State GOP party has just $53 in the bank with $334,000 in debt: FEC filing
Minnesota has not voted Republican in a presidential contest in over 50 years — the longest any state in the entire country has gone without doing so. But the GOP has still managed to elect a number of noteworthy Republicans from the state, from Rep. Tom Emmer, who previously chaired the GOP's congressional fundraising arm to former Rep. Michele Bachmann, who recently argued that slavery was not "sinful."
Years and years of major losses, however, appear to have taken their toll on the party, as it is now almost completely broke.
According to the latest filings with the Federal Election Commission, the Republican Party of Minnesota has just $53.81 in the bank — not even enough money to buy a single Amazon Fire tablet with Prime Day discounts applied. By contrast, the party is reporting almost $334,000 in debts.
All of this comes as the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party recently gained full control of the state legislature, and is working with Gov. Tim Walz to pass a flurry of progressive legislation, from voting rights to gun reforms to universal school lunches.
The Minnesota GOP is not alone in its financial woes — a number of Republican state committees face a dire cash shortfall, including states that could be decisive in the 2024 presidential election.
A report earlier this month revealed the Arizona Republican Party has less than $50,000 in the bank, as its longtime donors bail on the party over its embrace of election conspiracy theories. And Roger Hudson, the deputy chief of staff of the Colorado Republican Party, claims that they are bankrupt and being evicted from their office space over lack of funds — although the party's official social media account denies this and claims Hudson is "spreading lies" because he is disgruntled the party admonished him for supporting transgender rights.
Perhaps the most high-profile case is the Michigan Republican Party, where recently-elected party chair Kristina Karamo has faced mounting criticism from fellow officers about the lack of transparency around party finances, causing escalating tensions that culminated in a physical brawl between two Michigan GOP officials last week that put one in the emergency room and could lead to criminal charges for the other.