by Haley Worth
Data from the Federal Election Commission show that 90.8 percent of the top 100 donations to political candidates and committees from University of Minnesota employees and affiliates went to Democrats, according to a recent report by Minnesota Business Daily.
The analysis found that UMN employees and affiliates donated $201,383 to political candidates and committees. Of that amount, $182,919 went to Democrats. Another $11,125 went to the Minnesota Democratic Farmer Labor Party.
None of the top 100 donations were to Republicans.
The top three largest donations ($7,600, $6,000, and $5,600,) went to Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.). Smaller donations went to Andrew Yang, Julian Castro, and Marianne Williamson, all of whom ran for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.
Student at the University of Minnesota and Campus Reform Correspondent Alyssa Rinelli states she isn’t surprised by this report, and that the university has a clear liberal bias.
“Sadly, I’m not shocked by the strictly high number of donations made to Democratic candidates. Again, you see it in the clear bias for left-leaning organizations on campus. You see it in the initiatives the University of Minnesota funds and promotes, such as hiring Dr. Cedric, an Obama Task Force Member, to complete a campus safety review under the lens of race,” Rinelli said.
Campus Reform reported on the University of Minnesota cutting ties with Minneapolis police. After doing so, the campus experienced a drastic increase in reported violent crimes, as Campus Reform also reported.
In 2018, political commentator Ben Shapiro was scheduled to speak at the school when the university changed the venue at the last minute. The venue was significantly smaller and wouldn’t fit a vast amount of the attendees who planned to attend. Shapiro and Young America’s Foundation, which hosted the event, filed a lawsuit against the university.
An Obama-appointed judge sided with the school in that case.
Rinelli also stated her disappointment in the diversity of viewpoints present on campus and indicated that other conservatives are afraid of retaliation for expressing their beliefs.
“I am disappointed that the University of Minnesota lacks viewpoint diversity, especially considering that the University says they value diversity. I am aware of many conservative students who have not been able to express their opinions in class for fear of academic repercussions,” Rinelli said.
According to a previous report, educators donated two and a half times more in 2020 compared with 2016. Democrats received $215.5 million from educators during this election cycle, with just $19.6 million going to Republicans.
UMN Greater Minnesota Media Relations Consultant Devin Henry told Campus Reform in response to the report, “the University of Minnesota does not provide campaign contributions to candidates at any level. Employees are permitted to make personal contributions to political candidates and causes in their capacity as . private citizens.
“However, these contributions are personal and do not indicate University support of a candidate or ballot initiative,” Henry added.
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Haley Worth is a Minnesota Campus Correspondent with Campus Reform. She is a junior at Saint Cloud State University, majoring in Political Science. On campus, Haley was the President of the Turning Point USA chapter. She was also the Grassroots Youth Director of Matt Gurtler’s Congressional Campaign for the primary runoff election in Georgia. Haley is a Fall 2020 Campus Reform intern.
