UFCW International Union Working Families Advocacy Project

Posted: October 7, 2014
Updated: May 30, 2017

Oath • Spending

This is a corporation controlled by the Washington D.C.-based United Food and Commercial Workers International Union to make independent expenditures in Wisconsin elections. The group supported Democratic candidate for governor Mary Burke and opposed incumbent Republican Governor Scott Walker in the November 4 general election.

This organization is registered with the Government Accountability Board as an independent disbursement committee following the January 2010 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United v. FEC.

Citizen Action of Wisconsin, Inc.

Posted: October 3, 2014
Updated: May 24, 2017

Oath • Spending

Citizen Action of Wisconsin is a coalition of labor, senior citizen, environmental, civil rights and other organizations that traditionally back Democratic candidates in state and local elections. Before 2014 the independent expenditure committee last reported spending $60,000 on online ads to support Democrat Tom Barrett against Republican Governor Scott Walker in a June 5, 2012 recall election.

While the group filed documents showing it intended to make independent expenditures supporting Democrat Penny Bernard Schaber in the open Senate District 19 election, it only reported spending in opposition to Republican Governor Scott Walker.

Last active election: 2012

This organization is registered with the Government Accountability Board as an independent disbursement committee following the January 2010 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United v. FEC.

Hijacking Campaign 2014

National Nurses United for Patient Protection

Posted: September 30, 2014
Updated: May 25, 2017

Oath • Spending*

This Maryland-based Super PAC ,controlled by a group that advocates medical issues ranging from hospital preparedness to Medicare, first registered with the Government Accountability Board in 2014 to make independent expenditures in Wisconsin elections. Historically, the group has made independent expendtures to support Democrats for Congress and the presidency. The corporation filed paperwork with the state indicating it opposed Republican Governor Scott Walker's reelection on November 4, 2014. Walker faced Democrat Mary Burke in the general election.

The PAC and Progressive Kick Wisconsin IE Committee co-sponsored an online ad in October against Walker.

*The committee reported spending about $411,000 to the Government Accountability Board that it reported as going through Progressive Kick, the exact same expenditures as reported by that committee. See Progressive Kick's profile for spending details.

This organization is registered with the Government Accountability Board as an independent disbursement committee following the January 2010 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United v. FEC.

Workers' Voice

Posted: October 6, 2014
Updated: May 30, 2017

Oath • Spending

This Washington D.C.-based Super PAC controlled by the national AFL-CIO was registered in 2012 as a state corporation to make independent expenditures on behalf of Democratic candidates for statewide office and the legislature. This corporation spent $167,555 in the 2012 recall and fall elections. The group reported spending nearly $600,000 supporting Democratic candidates for governor, attorney general and eleven legislative races.

Last active election: 2012

This organization is registered with the Government Accountability Board as an independent disbursement committee following the January 2010 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United v. FEC.

Greater Wisconsin Political Independent Expenditure Fund

Posted: September 30, 2014
Updated: July 1, 2015

Oath • Spending

This corporation created in 2010 to make independent expenditures is one of four entities controlled by a group commonly known as the Greater Wisconsin Committee.  Collectively, the committee's arms - a corporation, 527 group, political action committee and phony issue ad group - spent an estimated $24.25 million between 2006 and 2013 to support Democratic candidates for statewide office and the legislature.  This corporation alone doled out $10.51 million for independent expenditures between 2010 and 2013.

The group discloses little of its funding sources but gets substantial contributions to pay for its electioneering activities from labor unions and Democratic ideological groups that are supported by influential business interests, according to reports filed by Greater Wisconsin's 527 group with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. 

The group filed an oath with the Government Accountability Board indicating its intent to make independent expenditures in the 2014 races for governor and attorney general as well as two senate races but never reported making any. The Greater Wiconsin Committee made "issue ads" instead.

Last active election: 2013

This organization is registered with the Government Accountability Board as an independent disbursement committee following the January 2010 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United v. FEC.

Working America

Posted: September 23, 2014
Updated: May 30, 2017

Oath • Spending

This corporation is used by a Washington D.C.-based group to make independent expenditures to support Democratic candidates in Wisconsin elections.  Working America is affiliated with the national AFL-CIO and appeared on the state political scene during the 2011 spring elections and the summer recall elections involving nine incumbent state senators who were targeted for recall because of their support or opposition to Republican Governor Scott Walker's successful effort to sharply curtail public employee collective bargaining rights.  The group spent about $104,000 in statewide and legislative elections in 2011 and 2012.

The group filed paperwork with the state that showed it might make independent expenditures to oppose incumbent Republican Governor Scott Walker and support his Democratic opponent, Mary Burke, in the November 4 general election but never reported any such spending.

Last active election: 2012

This organization is registered with the Government Accountability Board as an independent disbursement committee following the January 2010 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United v. FEC.

NARAL Pro-Choice America PAC

Posted: September 23, 2014
Updated: February 16, 2015

Oath • Spending

This is a Washington D.C.-based political action committee run by the nation's preeminent advocate for abortion rights and services. The organization supports Democratic candidates for federal and state offices through direct contributions and independent expenditures. The group filed paperwork that showed it might make independent expenditures in the governor's race, but did not. 

Instead, the group sponsored a 30-second issue ad that criticized incumbent Republican Governor Scott Walker of supporting policies that make it more difficult for women to have abortions. Walker faced Democrat Mary Burke in the November 4 general elections.

This organization is registered with the Government Accountability Board as an independent disbursement committee following the January 2010 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United v. FEC.

Committee for Justice & Fairness - Wisconsin

Posted: September 23, 2014
Updated: May 24, 2017

Oath • Spending

This new state political action committee is run by a Washington D.C.-based super PAC to make independent expenditures to support Democratic candidates. The national committee created in 2010 claims to work on behalf of middle-class Americans and against powerful special interests on consumer protection, public safety and economic issues. 

Campaign finance reports filed with the Federal Election Commission show the group received most of its support - about $1.4 million - during the first nine months of 2014 from the Democratic Attorneys General Association.  Reports filed by the attorneys general group with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service show the group gets much of its cash from big business, including pharmaceutical, telecommunications, insurance, transportation, health care, banking and manufacturing interests.

The corporation supported Democratic candidate and Jefferson County District Atttorney Susan Happ against Republican candidate and Waukesha County District Attorney Brad Schimel in the November 4 general election for attorney general. Happ and Schimel were seeking to replace the outgoing two-term incumbent Republican J.B. Van Hollen.

The group sponsored a 30-second television ad -that accused Schimel of cutting deals that reduced sentences in child sexual assault and pornography cases while he was a district attorney. The corporation purchased advertising time in television markets throughout the state in the final two weeks before the elections.

This organization is registered with the Government Accountability Board as an independent disbursement committee following the January 2010 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United v. FEC.

IAFF FIREPAC Wisconsin Non-Federal

Posted: September 19, 2014
Updated: February 6, 2015

Oath • Spending

IAFF FIREPAC is the state political action committee used by the International Association of Fire Fighters.  The PAC will make the first independent expenditures sponsored by the organization in a Wisconsin election in order to support Democratic candidate for governor Mary Burke aginst Republican incumbent Scott Walker. Previously, the PAC engaged in direct contributions to candidates.

Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters Independent Expenditure Committee

Posted: September 15, 2014
Updated: May 30, 2017

Oath • Spending

This is a corporation created in 2011 by the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters, a statewide environmental advocacy, lobbying and education group, exclusively to make independent expenditures on behalf of mostly Democratic candidates in statewide and legislative elections. The corporation spent $239,101 in the the 2011 recall and the 2012 recall and fall elections on outside electioneering activities. In addition, the group's state political action committee spent $346,412 on independent expenditures in statewide and legislative elections between 2002 and 2012.

The league announced in early October that it would spend $1 million on an advertising campaign attacking incumbent Republican Governor Scott Walker's record on environmental laws and regulation. The group released two ads that accused Walker of weakening environmental laws and threatening public health to benefit an out-of-state company seeking to dig a large, open-pit iron mine in northern Wisconsin after the company secretly contributed $700,000 to an outside electioneering group that helped the governor win his 2012 recall election.

The committee also spent nearly $100,000 in the 19th Senate District race.

Last active election: 2012

This organization is registered with the Government Accountability Board as an independent disbursement committee following the January 2010 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United v. FEC.