In the four-way race for the Ward 4 seat on the St. Paul City Council, no candidate comes close to raising the kind of cash that Molly Coleman has commanded during her short time on the campaign trail.

Coleman, 33, has raised about $57,000 in five months, spending $22,000 of it as of her most recent campaign finance filing on July 24.

That’s more than double the $25,000 raised by Cole Hanson in the same period, and many times more than the $4,500 raised by Carolyn Will as of her lasting campaign finance filing mid-June, though Will said Thursday that she has raised additional dollars since.

Chauntyll Allen, a Ward 4 candidate who sits on the St. Paul Public Schools board, raised about $8,500 as of her latest filing with Ramsey County Elections on June 12.

“When I look at congressional races, I think about how many things we could do with that amount of money,” said Allen, who said she dislikes political fundraising, and other than an upcoming house party had done little of it. “I think I raised about $40,000 for my first campaign. I was like, ‘Do you know how many people we could help with this money? Do you know how many people I know who need rent support right now?’”

Special election to be held Aug. 12

The special election for the seat — which represents Hamline-Midway, Merriam Park, St. Anthony Park and parts of Macalester-Groveland and Como — will be held Aug. 12.

How has Coleman — a graduate of Harvard Law School, the director of a nonprofit and the daughter of former St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman — broken away from the pack financially?

Her campaign coffers have benefited from the generous support of politicians, real estate developers, lobbyists, attorneys, political action committees and other members of organizations that could be described as politically left, right and center.

“I’m proud of that,” said Coleman, in an interview Thursday. “I’m really proud that I’ve had support from a whole host of folks who don’t necessarily agree with me on everything, but they see me as somebody who is ready to lead, who cares deeply about the city of St. Paul, and who is ready to meet the moment that we find ourselves in.”

The rent control question

The amount of campaign cash donated by the real estate community, in particular, hasn’t escaped the notice of the other Ward 4 candidates.

The seven-member city council has hosted a number of votes that have split 4-3, like the decision last May to roll back rent control protections in buildings built after 2004, and developers and their legal representatives appear eager to have a seat at the table.

“It’s about whose voices will be heard at City Hall,” said Hanson, a Twin Cities DSA-aligned candidate. “Lobbyists and developers will always write checks to reserve their office time early if they can.”

Coleman has said she supported the council’s May amendment, given the need to jump-start lagging housing construction, and she sees no reason for further changes to rent control at this time. Hanson, on the other hand, had called for preserving rent control for further study rather than watering it down.

A variety of donors

Coleman’s donors, however, run a wide gamut. They include a bartender at the Black Hart bar on University Avenue, the owner of the Mischief Toy Store on Grand Avenue, employees of Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity, a substitute teacher at the Twin Cities German Immersion School and a social worker at Brighton Hospice.

She’s also received donations from former U.S. Sen. Al Franken, St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter, former Minneapolis Mayor RT Rybak, former St. Paul Police Chief Todd Axtell and Sam and Sylvia Kaplan, who are well-known donors in Minneapolis progressive circles.

Multiple attorneys with the litigation and lobbying firm Lockridge Grindal Nauen contributed to Coleman’s campaign, as did Ryan C. Kelly, principal of Synergetic Endeavors consulting and co-founder of the Primacy Strategy Group, which is co-owned by the law firm. An affiliated political action committee, the Primacy PAC, donated additional dollars.

Another donor was Brian Rice, of Rice Walther & Mosley. Rice’s clients have included the Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis and the Minneapolis Police Fraternal Association, as well as the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board. In those capacities, Rice worked closely for years with Bob Kroll, the controversial former president of the Minneapolis police union.

“That is not somebody that I’ve ever had a meeting with, that I’ve ever had a conversation with,” said Coleman, of the Rice donation. “I’m committed to police accountability, I’m committed to true public safety, and using pro-active steps, not using police as our first step toward public safety.”

“If people are projecting Minneapolis political dynamics onto this race,” she added, “feel free to come over and learn about St. Paul.”

Real estate donors

Coleman’s financial backers also include notables from the real estate industry, some of whom have also supported Republican politicians in the past. She noted that those contributors run from nonprofit donors committed to affordable housing to private sector developers involved in market-rate housing, a reflection of her interest in generating housing at all price points.

Her campaign contributors have included Maureen Michalski, a regional senior vice president with the Ryan Companies, the master developer behind Highland Bridge at the former Twin Cities Ford auto manufacturing campus in Highland Park.

Other donors have included Howard Paster of Paster Properties, Deann Weis of Weis Builders, Renee Spillum of the University of Minnesota Foundation’s UMFREA real estate advisers, Ari Parritz of Afton Park Development, Henry Parker of CommonBond Communities, Stephen Wellington of Wellington Management, Christopher Sherman of Sherman Associates and Jamey Flannery of Flannery Construction.

Political action committees backing Coleman financially include those affiliated with the St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce, the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters and the Legal Defense Fund (for Black American voting rights).

Hanson has generally drawn smaller donations from less well-known backers mostly based in St. Paul, which he’s described as a strength, not a weakness. His politically-linked donors have included St. Paul City Council Member Nelsie Yang, Minneapolis City Council Member Robin Wonsley, state Rep. Athena Rollins, Luke Mielke of the Twin Cities Democratic Socialists of America and others involved in the Twin Cities DSA, which has officially endorsed his candidacy.

Allen, Will donors

In addition, Allen, Coleman and Hanson all received donations from a political action committee associated with St. Paul Fire Fighters Local 21. “Firefighters Local 21 being my only PAC contribution is kind of fun,” Hanson said.

Allen’s donors have included Hoang Murphy, chief executive officer of the People Serving People emergency shelter, fellow school board member Carlo Franco and several educators and city employees.

Allen said she was unaware of the names of other donors. “I don’t even look at fundraising. I have a fundraising person, and when people try to give me money, I point to her and say, ‘Give it to Amelia,’” Allen said on Thursday. “I honestly don’t even know any specifics like that.”

Will said she’s raised about $10,000 since her last filing in June. Her donors have included a wide mix of people, she said, including “maybe six or seven” individuals opposed to the city’s proposed Summit Avenue bikeway, as well as former St. Paul City Council Member Jane Prince and several members of her own family and her husband’s college fraternity.

“They recognize that I’ve run my own business,” said Will, a former television newscaster who operates her own public relations group and until recently edited a newsletter against the bikeway. “I’ve had dealings with the city. Other people are concerned about downtown.”

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While the race is officially nonpartisan and the St. Paul DFL is not making endorsements this summer, Allen, Coleman and Hanson all spent campaign dollars to access software affiliated with Democratic causes or the Minnesota DFL. Those tools include ActBlue and the MN DFL Action Network, two online platforms that create text message alerts, template fundraising pitches and other campaign instruments for progressive causes and candidates.

Today is Monday, Aug. 4, the 216th day of 2025. There are 149 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Aug. 4, 1993, a federal judge sentenced Los Angeles police officers Stacey Koon and Laurence Powell to 2 1/2 years in prison for violating Rodney King’s civil rights.

Also on this date:

In 1790, the U.S. Coast Guard had its beginnings as President George Washington signed a measure authorizing a group of revenue cutters to enforce tariff and trade laws and prevent smuggling.

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In 1916, the United States reached agreement with Denmark to purchase the Danish Virgin Islands for $25 million in gold.

In 1936, Jesse Owens of the United States won the second of his four gold medals at the Berlin Olympics as he prevailed in the long jump over German Luz Long, who was the first to congratulate him.

In 1944, 15-year-old diarist Anne Frank was arrested with her sister, parents and four others by the Gestapo after hiding for two years inside a building in Amsterdam. (Anne and her sister, Margot, died at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.)

In 1960, Burkina Faso (known then as Upper Volta) declared its independence from France after more than 60 years of colonial rule.

In 1964, 44 days after their murders, the bodies of missing civil rights workers James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner were found buried in an earthen dam in Mississippi.

In 1972, Arthur Bremer was convicted and sentenced in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, to 63 years in prison for his attempt on the life of Alabama Gov. George C. Wallace (the sentence was later reduced to 53 years; Bremer was released from prison in 2007).

In 1977, President Jimmy Carter signed a measure establishing the Department of Energy.

In 1984, the album “Purple Rain,” by Prince and the Revolution, began its 24-week run at the top of the Billboard 200 record chart.

In 1987, the Federal Communications Commission voted 4-0 to abolish the Fairness Doctrine, which required radio and television stations to present balanced coverage of controversial issues.

In 2009, North Korean leader Kim Jong Il pardoned American journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee for entering the country illegally and ordered their release during a surprise visit by former U.S. President Bill Clinton.

In 2017, former pharmaceutical CEO Martin Shkreli, who became notorious for a price-gouging scandal, was convicted on federal charges that he deceived investors in a pair of failed hedge funds. (Shkreli was later sentenced to seven years in prison; he was released in 2022.)

In 2019, a masked gunman fired on revelers enjoying summer nightlife in a popular entertainment district of Dayton, Ohio, leaving nine people dead and 27 wounded; police said officers shot and killed the shooter within 30 seconds of the start of his rampage.

In 2020, nearly 3,000 tons of ammonium nitrate that had been improperly stored for years in the port of Beirut, Lebanon, exploded, killing more than 200 people, injuring more than 7,000 and devastating nearby neighborhoods; it was one of the largest non-nuclear explosions ever recorded.

Today’s Birthdays:

Actor-singer Tina Cole is 82.
Football Hall of Famer John Riggins is 76.
Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is 70.
Actor-screenwriter Billy Bob Thornton is 70.
Actor Kym Karath (Film: “The Sound of Music”) is 67.
Hall of Fame track star Mary Decker Slaney is 67.
Actor Lauren Tom is 64.
Former President Barack Obama is 64.
Retired MLB All-Star pitcher Roger Clemens is 63.
Actor Crystal Chappell is 60.
Author Dennis Lehane is 60.
Actor Daniel Dae Kim is 57.
Actor Michael DeLuise is 56.
Former race car driver Jeff Gordon is 54.
Rapper-actor Yo-Yo is 54.
R&B singer-actor Marques Houston is 44.
Britain’s Duchess of Sussex, the former actor Meghan Markle, is 44.
Actor Abigail Spencer is 44.
Actor/director Greta Gerwig is 42.
Country singer Crystal Bowersox (TV: “American Idol”) is 40.
Actors Dylan and Cole Sprouse are 33.
Singer Jessica Sanchez (TV: “American Idol”) is 30.

Right-handed pitcher Mick Abel, who was acquired by the Twins in the Jhoan Duran trade with Philadelphia, made his organizational debut on Sunday and pitched five scoreless innings. However, the St. Paul Saints lost 4-1 in Toledo and finished 1-5 in the series.

Abel, who is ranked as the Twins’ No. 6 prospect by MLB Pipeline, allowed just one hit and walked two. He struck out seven.

Christian MacLeod relieved Abel and gave up all four runs in three innings.

St. Paul was countered by Toledo’s Randy Dobnak, who was traded by Minnesota along with Chris Paddack to Detroit last week. Dobnak allowed one run in four innings.

The Saints took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Payton Eeles singled home rehabbing Luke Keaschall, who went 1 for 4 as the leadoff hitter and designated hitter.

James Outman, who Minnesota acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers for reliever Brock Stewart, was hitless in three at-bats while hitting second and playing center field.

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By DIDI TANG

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. and Chinese officials may be able to settle many of their differences to reach a trade deal and avert punishing tariffs, but they remain far apart on one issue: the U.S. demand that China stop purchasing oil from Iran and Russia.

“China will always ensure its energy supply in ways that serve our national interests,” China’s Foreign Ministry posted on X on Wednesday following two days of trade negotiations in Stockholm, responding to the U.S. threat of a 100% tariff.

“Coercion and pressuring will not achieve anything. China will firmly defend its sovereignty, security and development interests,” the ministry said.

The response is notable at a time when both Beijing and Washington are signaling optimism and goodwill about reaching a deal to keep commercial ties between the world’s two largest economies stable — after climbing down from sky-high tariffs and harsh trade restrictions. It underscores China’s confidence in playing hardball when dealing with the Trump administration, especially when trade is linked to its energy and foreign policies.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, emerging from the talks, told reporters that when it comes to Russian oil purchases, the “Chinese take their sovereignty very seriously.”

“We don’t want to impede on their sovereignty, so they would like to pay a 100% tariff,” Bessent said.

On Thursday, he called the Chinese “tough” negotiators, but said China’s pushback hasn’t stalled the negotiations. “I believe that we have the makings of a deal,” Bessent told CNBC.

Gabriel Wildau, managing director of the consultancy Teneo, said he doubts President Donald Trump would actually deploy the 100% tariff. “Realizing those threats would derail all the recent progress and probably kill any chance” for Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping to announce a trade deal if they should meet this fall, Wildau said.

In seeking to restrict oil sales by Russia and Iran, a major source of revenue for both countries, the U.S. wants to reduce the funding available for their militaries, as Moscow pursues its war against Ukraine and Tehran funds militant groups across the Middle East.

China plays hardball

When Trump unveiled a sweeping plan for tariffs on dozens of countries in April, China was the only country that retaliated. It refused to give in to U.S. pressure.

“If the U.S. is bent on imposing tariffs, China will fight to the end, and this is China’s consistent official stance,” said Tu Xinquan, director of the China Institute for WTO Studies at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing. WTO is the acronym for the World Trade Organization.

Negotiating tactics aside, China may also suspect that the U.S. won’t follow through on its threat, questioning the importance Trump places on countering Russia, Tu said.

Scott Kennedy, senior adviser and trustee chair in Chinese Business and Economics at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said Beijing is unlikely to change its posture when it sees inconsistencies in U.S. foreign policy goals toward Russia and Iran, whereas Beijing’s policy support for Moscow is consistent and clear. It’s also possible that Beijing may want to use it as another negotiating tool to extract more concessions from Trump, Kennedy said.

Danny Russel, a distinguished fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute, said Beijing now sees itself as “the one holding the cards in its struggle with Washington.” He said Trump has made it clear he wants a “headline-grabbing deal” with Xi, “so rejecting a U.S. demand to stop buying oil from Iran or Russia is probably not seen as a deal‑breaker, even if it generates friction and a delay.”

Continuing to buy oil from Russia preserves Xi’s “strategic solidarity” with Russian President Vladimir Putin and significantly reduces the economic costs for China, Russel said.

“Beijing simply can’t afford to walk away from the oil from Russia and Iran,” he said. “It’s too important a strategic energy supply, and Beijing is buying it at fire‑sale prices.”

China depends on oil from Russia and Iran

A 2024 report by the U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates that roughly 80% to 90% of the oil exported by Iran went to China. The Chinese economy benefits from the more than 1 million barrels of Iranian oil it imports per day.

After the Iranian parliament floated a plan to shut down the Strait of Hormuz in June following U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, China spoke out against closing the critical oil transit route.

China also is an important customer for Russia, but is second to India in buying Russian seaborne crude oil exports. In April, Chinese imports of Russian oil rose 20% over the previous month to more than 1.3 million barrels per day, according to the KSE Institute, an analytical center at the Kyiv School of Economics.

This past week, Trump said the U.S. will impose a 25% tariff on goods from India, plus an additional import tax because of India’s purchasing of Russian oil. India’s Foreign Ministry said Friday its relationship with Russia was “steady and time-tested.”

Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff and a top policy adviser, said Trump has been clear that it is “not acceptable” for India to continue financing the Ukraine war by purchasing oil from Russia.

“People will be shocked to learn that India is basically tied with China in purchasing Russian oil,” Miller said on Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures.” He said the U.S. needs “to get real about dealing with the financing of this war.”

Congress demands action

Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, is pushing for sanctions and tariffs on Russia and its financial backers. In April, he introduced a bill that would authorize the president to impose tariffs as high as 500% not only on Russia but on any country that “knowingly” buys oil, uranium, natural gas, petroleum products or petrochemical products from Russia.

“The purpose of this legislation is to break the cycle of China — a communist dictatorship — buying oil below market price from Putin’s Russia, which empowers his war machine to kill innocent Ukrainian civilians,” Graham said in a June statement.

The bill has 84 co-sponsors in the 100-seat Senate. A corresponding House version has been introduced, also with bipartisan support.

Republicans say they stand ready to move on the sanctions legislation if Trump asks them to do so, but the bill is on hold for now.

___

Associated Press writers David McHugh in Frankfurt and Rajesh Roy in New Delhi and researcher Yu Bing in Beijing contributed to the report.