St. Paul Reporter

Education Minnesota employee Sara L. Gjerdrum contributed a total of $250 to the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party candidate Julie Blaha, according to the Minnesota Campaign Finance Board.

There have been $5,350 total contributions made to political candidates and committees by Education Minnesota employees, 100 percent of which have gone to the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party causes and candidates.

Donations made to political groups or candidates must be disclosed under state law for greater transparency in elections. While Congress created the Federal Election Commission to oversee federal elections in 1974, each state is left to regulate its local elections. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, eleven states have no limits on how much can be contributed to a candidate by individual donors, while the other 39 states often limit the amount someone can contribute based on the office the candidate is running for.

Employee	Candidate	Party	Amount
Rick Nolan	Julie Blaha	DFL	$1,000
James Haggar	Emma Greenman	DFL	$1,000
James Haggar	Erin Murphy	DFL	$1,000
Jeremy Swenson	Josiah Hill	DFL	$500
Rodney Rowe	Julie Blaha	DFL	$250
Carrie Lucking	Cedrick R. Frazier	DFL	$250
Amy Derwinski	Cedrick R. Frazier	DFL	$250
Denise Specht	Julie Blaha	DFL	$350
Shane Patrick	Julie Blaha	DFL	$250
Sara L. Gjerdrum	Julie Blaha	DFL	$250
Anna Brelje	Julie Blaha	DFL	$250