ST. PAUL — The campaign arm of Minnesota Senate Republicans rode its surprise takeover of that chamber in the November election to more than $265,000 in checks from lobbyists and outside political funds who are now vying for influence at the Capitol.

Republicans’ post-election haul shows just how the flow of money changed course after Election Day. After raising four times more than Republicans in the money race leading up to Nov. 8, Democrats received just $20,000 afterward — half of which came from an out-of-state family of developers.

It’s not a new phenomenon in Minnesota politics or nationwide, but it provides the latest reminder that political contributions flow toward power —not just preferred campaigns. The late spending adds to an expensive fight over the Minnesota Legislature, in which candidates, campaign committees and outside political groups combined to spend more than $25 million.

Republicans also held control of the Minnesota House in November, parlaying their return to power into a wide fundraising edge over Democrats after the election.

But the GOP was widely viewed as a longshot to take back the state Senate. Even after losing two Republican seats, they defeated eight Democratic senators to win a 34-33 margin in the Senate. A pair of recounts in the Plymouth and St. Cloud areas eventually confirmed they had taken back control.

In all, nearly a quarter of Senate Republicans’ $1.2 million in total fundraising came after Election Day.