The November general election is less than one week away and candidates for governor, the state legislature, and other offices are running around Minnesota making their last pitch to voters and trying to scoop up votes.
Earlier this week, candidates filed their last campaign finance reports before the upcoming general election takes place. Those pre-general election reports provide one last glimpse of the strength of each candidate’s campaign before voters make the final choice.
Minnesota’s statewide candidates
In the race for Minnesota governor, DFL nominee Amy Klobuchar has significantly outpaced her Republican opponent, Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth, throughout 2026.
Since the beginning of the year, Klobuchar’s campaign for governor has raised over $15.5 million and spent $13.4 million. As of Oct. 19, the campaign had $2 million in cash on hand.
Meanwhile, Demuth’s campaign started 2026 with $443,080 and raised $3.6 million during the year. Her campaign has spent $3.5 million during 2026 and had $514,547 as of Oct. 19. However, Demuth has also received significant advertising support from a super PAC.
In the race for attorney general, two-term incumbent Democrat Keith Ellison started the year with $274,601. He has raised $1.8 million thus far in 2026 and has spent $1.67 million since January. Ellison had $410,894 in cash on hand as of Oct. 19.
Ellison’s opponent, Republican attorney Ron Schutz, started 2026 with $230,065 and raised $1.35 million, although $450,000 of that sum was from a loan he made to his campaign. He has spent $1.27 million this year and had $308,586 in cash on hand as of Oct. 19.
Running for a fourth term as Minnesota’s secretary of state, DFL incumbent Steve Simon started the year with $346,541 and raised $664,179 during 2026. He has spent $734,101 this year and had $276,619 as of Oct. 19.
Facing Simon is Republican Tad Jude, a former state lawmaker and judge, who started the year with $3,750 and has raised $362,972. His campaign has spent $330,931 this year and had $35,792 in cash on hand as of Oct. 19.
In the race for state auditor, Democrat Zack Filipovich, a former Duluth City Council member, started 2026 with $4,599 and raised $249,440 during the year. He has spent $139,932 since January and had $114,106 as of Oct. 19.
Filipovich’s opponent, former Republican state Sen. Scott Jensen, has raised $354,887 this year and spent $238,067. He had $116,820 in cash on hand as of Oct. 19.
Political action committees and party units
In addition to the candidates themselves, political action committees (PACs) have spent large sums of money in Minnesota during the 2026 cycle. That money has been spent in support of statewide candidates but also on efforts to win the Minnesota Legislature.
Restore Sanity, a Republican-aligned super PAC, has raised $16.2 million during 2026 and spent $14.7 million. As of Oct. 19, the super PAC had $1.5 million in cash on hand. Restore Sanity has spent over $5 million in support of Demuth and $9.1 million against Klobuchar.
Another GOP-aligned PAC, Minnesotans for Justice, has spent $3.3 million against Ellison.
Conversely, the state-level Alliance for a Better Minnesota PAC has spent $8.5 million this year and had just $130,208 as of Oct. 19. Alliance for a Better Minnesota, which is aligned with the DFL, has spent $3.1 million against Demuth and $4.7 million against Schutz.
Additionally, a GOP-aligned PAC called Renew Minnesota has spent millions this year, much of it focused on winning the Minnesota Legislature. Currently, the DFL has a one-seat majority in the Minnesota Senate while the Minnesota House of Representatives is split 67-67.
According to Renew Minnesota’s pre-general election campaign finance report, the group has spent over $965,600 in support of Republican candidates for state legislature. Further, Renew Minnesota has spent over $2.7 million against DFL legislative candidates.
Pre-general election finance reports for legislative caucuses have also become available.
The House Republican Campaign Committee (HRCC), the campaign arm for GOP Caucus in the state House, started 2026 with $1.1 million and has raised $2.6 million this year. The HRCC has spent $3 million and had $738,391 as of Oct. 19.
Meanwhile, the campaign arm for the House DFL Caucus started the year with $1.59 million and has raised $7.8 million in 2026. The House DFL Caucus has spent $7.5 million this year and had over $1.8 million in cash on hand as of Oct. 19.
In the race for the Minnesota Senate, the Senate GOP’s campaign arm, known as the Senate Victory Fund (SVF), started the year with over $2.47 million. The SVF has raised $3.5 million this year, spent $3.9 million, and had $2.1 million in cash on hand as of Oct. 19.
Finally, the Senate DFL Caucus’ campaign arm started the year with $2.88 million and has raised over $8.5 million. According to the Senate DFL Caucus’ finance report, the group has spent $8.9 million this year and, as of Oct. 19, had $2.49 million in cash on hand.
Election Day is Nov. 3, but early voting is currently underway.
Luke Sprinkel
Luke Sprinkel previously worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Minnesota House of Representatives. He grew up as a Missionary Kid (MK) living in England, Thailand, Tanzania, and the Middle East. Luke graduated from Regent University in 2018.
