Senator Grant Hauschild fined for overspending during 2022 election

MINNEAPOLIS, MN. (Northern News Now) - Senator Grant Hauschild has been fined for overspending during his 2022 State Senate election.

The Candidate Finance Board fined the Democratic senator for exceeding the spending limit by $3,853.62.

Candidates who agree to accept the public subsidies for their race also agree to strict spending limits.

The base spending limit for a Senate candidate is $109,100, but Hauschild’s limit was $120,010 as he was a first-time candidate.

On the 2022 year-end report of receipts and expenditures, the committee reported that it had made $123,863.62 in total campaign expenditures during 2022.

The Board then issued a civil penalty against the committee for that amount, which the committee has since paid.

According to a conciliation agreement, Senator Hauschild explained that the committee inadvertently overspent its budget related to television advertisements due to the final placement of their advertisements before the election.

Northern News Now also reached out to Hauschild, who responded:

“I am proud of the strong campaign finance laws we have here in Minnesota. A lot happens in the final weeks of the campaign and when we found out we had errored, we worked to proactively inform the Campaign Finance Board and paid our fee immediately. That’s how the system should work. Our campaign holds zero debt and we are in a very strong financial position.”

On Tuesday, Zupancich responded to the news on her campaign’s Facebook page, and announced her decision to run again in 2026:

“It has come to light that in the 2022 election my opponent and now State Senator Grant Hauschild broke campaign finance laws in an election decided by 703 votes. I along with my family, my supporters, and all the voters of Senate District 3 are disappointed in this action by Senator Hauschild. When I decided to run for office it was for our community and our district to do the right thing by them.... I will be running again for Senate District 3 in the 2026 election. I vow to run a campaign built on honesty and integrity with a singular focus on supporting the good families of the Northland.”

The Senate District 3 seat covers Cook, Koochiching, Lake, and parts of Itasca and St. Louis counties, once filled by Sen. Tom Bakk.

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