Hijacking Campaign 2026 | Campaign 2026
Posted: July 20, 2026
Updated: August 10, 2026
Middle Class Priorities is a new independent expenditure committee that first registered with the state of Wisconsin in July of this year. According to its website, which consists of a scant three pages, the committee advocates for lower prices, better wages and jobs, and improved healthcare. Other than that, not much is known about the organization. The website was first registered in March of this year, and its registration expires after only a year. There is no information available as to who owns the site. The committee's first campaign finance report filed with the Wisconsin State Ethics Commission shows that its sole funder to date is a Nebraska-based organization called Progressive Prosperity Caucus, Inc. The group has a one page website that provides no useful information about the organization. Reports have claimed that Progressive Prosperity may be a Republican Party front-group that tries to skew Democratic primaries in favor of candidates who cannot win in the general election.
The group’s registered physical address is identical to that of a Pack N Ship store in Milwaukee. This is not atypical. Many independent expenditure committees, especially those which spring up for one election than disappear, report mailing addresses that coincide with those of such establishments. The group registered with the federal government in May of this year, but the only report on file as of July shows no income, no disbursements, and no cash. Since it only filed with the state this July, it is not required to file a full campaign finance report with the identity of its donors until eight days before the primary on August 11. Despite its state address, the organization is not currently registered with the Wisconsin State Dept. of Financial Institutions as a corporation.
The third weekend of July, the group reported spending over $421,000 for television ads to support Rep. Francesca Hong of the 76th Assembly for governor. Hong is one of seven candidates on the Democratic primary ballot for governor, as the incumbent, Democrat Gov. Tony Evers, is not seeking reelection. A few days before the group reported this spending, a couple of different ads started appearing on YouTube. One emphasized Hong’s support for education and the other her plans for making health care more accessible and affordable. Presumably, these ads, despite appearing online, are included in the reported $421,000 expenditure for television advertising.
The last Saturday in July, less than three weeks before the August 11th primary, Middle Class Priorities reported spending nearly another $300,000 for mailers (and possibly billboards) to support Hong. Moreover, it may have only spent half that, as it looks at though it may have duplicated expenditures in the report.
Nine days before the primary, it reported spending over a quarter of million dollars for televsion ad buys in support of Hong. Five days before the primary, it reported about another $299,500 for more mailers (and again, maybe billboards) to back Hong.
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.