The Human Rights Campaign pledged Friday to donate $150,000 to political causes in Minnesota to offset a donation by retail giant Target to MN Forward, a political group backing GOP gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer.

HRC will be donating $100,000 to WIN Minnesota, $30,000 to candidates (including Emmer’s DFL opponent Mark Dayton) and $20,000 to OutFront Minnesota. The group also said it will be ramping up its political efforts in the state because Minnesota could be the next state to allow gay marriage. [Minnesota Independent]

“With all of our success in corporate America, we found ourselves at a crossroads recently during HRC’s dispute with Target and Best Buy,” HRC president Joe Solmonese said in prepared remarks. “It wasn’t easy and it certainly wasn’t on our list of things to do, but it was the right thing to do.”

He added that “the eyes of all fair-minded Americans, and specifically those in the LGBT community — will be on Minnesota on election day.”

HRC had previously pressed Target to make their own comparable donation to gay rights groups, but the company declined.

Solmonese said he views Minnesota as one of the next states that could legalize gay marriage, and his group may spend more in the state to help its favored candidates win in November. [AP]

Tags: Best Buy, Human Rights Campaign (HRC), Joe Solmonese, Minnesota, MN Forward, Political Contributions, Politics, Target, Tom Emmer

Filed under: Minnesota