Today, we do a deep dive into some preliminary 2026 state-level Democratic party fundraising numbers.
The above numbers are not meant to be comprehensive, they exclude fundraising for federal office (Congress, U.S. Senate) and fundraising by individual candidates. The above table is intended to provide a flavor of who is funding state-level elections: a combination of wealthy individuals (in- and out-of-state) and unions, especially those representing government employees (AFSCME, MAPE, Education Minnesota).
The negative numbers in red, above, show where I’ve backed out donations to avoid double- or triple-counting the numbers.
National fundraising efforts for individual offices–governor (DGA), attorney general (DAGA) and state legislatures (DLCC)–contribute millions to contests in Minnesota. I could have included more trade unions in the above table (painters, pipe fitters, etc.) but I think that you get the point.
Most interesting to me are the large individual donors, particularly the ones from out of state. If you live in California, New York, Texas and the like, what do you care about Minnesota politics?
Not every five-figure Democratic donor is included in the above table, but enough are there to give you an idea on the reach of Democratic donors. Even the out-of-state donors can usually be counted on to donate to individual statewide candidates.
I’ve already written about Reid Hoffman: Californian, LinkedIn co-founder, Jeffrey Epstein confidant, and million-dollar Minnesota Democratic donor. But this Epstein-islander only holds the bronze medal position in the 2025-26 individual donor contest. Lisa Mennet, a Washington-state tech billionaire divorcee, leads so far.
And all of that relies upon the reported $4 million donation from Sarah Q. O’Neill of New York CIty being, in fact, a typo, as I assume here.
Place your bets! Place your bets! All sales are final. No refunds.