Hijacking Campaign 2026 | Campaign 2026
Posted: July 25, 2026
Updated: August 14, 2026
Believe in Wisconsin first registered with the state to make independent expenditures in September 2025, the same time it registered the web domain “believeinwisconsin.com” for a year’s duration, although it does not appear to have an active website as of this writing. According to reports filed with the Wisconsin State Ethics Commission, between the time it first registered and June, it only raised $110 explaining that lack. Its sole contributor to that point was political consultant Thad Nation. The committee’s registered address in Grafton, like that of so many other such groups, matches that of a UPS store. The group’s registration materials show it is sponsored by Wisconsin Future Rising, Inc., an organization also active as an issue ad group in the 2026 fall election.
At the end of the third week in July, less than three weeks before the August 11th primaries, the group reported spending $200,000 for a television ad backing Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley for the Democratic nomination for governor. The ad touts his endorsement by outgoing Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and says he will stand up to President Trump and data centers. Crowley is just one of seven candidates on the Democratic primary ballot, although not all of them still have active campaigns.
The last Friday in July, the committee reported spending $125,000 for television advertising to support Crowley.
A week from the primary, it reported spending another $624,000 for television ads backing Crowley.
Two days before the primary, the committee reported spending another $170,000 for television and digital ads touting Crowley. The newest ad starts with Gov Tony Evers announcing an "urgent message" and then goes on to call Crowley the best Democrat to stop President Trump, lower costs, stop data centers and touts his endorsement by Evers, unions, and Wisconsin's mayors.
Two days after the primary, it reported that it had spent $20,000 on phone calls/texts the day before the primary to support Crowley.
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.