Seifert, who joined the gubernatorial contest in late November, nabbed 28 percent of the precinct vote to lead all comers.

In a statement that accompanied the announcement, Dayton described Smith as "the best administrator with whom I have ever worked."

DFL Party chair Ken Martin said the current financial state puts the party in one of its strongest positions ever.

Kline raised $450,000 during the last quarter of 2013, and entered this year with $1.6 million in cash on hand.

The campaign said Zellers had "far out-raised candidates not dependent on their personal wealth."

Candidate fundraising disclosures in the gubernatorial race are not due until the end of this month, but some entrants just couldn’t wait to tell the public how much they received. Three Republican candidates have released their totals so far, and Gov. Mark Dayton has preemptively hinted at his own total, giving some indication of the shape of the race at the onset of the election year.

Honour pointed out that he had collected that total despite his status as a "political outsider."

Though the total number of Nguyen's House endorsements is impressive on its face, he failed to win the support of House Minority Leader Kurt Daudt.

Nobles' statement was greeted as welcome news for lawmakers from both parties during the meeting of the MNsure Legislative Oversight Committee.

Attorney Erick Kaardal said the misuse of taxpayer funds amounted to an ongoing "injury" to his clients.