According to the most recent campaign finance reports filed with the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has raised $540,932 and spent $272,300 between Jan. 1, 2021 and Mar. 31, 2022. Ellison is currently ranked sixth in state-level donations in the 2022 election cycle.
Ellison is a member of the Democratic Party and assumed office in 2019. In Minnesota, the attorney general is an elected position. The primary job of a state attorney general is to serve as chief legal adviser to the agencies and legislative organs that make up his or her state’s government, in addition to the citizens residing within the state. Ellison is running for reelection in 2022.
Ellison’s reported campaign finance activity, by quarter (2018-2022)
Source: Transparency USA
Contributions to Ellison
Of the $540,932 already reported in the 2022 election cycle, 4.7 percent came from the top 10 donors.*
Top Donors to Ellison (1/1/2021 – 3/31/3022)
| Rank | Total Amount | Donor Name | Donor Type |
| 1. | $3,000.00 | M Nazie Eftekhari | INDIVIDUAL |
| 2. | $2,500.00 | Al Kamen | INDIVIDUAL |
| 3. | $2,500.00 | Albert Miller | INDIVIDUAL |
| 4. | $2,500.00 | Aleta MD A Borrud | INDIVIDUAL |
| 5. | $2,500.00 | Alexander Soros | INDIVIDUAL |
| 6. | $2,500.00 | Alida R Messinger | INDIVIDUAL |
| 7. | $2,500.00 | Charles N Nauen | INDIVIDUAL |
| 8. | $2,500.00 | Chris Causey | INDIVIDUAL |
| 9. | $2,500.00 | David Schimpf | INDIVIDUAL |
| 10. | $2,500.00 | Dilnaz Waraich | INDIVIDUAL |
*Donors who gave the same amount are listed in alphabetical order. An additional 61 donors contributed $2500 to Ellison’s campaign.
Expenditures by Ellison
Ellison reported $272,300 in expenditures, with 88.3 percent going to the 10 payees topping this list.
Top Expenditures by Ellison (1/1/2021 – 3/31/3022)
| Rank | Total Amount | Payee Name | Payee Type |
| 1. | $78,967.87 | Invictus Strategy Group | ENTITY |
| 2. | $27,000.00 | Grant Street Consulting | ENTITY |
| 3. | $25,052.34 | McCool Digital LLC | ENTITY |
| 4. | $23,250.00 | Ngp Van Inc | ENTITY |
| 5. | $20,600.00 | Compliance Resource Inc | ENTITY |
| 6. | $18,333.55 | Aggregated Unitemized Expenditures | INDIVIDUAL |
| 7. | $16,666.00 | MN DFL State Central Committee | ENTITY |
| 8. | $11,986.92 | Jeanne Kjellberg Stuart | INDIVIDUAL |
| 9. | $10,696.29 | Vantiv LLC | ENTITY |
| 10. | $7,835.06 | Minuteman Press | ENTITY |
How donations to Ellison compare to the same office in other states
Contributions vary widely among officeholders in the same role. A number of factors, including whether the position is appointed or elected, can influence donor activity. Here is how Ellison’s donations compare to the 10 other attorney generals with campaign finance data available from Transparency USA in 2022:
Across the U.S., 27 attorney generals are members of the Republican Party and 23 are members of the Democratic Party. Voters elect the attorney general in 43 states, while they are chosen by a state government organ in the other seven. In 2022, 30 states are holding elections for the position.
The data above are based on campaign finance reports that active Minnesota PACs submitted to the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board. Transparency USA publishes campaign finance data following major reporting deadlines. State or federal law may require filers to submit additional reports.
| Report Name | Report Due Date |
| 2022 Jan Annual | 1/31/2022 |
| 2022 Q1 | 4/14/2022 |
| 2022 Q2 | 6/14/2022 |
| 2022 Jul Semiannual | 7/25/2022 |
| 2022 Q3 | 9/27/2022 |
| 2022 Q4 | 10/31/2022 |
| 2022 Jan Annual | 1/31/2023 |
At the time of publication, the 2022 Q2 report data was not yet available from the reporting agency.This article is a joint publication from Ballotpedia and Transparency USA, who are working together to provide campaign finance information for state-level elections. Learn more about our work here.