Hijacking Campaign 2012

WI League of Conservation Voters Independent Expenditure Committee

Posted: May 8, 2012
Updated: February 13, 2013

Fall: Oath • Spending
Recall: Oath • Spending

This corporation was created last year by the league, a statewide environmental lobbying and advocacy group, to make independent expenditures on behalf of Democratic candidates in some of the nine 2011 recall races targeting incumbent Democratic and Republican state senators for their opposition or support of a successful plan by GOP Governor Scott Walker to sharply restrict public employee collective bargaining rights.  This corporation and the group's political action committee spent about $98,000 in those races.

Fall Election

The group registered to make independent expenditures in Democratic primaries in Milwaukee's 18th Assembly District and 6th Senate District. Following the primary, the group registered to make independent expenditures in support of Democratic challengers in six Assembly races and Democratic incumbents in the 18th and 30th Senate Districts.

Recall Election

Two weeks before the June 2012 recall elections that targeted Walker, Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch and four GOP Senate seats, the corporation reported spending more than $88,000 on television ads against Walker and Republican Senators Van Wanggaard of Racine and Terry Moulton of Chippewa Falls.  The virtually identical 30-second television ads - here, here and here via WisPolitics.com - accused them of supporting generous tax breaks for corporations and wealthy individuals at the expense of state aid to public education.

Last active election: Recall 2011

This organization is registered with the Government Accountability Board following the January 2010 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United v. FEC as a corporation making independent disbursements.