Wisconsin REALTORS Political Fund - 1.91 Account

Posted: October 3, 2012
Updated: January 15, 2013

Oath • Spending

This organization is registered with the Government Accountability Board following the January 2010 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United v. FEC as a corporation making independent disbursements.

Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce

Posted: September 12, 2012
Updated: May 18, 2017

Estimated Spending: $1 million

This is the state's largest business group and a powerful influence on public policy and elections for statewide office and the legislature in Wisconsin.  WMC spent about $16.8 million on phony issue ads in spring and fall elections since 2006 - mostly to support Republican candidates.  The group doled out an estimated $4.7 million in the 2011 and 2012 recall elections that targeted  the governor, lieutenant governor and 13 Republican and Democratic state senators for their support or opposition to a successful plan by GOP Governor Scott Walker to restrict public employee collective bargaining.

WMC sponsored a 30-second television ad in mid-September 2012 that claimed Democrat Susan Sommer, a candidate for the 12th District Senate in central Wisconsin, supported environmental policies that would increase gas taxes and utility bills and reduce factory jobs.  Sommer sought to fill the open seat formerly held by retiring Democratic Senator Jim Holperin of Conover.

The group also sponsored two 30-second television ads against incumbent Democratic Senator Jessica King who faced Republican challenger Rick Gudex for her 18th Senate District seat.  One ad used a game show theme to accuse King of voting against legislation to crack down on welfare fraud, and cited a 2009 case in which an individual bilked the state welfare system for enough money to buy a house and indoor swimming pool. 

Another ad accused King of casting the deciding vote on a mining deregulation bill sponsored by majority Republican legislators in spring 2012 to pave the way for a large iron ore mine in far northern Wisconsin.  The measure failed on a 17-16 Senate vote when 26 Democrats and a Republican voted against the proposal and 16 Republicans voted for it.  Part of the ad uses footage of a union spokesman harshly criticizing the legislature for its handing of the mining bill, but the union rep said he actually supported King (per an article in the Oshkosh Northwestern).

Last active election: Recall 2012

Wisconsin Right to Life, O.M.I.D.

Posted: September 5, 2012
Updated: January 9, 2014

Oath • Spending

This corporation was created by Wisconsin Right to LIfe, a statewide, anti-abortion advocacy group that routinely engages in outside electioneering activities in legislative and statewide campaigns. The group often makes independent expenditures in the form of direct mailings to members to support Republicans and oppose Democrats in numerous Senate and Assembly races.

Before 2010, Wisconsin Right to Life conducted independent expenditure campaigns exclusively through its PAC.

Last active election: 2010

This organization is registered with the Government Accountability Board following the January 2010 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United v. FEC as a corporation making independent disbursements.

Midwest Victory Team

Posted: August 14, 2012
Updated: January 9, 2014

Oath • Spending

This corporation was created to make independent expenditures to support incumbent Republican Assembly representatives, including Ed Brooks of Reedsburg, Lee Nerison of Westby and Travis Tranel of Cuba City.  It also indicated support for incumbent Democrat Nick Milroy of South Range who was unchallenged in the 2012 election.  The group has a Madison address but its two contacts live in Mauston and Richland Center, according to documents filed with the state.

The group only reported spending on behalf of Representative Tranel.

This organization is registered with the Government Accountability Board following the January 2010 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United v. FEC as a corporation making independent disbursements.

Menomonee Falls Taxpayers Association

Posted: August 9, 2012
Updated: January 14, 2014

Oath • Spending

Menomonee Falls Taxpayers Association was created in 2012 in part to support fiscally conservative candidates for state and local public office. Steve Welcenbach, a Menomonee Falls small business owner,  is president of the group.

The associaton endorsed Republican incumbent Don Pridemore in the August 14th primary election in 22nd Assembly District but reported no spending in 2012 elections.

American Federation for Children Action Fund Inc.

Posted: August 9, 2012
Updated: January 14, 2014

Oath • Spending

This is the second corporation created by the American Federation for Children, a Washington D.C.-based school choice group, to make independent expenditures in Wisconsin elections.  Its counterpart spent nearly $125,000 on independent expenditures in the 2010 general elections and the 2011 Senate recall elections to back legislative candidates who support Milwaukee's school voucher program and its expansion. 

Aside from independent expenditures, American Federation for Children - a spin-off of the Michigan-based All Children Matter -  spent from 2010 to 2011 an estimated $3.6 million on phony issue ads to back mostly Republican candidates and some Milwaukee-area Democrats in regular and recall elections.  The federation's leader is Betsy de Vos, wife of Dick de Vos, Michigan billionaire and son of Amway Corporation co-founder Richard de Vos. Scott Jensen, former state Republican Assembly leader and one of the leading figures in the Wisconsin caucus scandal, is the group's senior policy advisor.

The group filed an oath of disbursements with the Government Accountability Board covering a fair number of legislative districts. The group’s oaths in support of numerous Democratic candidates in the primary elections was unusual because it generally backs GOP candidates, but this support came in districts generally considered "safe" Democratic seats, where the winner of the Democratic primary almost wins automatically in November.

Just two to three weeks before the general elections the group reported, more true to form, their intentions to do independent expenditures against Democratic candidates in eight Assembly races and in the contentious 18th and 30th Senate Districts. The 18th Senate District is a Republican-leaning represented in 2012 by a Democratic incumbent elected in recall election held in August 2011.

Althought it had indicated potential involvement in numerous races, the American Federation for Children Action Fund Inc. did not report any independent spending but its counterpart, American Federation for Children Action Fund IE Committee, did.

Shortly after the 2012 general elections, however, this corporation's sponsoring organization,  American Federation for Children, issued a report saying it spent nearly $2.4 million to elect pro-voucher candidates in the 2012 recall races and the fall general elections.  If that claim is true, American Federation for Children failed to meet its legal obligation to report more than $2 million in independent expenditures in 2012.

This organization is registered with the Government Accountability Board following the January 2010 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United v. FEC as a corporation making independent disbursements.

Independents for Better Government - RWM, LLC

Posted: August 8, 2012
Updated: January 14, 2014

Oath • Spending

This is a corporation created to make independent expenditures on behalf of Democratic candidates in the fall 2012 elections. Records show the group is controlled by Janesville attorney Roger Merry.

The group conducted a direct mailing campign supporting Yuri Rashkin in the 44th Assembly District Democratic primary. Rashkin lost the primary to the eventual winner, Democrat Debra Kolste.

This organization is registered with the Government Accountability Board following the January 2010 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United v. FEC as a corporation making independent disbursements.

We Are Milwaukee Inc.

Posted: July 31, 2012
Updated: January 9, 2014

Oath • Spending

This corporation was created by an alliance of community organizations and labor unions to make independent expenditures on behalf of Democratic legislative candidates. It advocates for a higher federal minimum wage and initially registered with the Government Ability Board to support challengers in Democratic primaries in the 11th Assembly district and the 6th Senate District.

The group sponsored a flier in the 6th Senate District race that attacked Representative Elizabeth Coggs of Milwaukee, one of four Democrats in the August 14 primary to succeed outgoing Democratic Senator Spencer Coggs.  The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Politifact feature on the flier said it lied by claiming Elizabeth Coggs supported millions of dollars in corporate tax breaks paid for with health care program cuts and increased taxes on the poor and middle class in the last legislative session.

Despite the flier, We Are Milwaukee Inc. never reported any independent spending and neither did its political action committee.

This organization is registered with the Government Accountability Board following the January 2010 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United v. FEC as a corporation making independent disbursements.

We Are Milwaukee PAC

Posted: July 29, 2012
Updated: January 9, 2014

Oath • Spending

This organization describes itself as an alliance of community organizations and labor unions created in 2011.  It advocates for a higher federal minimum wage and initially registered to support Democratic challengers in legislative primaries in the 7th and 11th Assembly districts and the 6th Senate District.

It did not report any independent spending and neither did its affiliated corporation.

Wisconsin Liberty PAC

Posted: July 29, 2012
Updated: January 9, 2014

Oath • Spending

This is a right-wing group that supports conservative candidates for legislative and municipal offices.  Wisconsin Liberty was founded by Todd Welch, an Eau Claire computer store owner, and advocates limited state and federal government regulation. 

The group registered to make independent expenditures on behalf of Republican candidates in the 3rd Assembly and 24th Senate districts but only made independent exependitures supporting a primary challenger to Republican Representative Al Ott of the 3rd Assembly District.