Minnesota cannabis advocates are deploying a new strategy in their fight for legal recreational marijuana: pouring money into election races in hopes of achieving a “pro-legalization” majority in the state Legislature.

The state’s leading cannabis advocacy groups — Minnesotans for Responsible Marijuana Regulation, Sensible Change Minnesota and Minnesota NORML — recently joined forces to create the MN is Ready Coalition, which will conduct voter outreach ahead of the November midterm elections and support candidates through a separate political action fund.

“I think there’s going to be substantial money in this, especially from some [donors] who really understand this as being an issue that has cost Democrats seats,” said Leili Fatehi, a longtime legalization advocate who will run the MN is Ready Political Action Fund.

In 2020, candidates running under the Legal Marijuana Now and Grassroots Legalize Cannabis parties pulled in thousands of votes in some key races. State Democrats believed the third-party candidates cost them votes and helped Republicans maintain control of the Minnesota Senate.

The Republican-controlled Senate has continued to oppose recreational marijuana legalization, while the Democratic-led House supports it and passed a legalization bill last year.

The political action fund will focus its money on battleground races where third-party candidates could again cost a Democrat victory, Fatehi said. She anticipates the fund will target three state Senate races, two House races and the First and Second Congressional District elections.