Hijacking Campaign 2024 | Independent Expenditures | Issue Ads | Candidates | Offices | Campaign 2024
Posted: September 25, 2024
Updated: October 6, 2025
SURJ PAC is the independent expenditure arm of Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ). Established in 2009, SURJ seeks to organize white people to fight racism and advocate for racial equity. This is the first time SURJ has reported activity in Wisconsin elections. While the committee is registered with the Federal Elections Commission, it operates in Wisconsin as an unregistered express advocacy group.
Six weeks before the November 5th general election, SURJ first reported spending to support Democratic candidate LuAnn Bird in the 61st Assembly District in suburban Milwaukee. Bird faced GOP Rep. Bob Donovan who was then the incumbent in the 84th. Donovan was running in the 61st due to new legislative maps passed earlier in 2024.
SURJ spent about $6,800 backing Bird's unsuccessful campaign for the legislature.
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.