All this campaign money; where does it go when the race is done?

Jul. 19—Dear Oracle of Olmsted: Now that the election campaign season is upon us, a recurring question in my mind returns: What happens to the money that is left over in the candidates campaign fund after the election is complete? Does it go to the candidate for his/her personal use? Does it go to the party? To charity? And does it differ for federal/state/local elections? Thanks for your help. — John and his Money.

Dear John,

I like that nickname. With a moniker like that, I could run for office if I wasn't so opposed to being called a politician.

So, if you have an email address — as does this oracle — you are likely bombarded daily with political pleas from both sides of the aisle. But donkey or elephant, both have their hand — hoof? foot? — out for a donation.

I see it daily. "Just $5 will help." "Can you donate $50 to make a difference?" "I can't defeat that dirty so-and-so without your $100." As if my vote isn't enough for these politicians.

But when it comes to money, we've enlisted the expertise of Jeff Sigurdson, executive director of the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board.

Sigurdson said, yes, first of all the rules for federal, state and local elections can differ greatly. And his board has jurisdiction over state-level candidates, so that's where he can provide the most insight.

"The contribution limits are different, the reporting is different, the availability of the information reported is different depending of the office sought," Sigurdson said.

For example, candidates for local elections — according to Minnesota Statute 211A.12 — can receive up to $600 from a donor in an election year and $250 per donor in off years. This changes some if the district or precinct in question has more than 100,000 residents.

For state House and Senate candidates, there's a limit of $1,000 over a two-year period, meaning the year before the state election and the year of the state election. That $1,000 can be split however the donor prefers during that two-year period.

If you're interested in who has donated to who's state-level campaign, there are ways to find out. Contributions in excess of $200 in a calendar year to any candidate, political committee or party unit are itemized and include the name of the contributor, the contributor's address, and employer or occupation if self-employed. The reports filed with the Campaign Finance Board are available for candidates as well as party units and political committees at cfb.mn.gov. Just go under the "Reports & Data" tab then in the middle column under "Campaign finance."

For a city election, say the city of Rochester, those campaign finance reports can be found on the city's website. If a candidate has spends or receives more than $750 in a calendar year, the candidate must file a campaign finance report must be filed within 14 days. Annual reports must be filed by Jan. 31 of the year following the year of the report. So 2023 reports were filed by Jan. 31, 2024.

You can see all the campaign finance reports for local candidates on the city clerk's website at rochestermn.gov/government/departments/city-clerk. under "Elections," "Running for Office" and "Campaign Finance Reports."

Similarly, Olmsted County candidates file their reports at olmstedcounty.gov/post/campaign-finance-reports.

For federal elections, you can dig around at the Federal Election Commission's website, fec.gov.

Back to our state-level race examples, let's say Candidate A raises $10,000 and spends $5,000 before the election. Well, win or lose the candidate may decide to keep their campaign committee active. They might run for re-election in two or four years (depending on the office) or decide to try again for the same office or a different one if they lose. Either way, that leftover $5,000 is a jumpstart on the next election cycle.

But if the candidate decides to close the campaign committee, they have some options for that leftover money.

"The committee may donate money, in any amount, to political party units," Sigurdson said. That means any statewide party or any of that party's subdivisions. "Because they are terminating the committee, they may donate money in any amount to a 501c3 charity."

Sigurdson emphasized that it can't be just any nonprofit, it must be a charity that is on an approved list with the Minnesota Attorney General's Office.

Finally, a terminating state candidate committee may donate funds to another state level candidate, he said. But there are limits as to how much the committee may give to another active state candidate's campaign.

"One thing that cannot happen to left over committee funds; the funds cannot be claimed by the candidate and used for the candidate's personal benefit," Sigurdson said. In other words, don't run for office thinking those campaign funds will pay off your car note.

Send questions to Answer Man at answerman@postbulletin.com .