ST. PAUL, Minn. — Former state Rep. Tom Emmer has an early lead in one aspect of the open-seat race in Minnesota's 6th Congressional District: The chase for campaign dollars.
Emmer's first fundraising report filed Monday showed he had collected $225,000 since entering the race to replace retiring GOP Rep. Michele Bachmann. That left him with more than $200,000 in the bank after expenses and IOUs. Emmer is tapping into a fundraising base he honed as the Republican nominee for governor in 2010.
He'll need to win the Republican nomination to access some of the money he raised.
Among his Republican challengers, state Sen. John Pederson reported raising $35,000 and spending little so far. Anoka County Commissioner Rhonda Sivarajah (sihv-ah-RAHJ'-uh) said her campaign raised over $19,000 in about one week.
The district tilts Republican.
