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Capitol View®
Catharine Richert

Tribe, oil co. give last-minute money to Zellers PAC

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One of four Republican candidates for governor is getting a last minute financial boost from a Native American tribe and the oil and gas industry.

Minnesota's Future, a group reportedly backing GOP Rep. Kurt Zellers in his quest to unseat Gov. Mark Dayton, received $20,000 from the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux in late July and $25,000 from Northern Oil and Gas last week. Typically, the group has worked to elect Republicans to the Minnesota Legislature.

In the final days before the primary, Minnesota's Future has launched a website and is airing an ad on cable TV touting Zellers' role in the 2011 budget impasse and subsequent government shutdown.

"Kurt Zellers won the budget fight in St. Paul, and turned a $6 billion deficit into a $3 billion surplus without raising taxes," the ad states.

Ultimately, Dayton and the GOP-controlled Legislature agreed to sell tobacco bonds and borrow money from schools to balance the budget.

Last minute campaign donations are being made to other groups as well.

Minnesotans for a Responsible Limited Government is a group backing GOP endorsed gubernatorial candidate Jeff Johnson with a television ad and mailers.

Last week, the organization received $30,000 from Phil and Sharon Lindau who attend Johnson's church, Calvary Lutheran. That's on top of the $20,000 the Lindaus have already given to the group and contributions they have made directly to Johnson's campaign. Phil Lindau is the co-president of Commodity Specialists Company, an agriculture trading and marketing firm.

Candidates are getting last minute donations as well, including Zellers who has raised nearly $20,000 in the final days of his primary campaign - more than any of the other four candidates.

On the left, the big primary race is between State Auditor Rebecca Otto and challenger Matt Entenza.

Entenza has secured $419,000 in the final stretch of the campaign - from himself. That's on top of the $255,000 Entenza has already given his own campaign.