 Comparison of Election Year Reports Filed by Principal Campaign Committees ........................ 3 Sources of Contributions to Principal Campaign Committees Chart ...........................................