Wow: North Dakota Tax Commissioner Candidate Raised $134,000 In 47 Days

Back in October Cory Fong announced he was stepping down as Tax Commissioner to take a private sector job. On November 8th Governor Jack Dalrymple appointed Ryan Rauschenberger, until then the state’s Deputy Tax Commissioner, to replace Fong. Rauschenberger said it was his intent to run for a term of his own after completing Fong’s.

Since then, according to a press release sent out by Rauschenberger’s campaign, he’s raised $134,100 for his 2014 campaign. His burn rate is tiny – he’s got $132,818.26 on-hand going into the election year – and 73% of the donations are coming from North Dakotans.

That’s an amazing amount of money. To put it into perspective, first-time Public Service Commission candidate Randy Christmann raised $202,633.90 for the entire 2012 election cycle. Insurance Commissioner Adam Hamm won a second term in 2012 after raising just $40,852.00.

North Dakota Republicans hold every single statewide office in North Dakota, and prior to Fong’s resignation it seemed Democrats would face incumbents in every single race. Fong stepping down seemed like an opening for Democrats, but given Rauschenberger’s strong fundraising it may not be much of an opening, really.

A search of the Secretary of State’s campaign disclosure website this morning showed no filings by Rauschenberger (or any other statewide candidate), so these numbers couldn’t be independently verified.

The full press release is below.

Rauschenberger Campaign Raises $134,100 for 2014 Election

The Friends of Ryan Rauschenberger campaign committee filed its 2013 Year-End Campaign Finance Report with Secretary of State Al Jaeger’s office on Monday, January 6th. The report shows that during the 47 days since its formation in November, the campaign raised a total of $134,100. The campaign also reported total cash-on-hand going into the 2014 election year of $132,818.26.
“I am very pleased and humbled by the strong financial support our campaign has received,” said Ryan Rauschenberger, current North Dakota Tax Commissioner and soon-to-be official candidate for the position. “The generosity of these contributors along with the positive feedback and outpouring of support I have received from people across North Dakota energizes me for the exciting campaign ahead.”

The report shows that 73% of all donations came from residents of North Dakota. Contributors also represent a broad array of industry sectors including energy, agriculture, high-tech and advanced manufacturing.

“I appreciate the early financial support our campaign has received,” said Rauschenberger. “It will go a long way toward helping our campaign get off to a strong start.”

Rauschenberger was appointed Tax Commissioner by Governor Jack Dalrymple in November 2013 and officially assumed the office on January 1, 2014. He plans to make a formal announcement of his campaign for Tax Commissioner and his intentions to seek the Republican endorsement for the office later this month.

Year-End Campaign Finance reports are required by state law to be filed with the Secretary of State by January 31 of the following year.