2001 Minnesota Statutes

     10A.25 Spending limits. 

    Subdivision 1.    Limits are voluntary.  The expenditure 
 limits imposed by this section apply only to a candidate who has 
 signed an agreement under section 10A.322 to be bound by them as 
 a condition of receiving a public subsidy for the candidate's 
 campaign. 

    Subd. 2.    Amounts.  (a) In a year in which an election 
 is held for an office sought by a candidate, the principal 
 campaign committee of the candidate must not make campaign 
 expenditures nor permit approved expenditures to be made on 
 behalf of the candidate that result in aggregate expenditures in 
 excess of the following: 

    (1) for governor and lieutenant governor, running together, 
 $1,926,127; 

    (2) for attorney general, $321,023; 

    (3) for secretary of state and state auditor, separately, 
 $160,514; 

    (4) for state senator, $50,630; 

    (5) for state representative, $25,320. 

    (b) In addition to the amount in paragraph (a), clause (1), 
 a candidate for endorsement for the office of lieutenant 
 governor at the convention of a political party may make 
 campaign expenditures and approved expenditures of five percent 
 of that amount to seek endorsement.  

    (c) If a special election cycle occurs during a general 
 election cycle, expenditures by or on behalf of a candidate in 
 the special election do not count as expenditures by or on 
 behalf of the candidate in the general election. 

    (d) The expenditure limits in this subdivision for an 
 office are increased by ten percent for a candidate who is 
 running for that office for the first time and who has not run 
 previously for any other office whose territory now includes a 
 population that is more than one-third of the population in the 
 territory of the new office. 

    Subd. 2a.    Aggregated expenditures.  If a candidate 
 makes expenditures from more than one principal campaign 
 committee for nomination or election to statewide office in the 
 same election year, the amount of expenditures from all of the 
 candidate's principal campaign committees for statewide office 
 for that election year must be aggregated for purposes of 
 applying the limits on expenditures under subdivision 2. 

    Subd. 3.    Governor and lieutenant governor a single 
 candidate.  For the purposes of sections 10A.11 to 10A.34, a 
 candidate for governor and a candidate for lieutenant governor, 
 running together, are considered a single candidate.  Except as 
 provided in subdivision 2, paragraph (b), all expenditures made 
 by or all approved expenditures made on behalf of the candidate 
 for lieutenant governor are considered to be expenditures by or 
 approved expenditures on behalf of the candidate for governor. 

    Subd. 4. Repealed by amendment, 1999 c 220 s 30 

    Subd. 5.    Contested primary races.  Notwithstanding 
 the limits imposed by subdivision 2, the winning candidate in a 
 contested race in a primary who received fewer than twice as 
 many votes as any one of the candidate's opponents in that 
 primary may make expenditures and permit approved expenditures 
 to be made on behalf of the candidate equal to 120 percent of 
 the applicable limit as set forth in subdivision 2, but no more 
 than 100 percent of the limit until after the primary. 

    Subd. 6.    Limit in nonelection year.  During an 
 election cycle, in any year before the election year for the 
 office held or sought by the candidate, a candidate must not 
 make campaign expenditures nor permit approved expenditures to 
 be made on behalf of the candidate that exceed 20 percent of the 
 expenditure limit set forth in subdivision 2. 

    Subd. 7. Repealed by amendment, 1999 c 220 s 30 

    Subd. 8.  Repealed, 1978 c 463 s 109 

    Subd. 9.  Repealed, 1978 c 463 s 109 

    Subd. 10.    Effect of opponent's conduct.  (a) A 
 candidate who has agreed to be bound by the expenditure limits 
 imposed by this section as a condition of receiving a public 
 subsidy for the candidate's campaign is released from the 
 expenditure limits but remains eligible to receive a public 
 subsidy if the candidate has an opponent who does not agree to 
 be bound by the limits and receives contributions or makes or 
 becomes obligated to make expenditures during that election 
 cycle in excess of the following limits: 

    (1) up to ten days before the primary election, receipts or 
 expenditures equal to 20 percent of the expenditure limit for 
 that office as set forth in subdivision 2; or 

    (2) after ten days before the primary election, cumulative 
 receipts or expenditures during that election cycle equal to 50 
 percent of the expenditure limit for that office as set forth in 
 subdivision 2. 

    (b) A candidate who has not agreed to be bound by 
 expenditure limits, or the candidate's principal campaign 
 committee, must file written notice with the board and provide 
 written notice to any opponent of the candidate for the same 
 office within 24 hours of exceeding the limits in paragraph (a), 
 clause (2).  The notice must state only that the candidate or 
 candidate's principal campaign committee has received 
 contributions or made or become obligated to make campaign 
 expenditures in excess of the limits in paragraph (a), clause 
 (2).  Upon receipt of the notice, the candidate who had agreed 
 to be bound by the limits is no longer bound by the expenditure 
 limits. 

    Subd. 11. Renumbered 10A.257, subdivision 1 

    Subd. 12. Renumbered 10A.257, subd. 2 

    Subd. 13. Repealed by amendment, 1999 c 220 s 30 

    HIST: 1974 c 470 s 25; 1975 c 271 s 6; 1976 c 307 s 21-23; 
 1978 c 463 s 67-74; 1986 c 444; 1987 c 214 s 5,6; 1988 c 686 art 
 1 s 41; 1988 c 707 s 2; 1990 c 608 art 3 s 11-15; 1991 c 349 s 
 13-15; 1993 c 318 art 2 s 20-25; 1996 c 459 s 2; 1999 c 220 s 
 30,50 

*   NOTE:  See section 10A.255, subdivision 3.