Volunteers for Agriculture

Posted:  October 14, 2016
Updated: June 2, 2017

Fall: Oath • Spending

This political action committee is used by the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation, one of the state's largest and most influential lobbying and advocacy organizations. The PAC is a longtime direct contributor to statewide and legislative candidates. The group has also been regularly active in making independent expenditures in Wisconsin elections, generally to support Republican candidates. Between 2000 and 2014, the PAC made nearly $1.2 million in independent expenditures.

The group filed paperwork with the state in mid-October that showed it spent over $110,00 on radio and newspaper ads to support five Republican candidates for the Assembly: Rep. Ed Brooks, of Reedsburg, in the 50th; Rep. Keith Ripp, of Lodi, in the 42nd; Rep. Kathy Bernier, of Chippewa Falls, in the 68th; Rep. Todd Novak, of Dodgeville, in the 51st; and Rob Summerfield, of Bloomer, in the open 67th.

Last active election: 2014

Wisconsin REALTORS Political Fund

Posted:  October 12, 2016
Updated: June 2, 2017

Fall: Oath • Spending

This committee was created by the Wisconsin Realtors Association (WRA) in 2012 as Wisconsin REALTORS Political Fund - 1.91 Account to make independent expenditures in Wisconsin elections. Between 2012 and 2014, the committee spent nearly $517,000 to support Republican legislative candidates and the 2013 reelection of conservative Wisconsin Supreme Court Chief Justice Patience Roggensack. WRA's political action committee, RPAC Wisconsin, is routinely among the largest PAC contributors in legislative and statewide elections.

The group filed paperwork in mid-October showing it had spent nearly $174,000 on "consulting fees" in support of Republican Dan Feyen in the 18th Senate District. A report filed with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service shows a 527 group operated by the National Association of Realtors donated the money to the state group to pay for the expenditure.

Last active election: 2014

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

WMC Jobs Fund

Posted: October 10, 2016
Updated: June 5, 2017

Fall: Oath • Spending

This is a an independent expenditure committee newly created in 2016 by Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (WMC), the state's largest business group and one of the most powerful special interest influences on state spending and policy. WMC last made independent expenditures in the 2007 Supreme Court elections through its PAC, then called Concerned Business and Industry, but in years since concentrated on phony issue ads instead, an avenue of electoral influence that it did not neglect in 2016.

In October, the committee reported more than $645,000 in spending on broadcast and online advertising in two targeted Senate races. WMC opposed Democratic candidate Brian Smith challenging incumbent GOP Sen. Luther Olsen, of Ripon, in the 14th Senate District. WMC's ad criticized Smith for writing a letter to the court in 2008 supporting a former employee of the Wisconsin Veterans Home in King who was accused of stealing money from the facility. WMC also opposed Democrat Mark Harris, who faced GOP candidate Dan Feyen for an open seat in the 18th Senate District.

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

Jobs First Coalition Political Fund

Posted: October 10, 2016
Updated: June 2, 2017

Fall: Oath • Spending

This is a Brookfield-based organization that first surfaced in the 2010 fall elections and supports Republican legislative candidates.  The coalition operates a phony issue ad group and had used a corporation, which it terminated last July, to make independent expenditures.  All told, the group spent an estimated $485,600 on outside electioneering activities between 2010 and 2014 to support GOP legislative candidates. Former GOP Assembly Speaker Scott Jensen, who was disgraced in the caucus scandal, helped create and raise money for the group.

Jobs First Coalition was one of more than two dozen conservative groups under a John Doe investigation that looked into whether Republican Gov. Scott Walker's campaign illegally coordinated with issue advocacy groups during the 2011 and 2012 recall elections. The probe was shut down by a Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling in July 2015 that found coordination between candidates and issue ad groups was legal, among other things.  The U.S. Supreme Court recently refused to hear an appeal of the state Supreme Court's ruling.

In October and November, the group sponsored numerous radio ads and mailings to support Republican candidates in a half-dozen Assembly races. 

Jobs First sponsored two 60-second radio ads that urged listeners to vote for incumbent GOP Reps. Lee Nerison, of Westby, running for reelection in the 96th Assembly District, and Todd Novak, of Dodgeville, running for reelection in the 51st Assembly District. The group's ads praised Nerison and Novak for voting against Walker's 2015-17 state budget, saying the budget did not adequately fund public schools in their districts, and that it cut too much state support from the University of Wisconsin System. The ads also claimed that the pair cast votes in the best interests of their constituents on numerous other bills.

Jobs First also sponsored a radio ad that attacked Democratic candidate Jeff Smith for running against Novak because he already had a taxpayer-financed salary as a public school administrator. The group also sponsored a 60-second radio ad - here - that criticized Nerison's opponent, Democrat Alicia Leinberger, for her support of the federal health care program dubbed Obamacare, among other things.

The group also sponsored a 60-second radio ad criticizing Democrat Mandy Wright, who was running for an open seat in the 85th Assembly District against Republican Pat Snyder, for supporting Obamacare.

Last active election: 2014

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

Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters IE Committee

Posted: October 7, 2016
Updated: June 2, 2017

Fall: Oath • Spending

The Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters, a statewide environmental advocacy group, created this committee to make independent expenditures in the 2011 recall elections. In those and subsequent state elections, it has only supported Democratic candidates.

In the 2016 election it supports two Democratic candidates for the Assembly, challenger Jeff Wright in the 51st District and Mandy Wright running for the open 85th.

This is the third committee being used by the League to make independent expenditures in legislative elections in 2016. The other two are the Conserve Wisconsin PAC and Wisconsin League of Conservations Voters PAC.

Last active election: 2014

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

Greater Wisconsin Committee

October 6, 2016

This is the phony issue ad arm of the Greater Wisconsin Committee, which is mostly funded by labor unions and ideological groups to support Democratic and left-leaning candidates for local and statewide offices and the legislature.

In addition to issue ads, Greater Wisconsin also uses a 527 group to raise money, and a corporation and a political action committee to make independent expenditures, which are electioneering activities that directly tell viewers how to vote.  The four entities operated by Greater Wisconsin, which was created in 2004, have spent an estimated $33.6 million between 2006 and spring 2016 on statewide and legislative elections.  Historically, Greater Wisconsin has spent most of its cash on negative broadcasts ads attacking Republican and conservative candidates. 

Several weeks before the November legislative elections, the group reserved more than $840,000 worth of TV time in the Green Bay market, but did not identify the races it may target with ads.

Last active election:  2016

Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce

Posted: October 5, 2016
Updated: June 1, 2017

WMC is the state’s largest business organization and one of the most powerful special interest groups in Wisconsin. The group, which claims more than 3,500 business members, has spent millions of dollars over the years to lobby the governor and legislature on dozens of state policy and spending issues ranging from taxes to education to environmental, public safety and other business-related regulations.

In addition to throwing its weight around on state policy and spending matters, WMC is among the leaders in spending on outside electioneering activities, like negative broadcast ads and mailings, in statewide and legislative elections. Between 2006 and 2015 the group had secretly raised and spent an estimated $18.4 million on phony issue ads to smear Democratic candidates and support Republican candidates for governor, attorney general and the legislature and conservative candidates for the Wisconsin Supreme Court. 

WMC had operated soley as a phony issue ad group since the 2007 Supreme Court elections when it last made independent expenditures through its PAC, then called Concerned Business and Industry, but in 2016 it created a new committee, called WMC Jobs Fund, for the exclusive purpose of making independent expenditures in Wisconsin elections.

WMC's issue ad arm sponsored television ads from early October until Election Day, Nov. 8, to back GOP candidate, and eventual winner, Dan Feyen, who faced Democrat Mark Harris for the open 18th Senate seat. The incumbent, GOP Sen. Rick Gudex, of Fond du Lac, did not seek reelection so Democrats hoped to pick up the 18th Senate seat, which had flip-flopped between both parties in the last two elections.

Three WMC television ads accused Harris of favoring numerous tax increases as Winnebago County's executive. Among the tax increases Harris suggested is a three-cent-a-gallon state gas tax increase to fund road projects and repairs. Both WMC and Feyen had proposed similar gas tax and/or vehicle registration fee increases to pay for roads.

The Democracy Campaign estimates that WMC spent nearly $1.2 million on issue ads in the 18th Senate District.

Last active election: 2014

Wisconsin First Political Fund

Posted: September 29, 2016
Updated: June 2, 2017

Fall: Oath • Spending

Wisconsin First Political Fund is a new independent expenditure committee that reported spending more than $150,000 on television and digital ads to oppose incumbent GOP Sen. Tom Tiffany in the 12th Senate District.

Paperwork filed with the state identified Jennifer Broberg as the committee's treasurer. Broberg once worked for the Assembly Democratic Campaign Committee, which is a legislative campaign committee controlled by Assembly Democratic leaders to raise campaign funds.

A report filed with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service shows that Wisconsin First received a $50,000 contribution in September from a 527 group operated by the Washington D.C.-based International Union of Operating Engineers.

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

Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin - C4

Posted: September 28, 2016
Updated: June 2, 2017

Fall: Oath • Spending

This is a new independent expenditure committee created by Planned Parenthood, which is the leading advocate and provider of reproductive health care for women in the state and the nation. Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin already operates two other independent expenditure committees - Planned Parenthood Advocates of WI Political Fund (active in the 2016 election) and Planned Parenthood Advocates of WI, Inc. - which spent about $1.8 million between 2010 and 2015 supporting Democratic legislative and statewide candidates.

By the end of October, this committee reported spending over $150,000 on brochures and mailings to support Democratic candidates in Assembly Districts 50, 51, 68 and 85 and in the 18th Senate District, the same races where its other independent expenditure commitee was active.

This organization is an unregistered independent expenditure committee that is required to report any such spending done within 60 days of a primary or an election to the Wisconsin Ethics Commission per Chapter 11, Subchapter X of Wisconsin Statutes.

A Better Dane County Inc

Posted: September 28, 2016
Updated: June 1, 2017

Fall: Oath • Spending

A Better Dane County is a Verona, Wis.-based independent expenditure group created by the Madison Area Home Builders (MABA) to support policies and candidates it describes as in favor of economic development. The group is directed by MABA lobbyist and director of government affairs, Andrew Disch. The group is also registered as a 501(c)(4) organization - a favorite U.S. Internal Revenue Service designation used by dark money groups that sponsor undisclosed issue ads in state and federal elections. The group was newly formed in 2014 sending issue ad mailers to influence the Verona mayoral race and at least one race for Dane County Board in a district involved in a contentious housing development battle.

Though the MABA website notes the group does not expressly advocate support or defeat of candidates, they did report spending nearly $1,600 on mailings and robocalls to support Democrat Julia Arata-Fratta, who was seeking to replace outgoing Democratic Rep. Robb Kahl of Monona in the 47th Assembly District in the fall elections. She lost the primary to the eventual winner Jimmy Anderson.

This organization is an unregistered independent expenditure committee that is required to report any such spending done within 60 days of a primary or an election to the Wisconsin Ethics Commission per Chapter 11, Subchapter X of Wisconsin Statutes.