Dayton to take public financing for his campaign
Gov. Mark Dayton said Friday he has agreed to take public financing for his campaign, limiting the amount of money he can spend and how much of his own money he can put into the campaign.
Dayton said the decision to take public financing allows him to spend more time campaigning.
“I said when I began this undertaking that I was not going to finance it myself, and that I was going to rely on people’s contributions," Dayton said. "And the opportunity to take public financing and reduce the amount of time I have to spend on the phone raising money versus going around talking and listening to the people of Minnesota is significant.”
It's worth noting that Dayton felt differently four years ago, when he spent more than $3 million of his personal fortune to get elected. He spent nearly $12 million of his own money to win a U.S. Senate seat in Minnesota in 2000.
By taking the public subsidy in his gubernatorial re-election bid this year, Dayton has to agree not to spend more than $3.6 million. He also cannot loan his campaign more than $20,000.
In exchange, he would receive about $450,000 in public funds. He could break the spending limit if one of his major party opponents does not agree to take the subsidy. He would also receive a portion of his opponent’s public subsidy.
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