Legislative caucuses report fundraising numbers
With the start of a tough election season nearing, the Senate DFL Caucus has more cash than Senate Republicans.
So far, the DFL has raised $1.36 million, largely coming from large dollar donations from individuals and groups. Among the party's largest individual donors is Alida Messinger, Gov. Mark Dayton's former wife and daughter of John D. Rockefeller III, who gave $50,000.
Other major donors include some of the state's Indian tribes, unions and political action committees.
The Senate DFL Caucus gave more than $215,000 of their cache to other parties, among other expenditures. That leaves the caucus with $1.25 million going into the election.
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Meanwhile, the Senate Victory Fund, the pot of money used to raise and spend on behalf of Republican Senate candidates, has raised $410,332 so far this year. Nearly $20,000 came from Stanley Hubbard, chairman of Hubbard Broadcasting and reliable GOP donor.
Among other expenditures, the Senate Republicans spent a little over $18,000 on polling.
Still, the Senate GOP has about $860,400 in the bank, largely due to the nearly $700,000 it had saved up end of 2011.
The House DFL and House Republican caucuses are on more equal footing when it comes to cash in the bank.
House Republicans raised nearly $673,000 so far this year, and they have a little over $1 million saved up.
House DFLers have raised nearly $1.3 million this year, and have $1.2 million in the bank.
Neither House fundraising operation has so far spent money on mailers or other advertising for individual campaigns.