Rukavina crows over 1,133 donors

DFL State Rep. Tom Rukavina has taken in more than $135,000 from 1,133 donors, his gubernatorial campaign said Tuesday. Rukavina measured his accomplishment against DFL House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher’s announced 1,200 donors.

Kelliher’s donations came over four months, Rukavina’s in five.

But in a statement, Rukavina saw victory in the numbers:

Hey, I’ve nearly matched her. I’m not the powerful House Speaker or the powerful Tax Committee Chair, but I’m a powerful little candidate with a refreshingly honest approach with people. That’s why I am going to win.

Rukavina chairs a committee with a less wieldy name: the Higher Education and Workforce Development Finance and Policy Division.

Rukavina set off an uproar last month when he complained that Kelliher was getting special treatment from the state DFL, which was taking donations earmarked for Kelliher’s purchase of party data. The state Campaign Finance Board hears a complaint in the matter this month.