Hijacking Campaign 2025 | Independent Expenditures | Issue Ads | Candidates | Campaign 2025
Posted: February 26, 2025
Updated: April 7, 2025
Power to the Polls Action Fund first registered with the Wisconsin State Ethics Commission to make independent expenditures in the 2023 spring and special elections at the end of February of that year. It is sponsored by Power to the Polls, Inc., a corporation based in Shorewood, Wis. first organized in January 2022. The corporation made independent expenditures in the 2022 election with an unregistered committee operating under a slightly different name. In either guise, it routinely supports Democrats and liberals for office.
The committee first reported making independent expenditures in the 2025 Wisconsin State Supreme Court election towards the end of February with over $148,000 going towards canvassing and other campaign related costs. Power to the Polls supported Dane County Circuit Court Judge Susan Crawford against Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge Brad Schimel in the April 1st election for an open seat on the court. Lberals gained a 4-3 majority on the officially nonpartisan court in April 2023. The election of Schimel, who formerly served as Wisconsin’s attorney general as Republican, would have switched control of the court back to conservatives. Crawford's victory means that liberals maintain control of the court.
At the beginning of March, the committee reported spending over $57,100, mostly for radio ads, to support Crawford and oppose Schimel. Towards the end of the first week in March, it reported spending nearly another $51,000 for radio ads, campaign literature and canvasser recruitment to back Crawford and oppose Schimel.
At the end of the first week in March, Power to the Polls reported spending over $132,500 for phone banks and staff costs to support Crawford and oppose Schimel. All this spending was in the form of in-kind expenses credited to the SEIU Wisconsin State Council PAC, the political action committee controlled by the state branch of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). The state SEIU has an independent expenditure committee active in the spring election, and at least one other committee with strong links to the SEIU has also reported making independent expenditures.
Just under three weeks before the April 1st election, the committee spent nearly a reported $215,000 on canvassing costs in support of Crawford and in opposition to Schimel. Three days later, it reported spending over $308,000, most of that for radio ads, to support Crawford and oppose Schimel.
Ten days before the election, Power to the Polls reported spending about $55,100, mostly for radio ads, to back Crawford and oppose Schimel.
Eight days before the election, it reported spending almost $275,000, much of that for canvassing, to support Crawford and oppose Schimel.
Three days before the election, the committee reported spending nearly $75,000 for radio ads, canvassing literature, staff and other campaign related costs.
Thee days after the election, Power to the Polls reported it had spent nearly another $21,000 to support Crawford.
Last active election: 2023
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.