WASHINGTON – The money chase in the most competitive Democratic primary race for a U.S. House seat in Minnesota is nearly a tie.
According to filings with the Federal Election Commission, former state Sen. Matthew Little raised nearly $717,000 as of March 31 in his bid to represent the 2nd District. That seat will be vacated by Rep. Angie Craig, who is running for the U.S. Senate. But $155,000 of that money was raised as a personal loan by Little to his campaign.
Meanwhile, rival state Sen. Matthew Klein, who raised nearly $700,000, says he’s actually the top fundraiser in the race since Little raised some of his campaign cash from his own pocket.
There’s another DFLer in the race, too. That’s state Rep. Kaela Berg, who has raised about $245,000 to challenge the two Matts.
Related: Flanagan, Craig take fight to precinct caucuses roiled by ICE operation while Tafoya campaign makes debut
On the Republican side, former Marine Tyler Kistner, who was vying for Craig’s seat for the second time, was the top fundraiser with nearly $416,000 in his war chest as of March 31. But Kistner dropped out of the race this week, saying he has been activated from the Marine reserves to redeploy to the Middle East.
“This is where I am called to be right now,” Kistner said in a statement. “Perhaps someday I will be called to serve in the halls of Congress, but now is not that time.”
That leaves state Sen. Eric Pratt, whose campaign raised about $260,000, as the only Republican in the race.
Emmer is the fundraising king
In an increasingly competitive general election matchup, the race for the 1st District seat, Rep. Brad Finstad has raised about $1.25 million for his bid for reelection, $340,000 of that money in the first quarter of this year.
Meanwhile, Democratic challenger Jake Johnson, a math teacher, has raised $1.21 million, more than $461,000 in the first quarter of this year.
Johnson said the surge in recent donations may show he is gaining traction in a mostly rural district that stretches along the Iowa border from Wisconsin to South Dakota.
“These numbers are proof that our first-time campaign can take on a lifelong politician and win,” Johnson said in a statement.
In the bruising fight for the Democratic endorsement for retiring Sen. Tina Smith’s seat, Rep. Angie Craig, a prodigious fundraiser, has raised about $7.8 million for her campaign, about $2.2 million in the first quarter of 2026.
Meanwhile, rival DFLer Peggy Flanagan, the lieutenant governor, has raised nearly $4.6 million, about $1.4 million in the first quarter.
In the crowded field of Republicans running for the open U.S. Senate seat, former sports broadcaster Michele Tafoya has the lead as far as fundraising, with about $2 million raised as of March 31.
Former Navy SEAL Adam Schwarze raised $1.1 million, the filings show, former NBA player Royce White about $566,000, former Minnesota Republican Party Chairman David Hann about $130,000 and Navy veteran Tom Weiler about $105,000.
While campaign spending in the race for Smith’s seat is going to swamp all of the Senate congressional races, it is a U.S. House member with little opposition who has raised the most money.
Rep. Tom Emmer, R-6th District, has leveraged his position as House Majority Whip to raise about $8.3 million in his main campaign account – and additional money in his leadership PACs. His campaign says the total amount of money Emmer has raised in this campaign cycle, which includes joint fundraising with the National Republican Congressional Committee, is $38 million.
Related: In a tough election year for House Republicans, Brad Finstad campaign faces a serious challenge
Emmer’s main challenger is DFLer Doug Chapin, who has raised about $239,000.
Emmer’s massive war chest allowed him to spend $5.4 million from his primary campaign account, most of it in an effort to help the Republican Party hold on to its majority in the U.S. House in a difficult year for the party.
According to his FEC filings, Emmer donated $1 million to the NRCC, which he once headed, and gave contributions to dozens of GOP lawmakers and GOP challengers.
His campaign says the total amount Emmer has donated to try to keep the House in GOP hands is $13.3 million.
“Americans across the country are all in on ensuring House Republicans maintain our majority,” Emmer said in a statement about his fundraising. “Thank you to the tens of thousands of grassroots donors who made this success possible. House Republicans have the message, the candidates, and the resources necessary to make history in November.”
In other news:
▪️ Pentagon spending in the Trump administration was on the rise even before the cost of the Iran war began pressuring Congress to provide the armed services with more money, and Minnesota’s defense contractors are benefitting.
▪️ Congress is deadlocked over reforms of federal immigration agencies, but reporter Cleo Krejci writes that the Minnesota Legislature is tackling the issue.
▪️ Congress’ rollback on protections from sulfide mining in the Boundary Waters was expected for months and finally happened this week, even as Sen. Tina Smith spent hours on the Senate floor trying to persuade Republicans to keep a mining moratorium in Superior National Forest in place.
▪️ Matthew Blake writes that months after the Annunciation Catholic School shooting, lawmakers are still not close to coming to an agreement on school safety legislation.
This and that
A reader commented on a story about the rising fortunes of Minnesota’s defense industry as the Trump administration ramps up Pentagon spending.
“Nice we are getting our share of this spending, but shredding our safety net, particularly with Trump’s civil war against Minnesota, is a very big price to pay,” the reader said. “Not so many bombs and bullets, more money for hospitals and healthcare is my preference.”
Please keep your comments, and any questions, coming. I’ll try my best to respond. Please contact me at aradelat@minnpost.com.
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