Hijacking Campaign 2020 | Independent Expenditures | Issue Ads | Candidates | Offices | Campaign 2020

Posted: March 3, 2020
Updated: June 24, 2021

Fall: Oath • Spending
Spring: Oath • Spending

This independent disbursement committee is run by Wisconsin Family Action, a conservative group that opposes gay marriage and domestic partnerships.  The group has spent about $125,500 since the beginning of 2012 on independent expenditures to support Republican and conservative candidates for legislative and statewide offices.

Fall

The committee did not report any spending during the fall 2020 legislative elections but early in 2021 it reported it had spent nearly $2,200 to support eight Republican candidates in two Senate - the 6th and 32nd - and six Assembly races - the 13th, 15th, 23rd, 24th, 55th and 69th.

Spring

At the beginning of March, Family Action filed paperwork with the state showing it spent $17,500 to support conservative Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Dan Kelly. An appointee of former Republican Gov. Scott Walker, Kelly lost to Dane County Circuit Judge Jill Karofsky in the April 7 spring election.

The group reported spending nearly $56,000 for mailers, robocalls and online advertising in the election.

Last active election: 2019

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.

Hijacking Campaign 2020 | Independent Expenditures | Issue Ads | Candidates | Offices | Campaign 2020

Posted: March 17, 2020
Updated: June 24, 2021

Fall: Oath • Spending
Spring: Oath • Spending

This is a new outside electioneering group created to back Democratic and liberal candidates.  The Monona-based group is associated with One Wisconsin Now, a liberal advocacy group.

Among Better Wisconsin’s leaders is Michelle McGrorty, the former executive director of the Greater Wisconsin Committee (GWC). GWC is a longtime backer of Democratic and liberal candidates in Wisconsin legislative and statewide elections.

In 2020 Better Wisconsin made independent expenditures in the fall legislative and spring Wisconsin State Supreme Court elections.

Fall Election

In mid-September 2020, the committee first reported independent spending in the form of nearly $30,000 for "website" guides to support Democratic candidates in 14 State Senate and 81 Assembly districts, regardless of whether or not they had any opposition.

By the time of the election Better Wisconsin had reported spending over $2 million, all but $100,000 devoted to online advertising and web development. The remaining $100,000 was for television ads opposing Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, of Rochester, in the 63rd, the only Assembly district where Better Wisconsin's spending reached five figures.

The other three races where the group's spending reached five figures were all in the Senate:

• Over $355,000 in the 8th backing Democratic challenger Neal Plotkin against Republican incumbent Alberta Darling, first elected to the seat in 1992.

• Over $285,000 in the open 32nd supporting Democrat Brad Paff against Republican Dan Kapanke. Kapanke had held the seat from 2005 until he was unseated by the retiring incumbent, Democrat Jennifer Shilling, in a 2011 recall election.

• Over $225,000 in the open 30th to back Democrat Jonathan Hansen. The nephew of the retiring incumbent, Democrat Dave Hansen, he faced GOP candidate Eric Wimberger. Wimberger had previously challenged for the seat in 2016.

Better Wisconsin reported independent expenditures in the following Senate districts: 4th, 6th, 8th, 10th, 12th, 14th, 16th, 18th, 22nd, 24th, 26th, 28th, 30th and the 32nd.

Better Wisconsin reported independent expenditures in these Assembly districts: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th, 21st, 23rd, 24th, 26th, 28th, 29th, 30th, 31st, 32nd, 33rd, 34th, 35th, 37th, 38th, 39th, 40th, 41st, 42nd, 43rd, 44th, 45th, 46th, 47th, 48th, 49th, 50th, 51st, 54th, 55th, 56th, 57th, 62nd, 63rd, 64th, 65th, 66th, 67th, 68th, 69th, 70th, 71st, 72nd, 73rd, 74th, 75th, 76th, 77th, 78th, 79th, 80th, 81st, 82nd, 85th, 88th, 89th, 90th, 91st, 92nd, 93rd, 94th, 95th, 96th and 97th.

Spring Election

About three weeks before the April 7 spring elections, Better Wisconsin first filed paperwork with the state showing it had spent $500,000 on digital ads in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race. The group supported Dane County Circuit Judge Jill Karofsky against incumbent Justice Dan Kelly. Appointed to the high court in 2016 by Republican Gov. Scott Walker, this was Kelly's first election. He lost to Karofsky.

The organization reported spending a total of nearly $1.9 million for mailers, television and digial adverstising in support of Karofsky.

Some of the group's digital ads attacked Kelly for routinely siding with conservatives in the court's rulings, like here and here.

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.

Hijacking Campaign 2020 | Independent Expenditures | Issue Ads | Candidates | Offices | Campaign 2020

Posted: March 23, 2020
Updated: June 24, 2021

Fall: Oath • Spending
Spring: Oath • Spending

This committee was newly formed in fall 2018 by the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters, now called Wisconsin Conservation Voters, a statewide environmental advocacy group, to make independent expenditures on behalf of candidates the League supports in legislative and statewide elections.

In 2020 Wisconsin Conservation Voters reported independent expenditures in the fall legislative and spring Wisconsin State Supreme Court elections.

Fall Election

Wisconsin Conservation Voters first reported independent spending in the August 11 primary elections. It spent about $4,600 on mailers to support challenger Kristina Shelton against incumbent Staush Gruszynski in the 90th Assembly District Democratic primary. In 2017 Democratic leaders had sought Gruszynski's resignation for sexually harassing a Capitol staff member. Shelton won the primary and took the seat in the November 3 election.

At the end of the second week in September the committee reported spending over $30,000 to support Democrats in six more legislative districts. By the end of the election, Wisconsin Conservation Voters reported spending a total of more than half a million dollars for mailers, radio ads, yard signs and online advertising to support Democrats in two Senate - the 30th and 32nd - and 11 Assembly races - the 13th, 14th, 21st, 23rd, 24th, 30th, 51st, 63rd, 88th, 90th and 94th.

Reported independent spending reached six figures in three districts:

• Nearly $152,000 in the open 30th Senate to support Democrat Jonathon Hansen, retiring incumbent Democrat Dave Hansen's nephew, against Republican Eric Wimberger. Wimberger had challenged for the seat in 2016. This time he won the election.

• Over $146,000 in the open 32nd Senate in La Crosse where the committee supported Democrat Brad Pfaff against Republican Dan Kapanke. The seat was left open by the retirement of the incumbent, Democrat Jennifer Shilling. She had held the seat since 2011 when she defeated Kapanke in a recall election. Pfaff won the November 3 election.

• Over $100,000 in the 63rd Assembly as part of a late, unsuccessful, effort to unseat Assembly Speaker Robin Vos.

Spring Election

About two weeks before the April 7 Wisconsin Supreme Court election the group reported spending $50,000 for online advertising to support Dane County Circuit Court Judge Jill Karofsky. Karofsky successfully challenged incumbent Justice Daniel Kelly, a 2016 appointee of former Republican Governor Scott Walker. This was Kelly's first election for the post.

Last active election: 2019

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.

Hijacking Campaign 2020 | Independent Expenditures | Issue Ads | Candidates | Offices | Campaign 2020

Posted: March 27, 2020
Updated: June 24, 2021

Spring: Oath • Spending

This arm of the Virginia-based Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC) sponsors outside electioneering activities to support conservative candidates in judicial races throughout the country.

A little less than two weeks before the April 7 spring elections, the group filed paperwork showing it spent nearly $824,500 on two television ads – here and here - opposing Dane County Circuit Judge Jill Karofsky. Karofsky faced incumbent Justice Dan Kelly, a 2016 appointee of former Republican Gov. Scott Walker, for a 10-year seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. The group also spent $16,000 on text messages to support Kelly.

Both of the group’s television ads accused Karofsky of being soft on dangerous criminals, like sexual predators, and praised Kelly as a conservative judge. One of the ads also showed a video clip of President Trump backing Kelly.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Politifact feature rated claims in both ads as false because Karofsky was not the prosecutor who handled sentencing in the case involving the five-year-old sexual assault victim.

By the time of the April 7 election RSLC reported spending roughly another $57,000 on robocalls and text messaging.

Throughout the campaign Karofsky drew support from traditionally Democratic campaign contributors and outside groups and Kelly from GOP contributors and groups.

The RSLC was also involved in the 2020 fall legislative elections through another committee.

Last active election: 2019

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.

Hijacking Campaign 2020 | Independent Expenditures | Issue Ads | Candidates | Offices | Campaign 2020

Posted: April 2, 2020
Updated: June 24, 2021

Fall: Oath • Spending
Spring: Oath • Spending

This is an independent expenditure committee used by Citizen Action of Wisconsin to pay for electioneering activities to support Democratic candidates in legislative and statewide elections. The organization is a coalition of labor, environment, senior citizen and other groups.  Between 2010 and 2018, the group spent more than $235,000 on independent expenditures.

In 2020 Citizen Action reported independent spending in the fall legislative and the spring Wisconsin State Supreme Court elections.

Fall Election

A week before the August 11 primary elections, the committee first reported spending a little over $23,000 for phone calls in two Democratic primaries, the 30th Senate in Green Bay and the 96th Assembly in southwestern Wisconsin, two Democratic candidates in each. The committee backed Jonathan Hansen, nephew of the retiring incumbent Democrat Dave Hansen, in the former and Josefine Jaynes in the latter. Both won their respective primaries and lost to their Republican opponents in the November general election.

Four days before the August 11 primaries, the group reported spending an additional $23,000 for phone calls in the 96th Assembly District and roughly $3,000 for the same in two open Milwaukee Assembly seats, the 8th and the 17th where three Democrats were vying for the November ballot in each.

The 30th Senate and the 96th Assembly would see the most spending by Citizen Action, about $46,000 for the former and nearly $41,000 for the latter.

In total, Citizen Action reported spending over $400,000 for online advertising, mailers and phone banks in the fall elections across five Senate - 8th, 10th, 24th, 30th, 32nd - and 25 Assembly districts - 1st, 4th, 8th, 13th, 15th, 17th, 21st, 23rd, 24th, 30th, 38th, 49th, 51st, 62nd, 63rd, 68th, 73rd, 74th, 82nd, 85th, 87th, 88th, 92nd, 94th and 96th.

Spring Election

Less than a week before the April 7 Wisconsin State Supreme Court election the group first reported spending about $6,800 on mailings to support Dane County Circuit Court Judge Jill Karofsky against incumbent Justice Daniel Kelly, an appointee of former Republican Governor Scott Walker.

Citizen Action reported spending a total of nearly $29,000 on mailers and phone calls towards Karofsky's victory.

Last active election: 2018

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.

Hijacking Campaign 2020 | Independent Expenditures | Issue Ads | Candidates | Offices | Campaign 2020

Posted: July 21, 2020
Updated: June 24, 2021

Fall: Oath • Spending

This is a newly organized group that states its mission as electing "uniters" to office and ending political corruption. The organization endorses the American Anti-Corruption Act which calls for an end to political bribery, greater campaign finance transparency and an end to gerrymandering.

In mid-July the group reported spending a little over $8,000 to support candidate Dan Griffin in the five-way Republican primary in the 28th Senate District. The south-eastern Wisconsin seat was left vacant by the sudden retirement of Republican Sen. Dave Craig. A day after the August 11 primary the committee reported spending about an additional $600 on phone banks and digital advertising. Griffin lost in the primary to the eventual winner of the seat, Julian Bradley. Bradley had previously run for two different La Crosse area Assembly seats and for Wisconsin Secretary of State.

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.

Hijacking Campaign 2020 | Independent Expenditures | Issue Ads | Candidates | Offices | Campaign 2020

Posted: July 29, 2020
Updated: June 22, 2021

Fall: Oath • Spending

This is a new Milwaukee-based independent expenditure group involved in the 2020 fall Democratic primaries.

The organization filed paperwork with the state at the end of July showing it spent more than $16,100 on mailings and brochures on behalf of Democrats in two Milwaukee-area Assembly primary races, the 9th and the 11th. In late September it reported sending an additional $8,500 plus in those two primaries. One of the group's favored candidates, Dora Drake, won her primary in the 11th and later the general election. The other, Christian Saldivar, in the 9th, lost to the incumbent and subsequent winner in the general, Marisabel Cabrera.

The paperwork also showed that LBC Political Fund may be allied with another Milwaukee-area electioneering group called Leaders for a Better Community. Not only do the initials of the two groups match, but the new group’s treasurer, Sherwin Hughes, is also executive director of Leaders for a Better Community. Hughes is a longtime community and Democratic Party activist, political consultant, and Milwaukee radio talk show host. Leaders for a Better Community was created in 2015 to support Democratic candidates in Milwaukee-area legislative races. It spent a total of about $57,100 in the 2016 and 2018 fall legislative races.

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.

Hijacking Campaign 2020 | Independent Expenditures | Issue Ads | Candidates | Offices | Campaign 2020

Posted: August 12, 2020
Updated: June 24, 2021

Fall: Oath • Spending
Spring: Oath • Spending

Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is a labor union which represents health care, home care, nursing home, public service and building service workers in Wisconsin. This is the Wisconsin-based branch of the union. Before 2018 the union made independent expenditures through its PAC. With the 2018 fall election it started using an unregistered independent expenditure group instead as such groups are held to looser reporting requirements and funding source restrictions than a PAC.

This committee made independent expenditures in both the 2020 fall legislative and spring Wisconsin State Supreme Court elections. (See note at the bottom of the page about spring election activity.)

A committtee sponsored by the national SEIU was involved in the same elections in 2020.

Fall Election

The day of the August 11 primary elections SEIU first reported spending nearly $14,000 on "virtual" canvassing in four Democratic primaries in the Milwaukee area, the 6th Senate and the 8th, 11th and 14th Assembly districts. Two months after the November election it upped that figure to $75,000. The SEIU-favored candidates lost in both the 8th and 11th Assembly District primaries.

Spring Election

Less than a week before the February 18 Wisconsin State Supreme Court primary, it first reported spending $38,000 against incumbent Justice Daniel Kelly. Kelly faced two challengers in the primary, Marquette University law professor Ed Fallone and Dane County Circuit Court Judge Jill Karofsky. Fallone was eliminated in the primary. Karofsky won the April 7 election.

By the end of the election SEIU had reported spending over $333,000 for canvassing, literature and phone banks to defeat Kelly.

Note: This organization reported independent expenditure activity as an unregistered committee during the 2020 Wisconsin State Supreme election. Several months after the election it filed a report crediting all independent spending to this committee. The original reports showing spending by the SEIU's unregistered committee are still available on the Ethics Commission campaign website.

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.

Hijacking Campaign 2020 | Independent Expenditures | Issue Ads | Candidates | Offices | Campaign 2020

Posted: September 15, 2020
Updated: June 24, 2021

Fall: Oath • Spending

This committee was created in 2012 to make independent expenditures in legislative and statewide elections by the Wisconsin Realtors Association, the state lobbying group that pushes state spending, tax, and other policies that benefit realtors.

By the thime of the 2020 elections it had spent about $900,000 on electioneering activities to support Republican candidates and the 2013 reelection of conservative Wisconsin Supreme Court Chief Justice Patience Roggensack.

In mid-September, the committee first filed paperwork showing it spent $145,500 on online advertising to support two-term GOP Rep. Rob Stafsholt, of New Richmond, against freshman Democratic Sen. Patty Schachtner, of Somerset, in western Wisconsin’s 10th Senate District. Stafsholt won the election.

Less than two weeks before the November 3rd election, the Realtors reported spending more than another $1,500 for online advertising in the race.

The Realtors Association also ran issue ads before the election under the guise of the Wisconsin Realtors Advocacy Fund.

Last active election: 2018

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.

Hijacking Campaign 2020 | Independent Expenditures | Issue Ads | Candidates | Offices | Campaign 2020

Posted: September 21, 2020
Updated: June 24, 2021

Fall: Oath • Spending

This independent expenditure committee created by Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin in 2010 makes independent expenditures on behalf of Democratic candidates for statewide office and the legislature in Wisconsin. Between 2010 and 2018 this committee spent over $1.2 million in Wisconsin state elections.

This committee first reported spending in early September and eventually spent nearly $390,000 - about $359,000 for online advertising - to support Democrats in four State Senate - the 8th, 24th, 30th and 32nd - and 16 Assembly races - 4th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 23rd, 24th, 38th, 51st, 55th, 62nd, 63rd, 88th, 90th, 94th, 95th and 96th.

The committee spent more than $39,000 each in the four following races:

• Over $67,000 in the suburban Milwaukee 8th Senate District where the Democrats unsuccessfully attempted to unseat long-time incumbent Sen. Alberta Darling.

• Nearly $53,000 to support Democrat Brad Pfaff in the open 32nd Senate, a seat held by the Democrats since a 2011 recall election.

• Nearly $45,000 in the 63rd Assembly in a last-minute and fruitless push to unseat Assembly Speaker Robin Vos.

• Nearly $40,000 in the open 30th Senate in Green Bay where the Democrats lost a seat they had held since 2000.

Another committee associated with Planned Parenthood made independent expenditures in the 2020 fall legislative and spring Wisconsin State Supreme Court elections.

Last active election: 2018

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.