Hijacking Campaign 2018 | Independent Expenditures | Issue Ads | Candidates | Offices | Campaign 2018
Posted: August 23, 2018
Updated: June 18, 2021
This is a phony issue ad group formed by the Democratic Governors Association, which raises and spends money to support Democratic candidates for governor around the country.
Between January 2010 and June 2018, more than 200 Wisconsin individuals and businesses have contributed nearly $862,000 to the Democratic Governors Association, which operates as a 527 group that can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money on elections from any source.
The top Wisconsin contributors to the Democratic Governors Association during this time were:
Johnson Controls, of Milwaukee, $480,360
American Transmission Co., of Waukesha, $75,350
EMM Holdings LLC, of Milwaukee, $50,000
In the past, the Democratic Governors Association has directly spent very little on races for governor – only about $36,000 through a different committee during the 2012 attempt to recall Republican Gov. Scott Walker. Instead, the group has tended to funnel most of its electioneering cash through other outside groups, like the Greater Wisconsin Committee.
The Wisconsin Democracy Campaign estimates A Stronger Wisconsin spent $13.45 million on issue ads in the fall 2018 governor's race:
The group first started to release television ads in late August.One ad condemned Republican Gov. Scott Walker for cutting state funding to education, health care, and roads.The ad also said Democratic candidate for governor Tony Evers worked with Republican and Democratic lawmakers to change a law to make it easier to pull state teacher licenses for misconduct.
Another ad applauded Evers career in education. Evers had been elected to three four-year terms as state school superintendent.
A third ad accused Walker of playing politics and letting the state's roads, education, and health care systems languish.
The group also sponsored digital ads that hammered Walker on the same three topics - roads, education, and health care.
A fourth ad launched in mid-September featured a woman who says she will not be able to afford her cancer treatments if Walker allows insurance companies to drop required coverage for people with pre-existing conditions.
A fifth ad sponsored in late September accused Walker of turning down federal money to expand the state Medicaid program during his first term because accepting it would have hurt his short-lived, 2016 GOP presidential bid.
A sixth ad in early October characterized Evers as a life-long educator who tried to improve education and Walker as a politician who cut state aide to public schools in order to further his presidential ambitions in 2016.
In mid-October, Democratic Governors Association sponsored a seventh ad that accused Walker of supporting a plan to allow insurance companies to drop coverage for people involving pre-existing conditions.
In mid- to late October, the group sponsored two new ads – here and here – that continued to accuse Walker of cutting state spending on education and health care in order to please wealthy donors and improve his political standing during his failed 2016 GOP presidential bid.
The group sponsored a 10th 30-second television ad in late October that accused Walker of cutting state funding to public schools and turning down federal money for health care because he was doing what wealthy campaign contributors wanted.