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Capitol View®
Catharine Richert

Wealthy Minnesotans may take special notice of court finance ruling

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A decision by the United States Supreme Court this week lifted the limit on the total an individual can give to candidates, parties and PACs during an election cycle.

For a handful of wealthy Minnesota donors, the decision may be welcome news.

An analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics found that 644 individuals in the country met or came close to the 2012 $117,000 cap.

Among them are nine Minnesota donors, including former Target CEO Robert Ulrich who gave $133,500 to Republicans, "A Prairie Home Companion" host Garrison Keillor, who gave $143,400 to Democrats and Minneapolis lawyer Sam Heins, who gave $136,158 to Democrats. (Heins and his wife also served as two of President Barack Obama's top fundraisers in 2012.)

Here are the rest of the Minnesota donors, courtesy of the Center for Responsive Politics:

  • Glenda Corrigan: $119,800 to Republicans

  • Fritz Corrigan: $173,200 to Republicans

  • Mary Lee Dayton (deceased): $116,050 to Democrats

  • Robert Pohlad: $123,600 to Democrats

  • Scott Weber: $119,200 to Republicans

  • Donald Oren: $116,250 to Republicans

Clearly, it appears these donors gave more than the law allowed. The Center for Responsive Politics said the numbers are imprecise largely because of the way campaigns report their donors.

For instance, juniors and seniors aren't always identified in the data, so fathers may get credit for donations their sons gave. And refunds and contributions from a previous cycle may be included.