Hijacking Campaign 2026 | Campaign 2026

Posted: July 16, 2026
Updated: August 13, 206

Based in Grafton, Wisconsin Future Rising was first organized in September 2025. According to its bare-bones website, the organization is an “independent expenditure committee committed to ensuring that our state’s future is fair, prosperous, and grounded in common-sense leadership. We support efforts that lift up Wisconsin’s working families, strengthen our communities, and keep our state moving forward.” Despite claiming status as an independent expenditure committee, it is not registered as such with the state or the Federl Elections Commission, nor has it filed any reports documenting spending in the 2025 election. For that matter, the only ad the group has run so far, better resembles an “issue ad.”

In mid-May the group premiered an ad promoting Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley for governor. The ad praised Crowley for fighting against Donald Trump’s policies while also emphasizing Crowley’s policy successes as county executive, with an emphasis on investments in affordable housing and cutting taxes. The ad ends by encouraging the viewer to contact Crowley and tell him “to keep fighting for a safe and affordable Wisconsin.”  The ad’s ending is typical of an issue ad. By avoiding the word “vote” and instead admonishing the viewer to contact the ad’s subject, a committee can avoid reporting its spending on the ad to the state as independent expenditure.

When the first ad premiered, Crowley was one of seven candidates in the August 11^th Democratic primary as current incumbent, Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, is not running for reelection. At the time this was posted, Crowley was the second Democrat to suspend his campaign, reducing the active Democratic field to five. Since then, Crowley has reentered the race and Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez has withdrawn from the race. The winner of the primary will most likely face U.S. Congressman Tom Tiffany, the front-runner in the two-way GOP primary.

Shortly before the primary, Wisconsin Rising issued another ad appearing on YouTube, this one attacking Rep. Francesca Hong, one of Crowley's Democratic opponents. The ad dismisses Hong as a distraction and as the Republican choice and then proceeds to list issues on which Hong has taken extreme left-wing positions. The ad ends in typical issue ad fashion by urging viewers to contact Hong. A recent report suggests that one of the groups backing Hong with independent expenditures may be a Repbublican front group that wants the Democratic nomination to go the least electable candidate.

Hijacking Campaign 2026 | Campaign 2026

Posted: August 13, 2026
Updated: August 21, 2026

New Wisconsin Majority is a 527 group, which means its election activities are completely unregulated. The organization is not registered with the Federal Elections Commission nor with the Wisconsin State Elections Commission, the bodies that regulate campaign finance activities at the federal and state levels, respectively. Its website, a single page, lists a Madison, Wisconsin address, but it is not registered with the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions. Its address, like so many other groups, coincides with that of a UPS store. According to Propublica, it's three largest contributors are the Wisconsin Opportunity Coalition, Inc., AFSCME and the PAC for America's Future. In 2024, the group ran a successful issue ad campaign against incumbent GOP State Sen. Duey Stroebel in the 8th Senate District, activity which escaped the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign's notice at the time.

After the August 11th primary, the group started running a digital ad against GOP Sen. Howard Marklein of the 17th State Senate District. Unopposed in the primary, Marklein faces Democratic State Rep. Jenna Jacobson in November. The ad claims he sold out to insurance and drug companies and backed measures with negative effects on health care.

About the same time, it started running another ad against Republican candidate and health care CEO Mike Roberts in the 5th Senate. The ad claims he puts profits above people. Roberts faces Rep. Robyn Vining for the open seat, currently held by Republican Sen. Rob Hutton.

In the 21st Senate, it calls GOP candidate Jim Croft a slumlord. Croft is running against Democrat Trevor Young for the open Racine area seat. Republican incumbent Sen. Van Wanggaard is not seeking reelection.

A few days later, New Wisconsin Majority premiered an ad attacking Republican candidate Michele Magadance Skinner in the 31st State Senate District. The ad claims that the pharmaceutical executive is out of touch with Wisconsin and that her policies it would increase health care costs. The ad also says she claimed residency in the state of Georgia to avoid taxes. Skinner is challenging Democratic incumbent  Sen. Jeff Smith.

All the ads end by providing a phone number where the viewer can reach the candidate under attack.

Hijacking Campaign 2026 | Campaign 2026

Posted: August 13, 2026
Updated: August 15, 2026

Wisconsin Ideas Project is a new issue ad group active in Wisconsin’s 2026 fall partisan state elections. The group first registered with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as a 527 group in mid-July 2026. The organization is not registered as a political committee with either the Wisconsin State Ethics Commission or the Federal Election Commission, the two bodies responsible for regulating and monitoring campaign finance activity at the state and federal levels, respectively.

The organization has a single-page website*, which was first established days after it first registered with the IRS. The website and IRS registration show a Monona, Wisconsin address for the groups that matches that of a UPS store. Most such groups appear to operate out of such establishments. The domain for the group’s registered email address is abwt.org, which redirects to the website for A Better Wisconsin Together. A Better Wisconsin is a liberal-leaning organization that has spent over $30 million in disclosed independent expenditures and undisclosed issue ads to influence Wisconsin state elections, both partisan and nonpartisan since 2020. It was most recently in the 2026 Wisconsin State Supreme Court election.

Two days day after the August 11^th primaries, an issue ad sponsored by the Wisconsin Ideas Project appeared on YouTube. The ad claims that U.S. Congressman and Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Tiffany is the most “anti-woman” candidate ever and then proceeds to list ways he has backed measures restricting women’s rights. The ad ends by urging views to contact Tiffany and provides a number to do so, a typical issue ad ploy used to dodge campaign reporting requirements. Another ad says "Tiffany" is "full of it" and lists ways Tiffany has made life more expensive for average citizens.

WisPolitics.com has identified** ads by the group attacking Republican candidates in ten different legislative districts, all of whom face Democratic opposition:

• GOP candidate Mike Roberts in the 5^th Senate. He faces Democratic Rep. Robyn Vining for the open seat.
• 17^th Senate District GOP incumbent Sen. Howard Marklein who faces challenger Democratic Rep. Jenna Jacobson. Two ads, one focusing on the data center issue and the other on abortion rights.
• Republican Jim Croft in the open 21st Senate.
• Republican Michelle Skinnner who is challenging Democratic incumbent Sen. Jeff Smith in the 31^st Senate.
• GOP incumbent Rep. Shannon Zimmerman in the 30^th Assembly District. (No link to ad available.)
• Republican incumbent Rep. Todd Novak in the 51^st Assembly.
• 85^th Assembly District GOP incumbent Rep, Pat Snyder.
• First-term GOP Rep. Ben Franklin in the 88^th Assembly.
• Republican Bobby Lindsey who is challenging first-term Democratic incumbent Rep. Ryan Spaude in the 89^th Assembly.
• 92^nd Assembly District Republican incumbent Clint Moses.

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