Seifert raises $222,000 in 2009

Republican Marty Seifert announced today that his campaign for governor raised $222,000 in 2009. He also loaned $20,000 to his campaign and transferred $20,000 from his now defunct MN House campaign. Seifert's campaign said he has $133,000 left in the bank. That's most of the any of the candidates for governor who have divulged those figures.

Here's his release:

Marty Seifert's campaign for governor announced today that it took in over $262,000 in the 2009 reporting period. In just over six months, more than 1,800 individuals contributed to Seifert's campaign. The campaign enters 2010 with approximately $133,000 cash on hand.

"I am very encouraged with the outpouring of support from across Minnesota," Seifert said. "Not only do we have an extremely strong grassroots organization, our finance network extends to every corner of Minnesota. I am confident that ours is the only Republican campaign with the necessary resources to win the GOP endorsement and win in November."

Additional information about Seifert's totals:

Seifert "maxed out" the large donor (over $250 up to the $500 maximum) category of $95,800

Almost $75,000 in contributions was received in the month of December

Seifert did not accept any contributions from registered lobbyists

Seifert transferred approximately $20,000 from his now-closed State House account (included in the $262,000 number)

Seifert loaned the campaign $20,000 (included in the $262,000 number)

"In the early days of the Seifert for Governor campaign, we set a number of aggressive goals," said Jim Knoblach, Seifert for Governor Campaign Chairman. "Not only did we aim to lead the Republican field by a significant margin, it was our hope to finish the year with similar numbers to Governor Pawlenty in 2001. Even though we competed with eight other campaigns in a tough economy, we enter 2010 with more cash-on-hand than the Pawlenty campaign in 2002 and raised a comparable amount. This is a true testament to the strength of the candidate and the organization, which continues to gain momentum."

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