Hijacking Campaign 2020 | Independent Expenditures | Issue Ads | Candidates | Offices | Campaign 2020
Posted: March 27, 2020
Updated: June 24, 2021
This arm of the Virginia-based Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC) sponsors outside electioneering activities to support conservative candidates in judicial races throughout the country.
A little less than two weeks before the April 7 spring elections, the group filed paperwork showing it spent nearly $824,500 on two television ads – here and here - opposing Dane County Circuit Judge Jill Karofsky. Karofsky faced incumbent Justice Dan Kelly, a 2016 appointee of former Republican Gov. Scott Walker, for a 10-year seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. The group also spent $16,000 on text messages to support Kelly.
Both of the group’s television ads accused Karofsky of being soft on dangerous criminals, like sexual predators, and praised Kelly as a conservative judge. One of the ads also showed a video clip of President Trump backing Kelly.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Politifact feature rated claims in both ads as false because Karofsky was not the prosecutor who handled sentencing in the case involving the five-year-old sexual assault victim.
By the time of the April 7 election RSLC reported spending roughly another $57,000 on robocalls and text messaging.
Throughout the campaign Karofsky drew support from traditionally Democratic campaign contributors and outside groups and Kelly from GOP contributors and groups.
The RSLC was also involved in the 2020 fall legislative elections through another committee.
Last active election: 2019
This organization is registered with the Wisconsin Ethics Commission as an independent expenditure committee following the January 2010 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United v. FEC.