Hijacking Campaign 2025 | Independent Expenditures | Issue Ads | Candidates | Campaign 2025
Posted: March 8, 2025
Updated April 4, 2025
This is a federally registered political action committee (PAC) run by the Washington, D.C. non-profit of the same name. The organization’s self-professed mission is to promote a more equitable and accurate justice system. This is the first time the PAC has made independent expenditures, or been involved in any capacity, in a Wisconsin state-level election.
At the end of the first week in March, the PAC reported spending over $76,200 on radio ads opposing supreme court candidate and Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge Brad Schimel. Schimel faced Dane County Circuit Court Judge Susan Crawford in the April 1st election for an open seat on the state’s high court. Liberals won a 4-3 majority on the officially nonpartisan court in the 2023 election. The election of Schimel, who formerly held posts as Republican state attorney general and district attorney, would have handed control back to conservatives. Crawford won and preserved the liberal majority.
Before reporting independent expenditures, the group appears to have conducted “issue ads” in the guise of the Justice Project Action.
Fifteen days before the April election, it reported spending over $276,000 for mailers and website development to oppose Schimel and support Crawford.
Eleven days from the election, the Justice Project reported over $463,000 for radio ads and mailers opposing Schimel.
Two days before the election, it reported about $5,400 for radio ads against Schimel.
Two days after the election, the group reported spending about $50,700 for phone calls, online and print advertising.
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.