As Democrats prepare to take control of the Legislature, Democratic Gov. Tim Walz's inaugural committee is seeking as much as $100,000 in donations for his reelection celebration in January.
Benefits for donors include advertising at events, tickets to the pre-inauguration reception and a commemorative photo with the governor. First, the flyer PR representative Blois Olson reported that donations start at $5,000 for a “friend,” then go on to $25,000 for a “supporter,” $50,000 for a “champion,” and $100,000 for a “premier.”
The gubernatorial inaugural committee routinely raises hundreds of thousands of dollars from groups with political interests in the state Capitol.
Four years ago, the Walz Inaugural Committee raised $690,000 in donations from labor unions, corporations, lobbying groups and tribes, far more than the $195,000 raised by Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton in 2015 and the $370,000 raised by Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty in 2003, according to federal tax returns.
Most of the money Walz raised for his One Minnesota Inaugural Committee was spent on inaugural events around the state, but $170,000 was rolled over to a progressive nonprofit political group that supports Walz's reelection.
A spokesman said all tickets to the inauguration events will be free and that while flyers offer tickets to a “pre-inauguration reception” for donors, donors will not get special access to the governor.
“This event is traditionally funded by donations from businesses and individuals, not taxpayer dollars, and we are grateful for donations at all levels that help make this event possible,” Walz spokeswoman Claire Lancaster said in a statement.
Lancaster said he could not release the list of donors, but that they would be disclosed in upcoming tax returns.
Unlike political campaigns, inaugural committees aren't subject to restrictions on who can donate how much, which has led watchdog groups to express concern about the influence of money on politics.
The big corporate donations are sure to raise eyebrows among Walz's progressive supporters, who frequently call for higher taxes on corporations and tougher consumer and environmental regulations.
The $100,000 Walz is asking for this year is double what major donors gave when he was first elected.
Four groups donated $50,000 each: AFSCME Council 5, a public employee union; Laborers District Council, a construction workers union; POET LLC, a South Dakota-based biofuel company; and Infinite Campus, a Minnesota-based educational software company, according to tax returns for 2018 and 2019. Education Minnesota, a teachers union, donated $40,000.
Donors who contributed $25,000 included UnitedHealth Group, lobbying firm Winthrop & Weinstein, Prairie Island Tribal Council, Shakopee Medwakanton Sioux Community, Minnesota Association of Realtors and the International Union of Painters.
Most of the money raised, about $530,000, went to venues, catering and other inauguration-related expenses, according to tax returns. Inaugural Committee co-chair Kristen McMullen told MPR News at the time that the money was needed for accessible events in several cities across the state.
Walz's inaugural committee still had a sizeable surplus left over, which it held onto until donating $170,000 to Leadership Matters MN, a progressive political nonprofit that will support Walz's reelection in 2021.
