Outside Groups Target Minn. Legislative Races

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Campaign spending reports posted Wednesday are showing the roadmap to the most competitive legislative campaigns this fall, with outside groups offering detailed disclosure about where they're placing their bets.

The groups are sinking money into closely contested races in Woodbury, Eagan, Northfield, Rochester and hot spots in northern Minnesota.

The spending is coming from Republican allies defending the current GOP legislative majorities and Democratic-friendly groups trying to overturn those majorities.

The party that controls the Legislature after the election will determine how far Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton gets with campaign promises to raise top-level income taxes and send more money to schools.

Outside groups play an outsized role in some races because, unlike candidates, they face no limits on how much money they can raise or where it comes from.

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