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Tuesday, April 16, 2002

U.S. Rep. Gil Gutknecht reported the first quarter financial activities of his campaign committee, Gutknecht for U.S. Congress, to the Federal Election Commission Monday.

According to his report, the committee raised $127,000 between Jan. 1 and March 31 this year, for a total of $429,400 in his campaign coffers.

Gutknecht emphasized that contributions from political action committees, a hot subject in the campaign finance reform dispute, were at a minimum.

According to the report, about 27 percent of total contributions in the first quarter were from PACs. The campaign committee said the ratio is the lowest among the Minnesota Congressional Delegation. Gutknecht has been limiting PAC contributions to a maximum of one-third of the total, the committee said.

As a result of redistricting, the First Congressional District Gutknecht represents has nearly doubled its land area, annexing a swath of southern Minnesota counties extending all the way to the western border, and losing regions closer to the Twin Cities metro area.

&uot;The majority of my contributions come from folks who live, work and vote in the First Congressional District,&uot; said Gutknecht. &uot;This campaign is about bringing the values of hard-working Minnesota families to Washington. I am truly humbled by the continued outpouring of support from people throughout southern Minnesota.&uot;