Hijacking Campaign 2025 | Independent Expenditures | Issue Ads | Candidates | Campaign 2025
March 11, 2025
Based in Washington, D.C., IBEW PAC is an unregistered independent disbursement committee. This committee shares its address with the federally registered IBEW PAC Educational Fund, which makes independent expenditures at the national level and is affiliated with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), the union representing workers in electrical industries, from construction to public utilities. Twelve different political action committees, controlled by the national union or local IBEW affiliates, contributed over $1.2 million to candidates for Wisconsin state office between 2010 and 2024, all to Democrats or liberal candidates for nonpartisan offices. This is the first time any IBEW committee has reported independent expenditures in a Wisconsin state-level election.
The committee first reported making independent expenditures in the 2025 Wisconsin State Supreme Court campaign about three weeks before the April 1st election day. The IBEW reported spending $93,500 for online advertising to support Dane County Circuit Court Judge Susan Crawford. Crawford faces Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge Brad Schimel for an open seat on the state’s highest court. Liberals have a 4-3 majority on the officially nonpartisan court. The election of Schimel, who previously held posts as district attorney and state attorney general as a Republican, would flip control to conservatives.
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.