Eighth District Republican challenger Chip Cravaack has raised more in $1000-plus contributions from in-state donors since Oct. 15 than any other Minnesota congressional candidate — including Rep. Michele Bachmann.
Cravaack has pulled in $77,000 from within Minnesota and $112,500 overall since the last election filing period ended mid-month, which amounts to nearly half of all his previous fundraising in 2009 and 2010.
A Hot Dish analysis of federal 48-hour election filings, required for all congressional candidates receiving contributions of $1,000 or more, provides a window into the campaigns' momentum as they head into the final weekend before the election.
The 48-hour filings don't show the whole picture, as small-dollar donations— which don't have to be reported in the 48-hour filings — have been the primary money-collecting vehicle for Minnesota's top fundraisers, Bachmann and her challenger Tarryl Clark.
But for challengers like Cravaack, who was at a cash disadvantage against Rep. Jim Oberstar heading into the end of the month, the late fundraising push could give him enough dough to get to Nov. 2 at full speed. Cravaack outraised Oberstar $112,500 to $75,900 in big-dollar donations since Oct. 15, though Oberstar still has a big lead overall.
Check out fundraising for each Minnesota congressional race below. The chart shows how much each candidate raised in $1,000-plus donations from Oct. 15, how much came from individuals vs. political committees, and how much came from in-state versus out. The figures are through Oct. 27.
