American Federation for Children Action Fund IE Committee

Posted: July 27, 2012
Updated: January 15, 2014

Oath • Spending

This corporation was created by the American Federation for Children, a Washington D.C.-based school choice group, to make independent expenditures in Wisconsin elections.  It reported spending nearly $125,000 on independent expenditures in the 2010 general and 2011 Senate recall elections and nearly $345,000 in the fall 2012 legislative elections. 

In addition to independent expenditures, the group - a spin-off of Michigan-based All Children Matter -  has sponsored phony issue ads.  From 2010 to June 2012 the American Federation for Children made an estimated $3.6 million in phony issue ad expenditures, mostly to back Republican candidates for statewide office and the legislature.

The federation's leadership includes Betsy de Vos, its chair and spouse 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.

Shortly before the August 14 primary, the corporation reported spending more than $101,000 to back Democratic legislative candidates for Assembly districts in the Milwaukee area who supported the city’s school voucher program and its expansion. The group spent the money on voter-turnout efforts and a barrage of mailers and brochures.

Two fliers- here and here- supported Democratic Representative Jason Fields of Milwaukee, a supporter of Milwaukee’s longtime school voucher program who lost to his Democratic challenger in the primary.

The federation also sponsored a flier in support of Tracey Dent, a Democratic candidate in the 17th Assembly District race. The flier was criticized by Democratic Representative Barbara Toles of Milwaukee for making it look like Toles, who opposed the voucher program, was endorsing Dent. Democratic candidate LaTonya Johnson went on to win the primary and the seat.

The group’s efforts on behalf of numerous Democratic candidates in the primary elections was unusual because it generally backs GOP candidates, but this support occurred in districts generally considered "safe" Democratic seats where winning the primary all but guarantees election in November.

American Federation for Children sponsored a 30-second television ad in mid-September to support Republican challenger Rick Gudex of Fond du Lac who faced Democratic Senator Jessica King for her 18th District seat. The ad urged viewers to support Gudex, claiming he supported smaller government and tax cuts.  King won the seat by defeating former Republican Senator Randy Hopper in one of nine recall elections in 2011.

Shortly before the November 6 general election, the group sponsored a 30-second television ad opposing Mandy Wright, a Democratic candidate for the open 85th Assembly District seat in the Wausau area. Wright won her election.

This corporation's counterpart, American Federation for Children Action Fund Inc., filed oaths of independent disbursements for a large number of legislative races.

Shortly after the 2012 general elections, 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, it failed meet its legal obligation to report more than $2 million in independent expenditures in 2012.

Last active election: Recall 2011

Hijacking Campaign 2012

Independent Expenditures - Candidates

Posted: July 29, 2012
Updated: November 1, 2012

All fall, recall and special candidates in 2012 state elections are listed here.

Click on a candidate's name to see any independent expenditures reported as explicitly for or against a particular candidate. Click on the office link to see all independent expenditures spent on that office if any.

Independent Expenditures - Offices

Posted: July 29, 2012
Updated: November 1, 2012

Click on the offices listed below to see any independent spending in their respective races during the 2012 recall, fall and special election campaigns.

John Lader

Posted: June 26, 2012
Updated: January 10, 2014

Oath • Spending

John Lader is a Janesville resident who formed a political action committee to make independent expenditures to support Republican Governor Scott Walker in a June 5 recall election.  Walker, who won the election, the lieutenant governor and four GOP Senate seats were targeted for recall because of the governor's 2011 plan to restrict public employee collective bargaining rights.

Moving Wisconsin Forward Committee

Posted: June 19, 2012
Updated: January 15, 2014

Oath • Spending

This Madison-based political action committee was created to make independent expenditures to support Republican Governor Scott Walker in his successful campaign to keep his office in a June 5 recall election. Walker was one of six Republican office holders targeted for recall in 2012 in response to 2011 passage of his bill to restrict public employee bargaining rights. The other five were Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch and four state senators.

The PAC did not register with the state and disclose its spending until after the election - an apparent violation of state law.  The committee's treasurer was Joe Fadness, a former state Republican Party field director and Walker campaign adviser.  Fadness was also among those who testified in a John Doe probe of the campaign activities by some of Walker's current and past aides when the governor was Milwaukee County executive.   

Superior Federation of Labor COPE

Posted: June 5, 2012
Updated: January 10, 2014

Oath • Spending

This is a political action committee run by the Superior Federation of Labor, a northern Wisconsin-based union affiliated with the AFL-CIO. 

The PAC made independent expenditures to support Democrats Tom Barrett and Mahlon Mitchell.  Barrett faced Republican Governor Scott Walker and Mitchell faced GOP Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch in recall elections on June 5, 2012. 

Walker, Kleefisch and four Republican Senate seats were targeted for recall following passage of the governor's 2011 plan to restrict public employee collective bargaining rights.

Coalition for American Values Committee

Posted: June 4, 2012
Updated: January 15, 2014

Oath • Spending

The Coalition for American Values Action is a conservative, Illinois-based federal Super PAC. Its first entry in Wisconsin politics came with the June 5, 2012 recall elections prompted by the 2011 passage of Republican Governor Scott Walker's bill restricting public employee collective bargaining rights. Governor Walker, Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch and four Republican held state Senate districts were targeted for recall.

The conservative group registered with the Government Accountability Board just days before the recall election as a corporate independent expenditure committee supporting Walker and reported sponsoring a 30-second television advertisement and a 60-second version of the same ad about a week before the recall election that featured comments from several people who claimed they didn't vote for Walker in the 2010 general election, but evidently intend to vote for him in the recall race because they believe he should be allowed to complete his four-year term.

The Coalition for American Values Committee was accused in a 2014 complaint of violating Wisconsin campaign finance laws for failing to disclose its funding for its 2012 recall activities.  Turns out the primary source of the group's funding was the Center to Protect Patient Rights, a conduit controlled by the billionaire Koch brothers that spread cash among numerous groups to pay for negative ads, mailings and other outside electioneering activities.

The group also registered a PAC for the recall elections, but the PAC reported no 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.

Human Rights Campaign

Posted: June 4, 2012
Updated: January 10, 2014

Oath • Spending

This is a state corporation created to make independent expenditures to support Democrat Tom Barrett in his bid to unseat Republican Governor Scott Walker in a June 5, 2012 recall election.  The Human Rights Campaign is a Washington D.C. group that lobbies and advocates gay rights issues.

Walker, the lieutenant governor and four GOP senators faced recalls after passage in 2011 of the governor's plan to restrict public employee collective bargaining rights.

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.

Citizens for Southwest Wisconsin

Posted: June 1, 2012
Updated: January 9, 2014

Fall: Oath • Spending
Recall: Oath • Spending

Citizens for Southwest Wisconsin is a political action committee formed in 2010 that lists Platteville business consultant Cindy Tang as its treasurer. Tang founded a software engineering company in the 1980s and is a current member and past chair of the University of Wisconsin-Platteville Foundation Board of Directors.

Fall Elections

The group supported incumbent Travis Tranel in the Republican primary for the 49th Assembly District.

Recall Elections

The group's independent expenditures paid for billboards in Grant County and other parts of southwestern Wisconsin to support Republican Governor Scott Walker in the June 5, 2012 recall election.  Walker, the lieutenant governor and four GOP Senate seats faced recall because of the governor's 2011 restriction of public employee collective bargaining rights.

Last active election: 2010

Conservative StrikeForce - Wisconsin Fund

Posted: June 1, 2012
Updated: January 10, 2014

Oath • Spending

This a state political action committee formed by the Virginia based Conservative StrikeForce PAC - which supports conservative candidates for elected office through direct contributions and independent expenditures - for the sole purpose of supporting Republican Governor Scott Walker in the June 5 recall election. The recall was initiated by opponents of the governor's plan to restrict public employee collective bargaining rights that was passed in 2011.

The group reported spending over $32,000 on phone calls in support of Governor Walker in the days leading up to the election.

The PAC requested termination the day of the election.