Republican candidates for Minnesota attorney general and state auditor lead their Democrat opponents in campaign cash on hand with just weeks to go before the November election.
According to newly-filed campaign finance reports, Republican attorney general nominee Ron Schutz had $1.02 million in cash on hand as of Sept. 15. In total, Schutz began this year with $230,365, raised $1.08 million since January, and has spent $297,792 this year.
Meanwhile, DFL Attorney General Keith Ellison, who is seeking a third term, had $634,505 in cash on hand as of Sept. 15. In total, Ellison began 2026 with $274,601, raised nearly $1.3 million during 2026, and has spent $940,089 this year.
In the race for Minnesota state auditor, Republican nominee Scott Jensen had $169,231 in cash on hand as of Sept. 15. Jensen, whose campaign began in February of this year, has raised $280,830 since then and spent $111,028.
Jensen’s DFL opponent, Zack Filipovich, had just $67,429 in cash on hand as of Sept. 15. He began the year with nearly $4,599, raised $147,998, and has spent $85,168.
News that Schutz and Jensen are leading their opponents in cash on hand adds to what has already been a positive few weeks for their campaigns. Last week, a KSTP/SurveyUSA poll found Jensen leading in his race by seven points while Schutz led Ellison by two points.
In the race for governor, DFL U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar far outpaces Republican state House Speaker Lisa Demuth when it comes to campaign funds.
According to campaign finance reports, Klobuchar has raised more than $13.3 million since she began her campaign earlier this year. In total, she has spent approximately $9.8 million since January and has roughly $3.5 million in cash on hand as of Sept. 15.
Conversely, Demuth began the year with $443,080 and has raised nearly $2.6 million since January. She has spent over $2.4 million this year and has $618,146 in cash on hand.
Recent polling has shown Demuth gaining ground on Klobuchar, but the KSTP/SurveyUSA poll from earlier this month still had Demuth trailing Klobuchar by seven points.
In the race for Minnesota secretary of state, DFL incumbent Steve Simon has the advantage. Simon had $346,541 to start the year and raised $466,357 since January. He has spent $264,707 this year and has $548,191 in cash on hand as of Sept. 15.
Simon’s GOP challenger, Tad Jude, started the year with $3,750 and has raised $250,225 since January. He has spent $187,736 during the year and has $66,239 in cash on hand.
Updated campaign finance numbers for federal offices, such as U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives, are not yet available as federal and state races operate on different campaign finance calendars.
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.
