Hijacking Campaign 2022 | Independent Expenditures | Issue Ads | Candidates | Offices | Campaign 2022
Posted: July 19, 2022
Updated: March 25,2024
This is a new committee with a Jacksonville, Fla., address that first registered to make independent expenditures to oppose Wisconsin GOP candidate for governor Rebecca Kleefisch. Kleefisch faced three other Republicans in an Aug. 9 primary to determine who would go on to challenge Democratic Gov. Tony Evers in November. She lost to the eventual candidate, Wisconsin businessman Tim Michels.
Sunrise in American Political Fund reported spending nearly $389,000 in the Republican primary.
In mid-September the committee first reported spending to oppose Evers, spending over $128,000 for radio advertisements and web development. At the end of the month it reported spending $400,000 on television advertising against Evers. The 30-second television ad accused the Wisconsin Parole Commission of releasing violent criminals early and blamed Evers.
Towards the end of the first week of October, the committee reported a further $150,000 for television ads opposing Evers.
Less than three weeks before the November 8 election, it reported spending another half a million dollars for television and radio advertising against Evers. The broadcast and cable ad, which ran in the La Crosse and Eau Claire television markets, blamed Evers for high inflation and rising natural gas and food prices.
Twelve days before the election, it reported spending a final $300,000 for television, radio and online advertising to oppose Evers.
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.