A look at fundraising in Hennepin County contests one week before Election Day

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This weekend marked the last campaign finance deadline for Hennepin County candidates before the election, which means the final peek into candidates’ raising and spending before voter decision day.

Here’s a quick rundown of what the most recent reports, which cover late July through late October, tell us.

If you see anything interesting in the reports that we missed, drop a line: gkaul@minnpost.com.

Hennepin County attorney

Former Fourth Judicial District judge and county prosecutor Martha Holton Dimick has outraised her opponent, former Hennepin County Chief Public Defender Mary Moriarty, thus far in the election cycle. In a crowded August primary field of seven candidates, Moriarty came out ahead, with 36% of votes, compared to Dimick’s 18%. Former Rep. Ryan Winkler came in third narrowly, with 16% of the vote, and was knocked out of the general election. 

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Notable among Dimick’s donors in this period are:

• Frequent DFL donors Jay Cowles, Sam and Sylvia Kaplan, Vance Opperman, Pohlad family members
• Frequent both-sides donors Bob and Justine Haselow
• Frequent Republican donor Rob Hubbard
• Current and former elected officials: Hennepin County attorney Mike Freeman, Minneapolis City Council member Michael Rainville, former U.S. Senator Rudy Boschwitz, former Minnesota state Sen. Ember Reichgott, former Minneapolis City Council members Diane Hofstede and Steve Minn, former Minnesota Secretary of State Joan Growe
• Other individuals include Vikings owner Zygi Wilf, Minneapolis Downtown Council President and CEO Steve Cramer, former University of Minnesota President Bob Bruininks, former gubernatorial candidates Tom Horner and Peter Hutchinson, developer Kelly Doran and former state DFL Executive Director Corey Day
• Organizational donors include the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association PAC, Hennepin County Sheriff’s Deputies Association, Fire Fighters Association of Minneapolis Political Fund, National Association of Letter Carriers Branch 9, North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters, Minneapolis Downtown Council PAC, Minneapolis Building and Construction Trades Council 

Dimick’s campaign paid Winkler $2,316 for email list rental. 

Notable among Moriarty’s donors in this period are:

• Current and prospective elected officials Minneapolis City Council member Elliott Payne, Minneapolis Board of Estimate and Taxation member Steve Brandt and Rochester Minnesota Senate candidate Aleta Borrud
• Attorney Al Goins
• Activists JaNaé Bates (ISAIAH), Michelle Gross (Communities United Against Police Brutality), Erica Mauter (MoveOn), Javier Morillo (former president of SEIU Local 26) and Carin Mrotz (former executive director of Jewish Community Action)

Moriarty’s report shows her campaign paid Myon Burrell for consulting. Burrell had a life sentence for murder commuted after an investigation by The Associated Press and American Public Media found flaws in the case. Burrell’s case had been prosecuted by the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office when now-Sen. Amy Klobuchar led it.

Hennepin County Sheriff

Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office Major Dawanna Witt finished with the most votes in a primary field of three and now faces Joseph Banks, a nonprofit founder and former police chief of the Upper Sioux, Morton and Lower Sioux Police Departments in southern Minnesota, in the general election (you can read more about the contest here). Witt also leads in fundraising by a longshot.

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Notable among Witt’s donors in this period are:

• Current and former elected officials City Council member Michael Rainville, former Minneapolis Mayor Sharon Sayles Belton
• Minneapolis Downtown Council President and CEO Steve Cramer
• Organizational donors include Hennepin County Sheriff’s Deputy Association, Minneapolis Downtown Council, Campaign Fund of Senate District 43 DFL PA, Carpenters Local #322

In this fundraising period, Banks has largely self-funded his campaign, donating most of the cash he raised in this period, according to his filing.

Here’s a link to our story about the pre-primary filing deadline for additional context.

Editor’s note: Several people mentioned in this story have ties to MinnPost. Peter Hutchinson, Tom Horner and Diane Hofstede are MinnPost board members and Jay Cowles, Kelly Doran and Tom Hoch are major donors. Board members and donors are not involved in MinnPost’s news decisions.

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