Hijacking Campaign 2023 | Independent Expenditures | Issue Ads | Candidates | Campaign 2023
Posted: February 6, 2023
Updated: March 22, 2024
Spring: Oath • Spending
Special: Oath • Spending
This independent expenditure committee, which has a Monona address, was created to support Democratic and left-leaning candidates for statewide office and the legislature. A Better Wisconsin also conducts issue ad campaigns.
A Better Wisconsin Together Political Fund was first active in the 2020 Wisconsin State Supreme Court election and has since reported spending nearly $10.9 million in subsequent fall and spring elections. It quickly became one of the top-spending outside electioneering groups in Wisconsin.
Most of the group’s contributions came from labor union political action committees (PACs) and corporations, and Democratic ideological groups.
Supreme Court (Spring)
In early February, the committee reported spending nearly $829,000 for online and television advertising to oppose Waukesha Circuit Court Judge Jennifer Dorow in the Feb. 21 primary for the Wisconsin State Supreme Court. Dorow was one of four candidates, including former Supreme Court Justice Daniel Kelly, running for the seat vacated by retiring Justice Patience Roggensack. Both Dorow and Kelly were appointed to the bench by former GOP Governor Scott Walker. The top two vote getters - Kelly and Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Janet Protasiewicz - faced off in the April 4 election.
Protasiewicz won the seat.
The group's television and online ads in the primary - here, here, here, here, and here - accused Dorow of letting domestic abusers, sexual predators, and other criminals "off the hook" with light sentences or no prison time since she became a circuit court judge.
In total, the group spent over $2.1 million for online and television ads opposing Dorow in the primary.
With the defeat of Dorow, A Better Wisconsin turned its attention to Kelly, as three days after the primary, it reported over $805,000 for online and television advertising opposing his election. Three days after that, it reported spending over another half a million dollars on television ads against Kelly. One ad claimed Kelly once compared people on Social Security and Medicare to welfare recipients. Another television ad and an online ad said Kelly opposed abortion rights and was supported by groups who would ban abortion with no rape or incest exceptions.
In subsequent weeks leading up to the election, A Better Wisconsin reported spending nearly $2.3 million for online advertising and mailers opposing Kelly.
Five days before the election, the organization reported spending another $430,000 for online advertisements in the race. Three of the digital ads - here, here, and here - that appeared days before the election accused Kelly of wanting to keep abortion illegal, trying to make it harder to vote, supporting former President Donald Trump's attack on the 2020 elections, and opposing gay marriage.
The day of the election, the group reported spending over $35,000 on phone banks to support Protasiewicz.
Special
Concurrent with the high court election was a special election to fill a vacancy in suburban Milwaukee's 8th State Senate District following the December retirement of long-time Republican incumbent Alberta Darling. Democrat Jodi Habush Sinykin faced Republican Rep. Dan Knodl of Germantown in the April 4 election. Knodl had survived a three-way Republican primary held at the same time as the Wisconsin State Supreme Court primary. There was no Democratic primary. Knodl won the election.
With less than two weeks remaining before the election, A Better Wisconsin first reported spending nearly $5,000 for online advertising to support the Democrat in the race.
Last active election: 2022
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.