Hijacking Campaign 2018 | Independent Expenditures | Issue Ads | Candidates | Offices | Campaign 2018
Posted: September 24, 2018
Updated: June 25, 2021
Newly registered in 2018 this Milwaukee-based independent expenditure group shared an address with the politicial consulting group Nation Consulting. High Ground's registered agent, John Zapfel, is the political director for IBEW Local 494. Zapfel had previously worked for Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele as well as former Democratic U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl and former Democratic Gov. Jim. Doyle.
The group first reported spending towards the end of September for online advertising to support Democratic candidates in six Wisconsin State Senate races - the 1st, 5th, 17th, 19th, 23rd and 31st. Only one of the candidates the group supported, Jeff Smith in the 31st, won.
An unregistered Milwaukee-based organization with a similar name was involved in the 2018 Supreme Court election but the Democracy Campaign has not been able to establish a connection between the two.
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.