Walz has $3.2M, Jensen has $864K for final weeks of campaign

By The Associated Press

Tim Walz (DFL) / Scott Jensen (R)

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Tim Walz has $3.2 million in cash on hand heading into the final weeks of the campaign, while Republican challenger Scott Jensen has $864,000 left in the bank.

The Jensen campaign said it raised $1.8 million in the two-month reporting before Tuesday’s filing deadline to bring its total for the campaign cycle to $4.2 million. The campaign said in a statement Wednesday that it was a new record for a Minnesota GOP gubernatorial candidate, beating the $3.3 million that then-Gov. Tim Pawlenty raised for his 2006 campaign.

The Walz campaign said it raised $1.73 million in the same period, which ended Sept. 20, for a grand total for the election cycle of $4.4 million.

In other statewide races, Democratic Attorney General Keith Ellison’s campaign reported that it had $923,000 in cash on hand after raising $996,000 since Jan. 1. GOP candidate Jim Schultz reported raising $775,000 this year and had $321,000 left.

Democratic Secretary of State Steve Simon had $967,000 in cash on hand after raising $799,000 this year, while Republican challenger Kim Crockett had $119,000 left after collecting $286,000.

Democratic State Auditor Julie Blaha had $75,000 left after raising $197,000 since Jan. 1, compared with $162,000 in cash on hand and a total take of $351,000 for GOP candidate Ryan Wilson.

The story has been corrected to show that the Jensen campaign reported to the state Campaign Finance Board that it has $864,000 in cash on hand, not $916,000 as the campaign originally said.