Pearson, KathrynJacobs, Lawrence R2018-11-052018-11-052018-11-04https://hdl.handle.net/11299/200747The “Transparency and Minnesota Public Affairs” project improves awareness of how the state’s democratic process works. This is a project of the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota. We are grateful for the contributions of Madeline Salucka and Matthew Motta. The authors are solely responsible for the content of this report. Other parties who use or draw conclusions from this research are solely responsible for their own views, which do not necessarily reflect those of the original authors. This research is supported by a grant from the McKnight Foundation.Over $135 million has been spent on Minnesota’s 2018 state and federal elections. Support for Democratic candidates was more than 50% higher than support for Republicans – nearly $82 million versus $53 million. More than $75 million was spent on Minnesota’s eight U.S. House races, with a focus on Minnesota’s 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 8th Districts. Independent expenditures from parties, groups, corporations, unions, and associations accounted for much of this spending. By contrast, spending in Minnesota’s two U.S. Senate races totaled only around $25 million, and 90% of the spending was in the form of direct contributions to the candidates rather than independent expenditures.encampaign spendingMinnesotaelectionsReport