By Pat Doyle

With less than two weeks to go before the election, people are giving money to interest groups for business or labor to help elect or defeat candidates for state offices.

The pro-business Freedom Club State PAC reported getting a total of $25,000 from nine individuals. The Chamber of Commerce PAC got $3,105.99 from Target vice president Mark Schindele.

Meanwhile, Education Minnesota, the state's largest teachers union, committed $160,000 to its PAC to influence elections.

Those are among reports by interest groups filed this week in compliance with a state law requiring daily disclosures of major contributions in the two weeks before the Nov. 2 election.

Update from Rachel E. Stassen-Berger:

The Chamber's new Pro Jobs Majority independent expenditure committee, set up last month in the wake of a Supreme Court decision this year that allowed more corporate spending on elections, got a $10,000 contribution from Hubbard Broadcasting, Inc. Hubbard previously contributed $100,000 to MN Forward, a joint committee from the Chamber and the Minnesota Business Partnership that supports Republican Tom Emmer in the governor's race.

The Pro Jobs Majority will use the cash in House and "maybe" some Senate races, said Mike Franklin, director of political programming at the Chamber.

The money will likely be spent on mailings in targeted districts.