2026 candidate · follow the money
Who funds Melisa Lopez Franzen?
The money.
- Raised
- $299K
- Spent
- $299K
- Cash on hand
- $0
- Individuals 64% $191K
- PACs & other committees 2% $5,000
- Candidate's own money & loans 33% $100K
- Other receipts 1% $3,237
Campaign totals through Jul 15, 2025.
No independent expenditures for or against this filing are itemized in the bulk file.
Largest direct PAC contributions
- THE MAJORITY RULES $5,000
Who gave.
Who gives $191K from individuals
14% in small-dollar gifts
$26K of $191K came unitemized: from donors whose gifts to the campaign this cycle total $200 or less, whom the campaign does not have to name.
51% from Minnesota · 49% from elsewhere
Of itemized gifts, by the state on each donor's mailing address. Giving from other states is lawful and common.
96% of itemized dollars came earmarked through a conduit such as ActBlue or WinRed; each gift is counted once.
Top states
- Minnesota $79K
- Puerto Rico $20K
- California $13K
- Florida $6,500
- Oregon $5,500
- District of Columbia $5,250
- New Jersey $4,500
- Texas $4,500
Top employers named by donors
- TROUTMAN PEPPER HAMILTON SANDERS LLP $14K
- NATIONAL GRID RENEWABLES $7,200
- UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA $1,500
Employers as donors wrote them on the form. A company listed here did not give this money; people who work there did.
Retired, self-employed, not employed or not given: $33K. Employers named by fewer than three donors, or filed as a person's name: $100K, not listed so no one donor is singled out.
Summary through Jul 15, 2025. Itemized gifts dated Mar 3, 2025 to May 22, 2025, net of refunds (201 entries). Every itemized contribution on FEC.gov ↗
From the principal campaign committee's FEC reports; joint-fundraising transfers and later reports are not included, and no donor is named here. A contribution is not evidence of a vote, favor or wrongdoing.
Outside money in the final weeks.
No 24- or 48-hour report in the FEC file read November 4, 2026 names Melisa Lopez Franzen.
Where it went.
Where the money went $284K in itemized spending
- Advertising & outreach 22% $63K
- Consultants & strategy 22% $61K
- Staff & payroll 11% $31K
- Fundraising & processing fees 19% $53K
- Polling, research & data 4% $10K
- Travel, meals & events 1% $2,697
- Office, technology & overhead 6% $18K
- Legal & compliance 9% $25K
- Other or unclassified 7% $19K
Largest payees
- BLUE WAVE POLITICAL PARTNERS, LLC $109K
- GUSTO $31K
- DAVID BROWNE MEDIA $28K
- CONEXION POLITICAL LLC $17K
- FOUR LIONS MEDIA $16K
Paid to individuals: $26K, such as staff, contractors and reimbursements. People who were paid are not named here.
Payments dated Mar 10, 2025 to Jul 14, 2025, as itemized by the principal campaign committee in FEC reports (79 entries). Every payment on FEC.gov ↗
Grouped by each campaign's own description of the payment, so the groups are approximate. Payments of $200 or less to one payee need not be itemized, detail filed only as memo entries counts under other or unclassified, and spending by the candidate's other committees or by outside groups is not included. A payment is not evidence of a favor or wrongdoing.
Others who filed for this seat.
- Angie CraigDemocrat · $12M raised · $11M outside
- Michele TafoyaRepublican · $11M raised · $464K outside
- Margaret FlanaganDemocratic-Farmer-Labor · $11M raised · $7.7M outside
- Adam SchwarzeRepublican · $1.4M raised · $233K outside
- Royce WhiteRepublican · $735K raised
- Tom WeilerRepublican · $221K raised
- David W HannRepublican · $133K raised
- Mark YorkRepublican · $75K raised
- Tina SmithDemocrat · $49K raised
- Rebecca WhitingLibertarian · $3,756 raised
- Raymond David PetersenRepublican · $973 raised
- Mike RuohoRepublican · $0 raised
Questions worth asking.
Money shows who backed a campaign, not how a person will act. Compare it with what they did and said: their votes or official actions if they have held office, their own statements, and their answers to a finding. Use the same questions for every candidate.
FEC bulk data read November 4, 2026. Campaign totals come from each filing's own FEC summary through its latest processed report. Outside spending is independent expenditures itemized in committee reports in the FEC bulk files, primaries included; late 24- and 48-hour reports, party coordinated spending, communication costs and groups that do not report to the FEC are not included. Outside spending is, by law, made without coordinating with the candidate, and it is not the candidate's money. A contribution or expenditure is not evidence of a vote, favor or wrongdoing. This page identifies the filing by its FEC candidate ID; a person can hold more than one filing.