Hijacking Campaign 2023 | Independent Expenditures | Issue Ads | Candidates | Campaign 2023
Posted: April 4, 2023
Updated: March 25, 2023
This is an unregistered independent expenditure committee used by the Wisconsin chapter of the American Federation of Teachers to support Democrats and left-leaning candidates in legislative and statewide races. The American Federation of Teachers represents professional public employees, including teachers.
Days before the April 4 spring elections, the group sponsored $15,000 worth of online ads to support Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Janet Protasiewicz’s bid for the Wisconsin Supreme Court. The day of the election, it reported spending about an additional $550 for text messages.
Protasiewicz, who ran as a liberal, faced former Supreme Court Justice Daniel Kelly, a conservative who was appointed to the court in 2016 to fill a vacancy but failed to keep his seat in a 2020 election. Protasiewicz won the election.
At the time of the election, the court had a 4-3 conservative majority which included retiring Justice Patience Roggensack.
Last active election: 2022
This organization is an unregistered independent expenditure committee that is required to report any such spending done within 60 days of a primary or an election to the Wisconsin Ethics Commission per Chapter 11, Subchapter X of Wisconsin Statutes.