July 5, 2022
Outside electioneering groups spent or planned to spend nearly $27.8 million as of the end of June in seven races on the November ballot, a Wisconsin Democracy Campaign review found.
The outside spending was close between Democratic and Republican groups. Nine Republican groups have spent or reserved television ad buys totaling $14.01 million. That’s about $248,500 more than the $13.76 million in spending by three Democratic groups.
The governor’s race has drawn the most special interest group spending at $24.8 million. Five Republican groups have spent or planned to spend $12.41 million, about $25,000 more than the $12.39 million in spending by two Democratic groups.
The top spending groups so far in the governor’s race were:
- Alliance for Common Sense, $11.31 million in television ad buys reserved from Aug. 9 through Nov. 8. This electioneering group is run by the Democratic Governors Association to support incumbent Democratic Gov. Tony Evers.
- Right Direction Wisconsin PAC, $7.36 million in television ad buys reserved from July 27 through Nov. 8. This electioneering group is run by the Republican Governors Association to support whoever wins the Aug. 9 GOP primary.
- Fighting for Wisconsin, $2.68 million in television ad buys from mid-March through early August. This is a new Texas-based Super PAC created to support GOP candidate for governor Kevin Nicholson.
- Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (WMC), $2.21 million in television ad buys from late February through July. This is the state’s largest business group, which generally opposes Democratic candidates and supports Republicans. So far, most of WMC’s advertisements – check them out here – have attacked Evers. WMC has endorsed GOP candidate for governor Rebecca Kleefisch.
- The Wisconsin Initiative, $1.08 million in television ad buys from mid-February through mid-May. The group’s ads have praised Evers for his handling of the economy, approving income tax cuts, and for vetoing numerous GOP election and voting bills.
In the race for attorney general, three outside groups – two Republican and one Democratic – have spent or reserved $2.85 million in television time for this fall. The Republican Attorneys General Association has reserved $1.38 million in TV time to support whoever wins the GOP primary on Aug. 9. Americans for Prosperity, the Koch-backed rightwing electioneering group, has doled out about $89,200 on consulting, canvassing, brochures, and online advertising to support GOP attorney general candidate Adam Jarchow.
The two Republicans groups have spent about $94,600 more than the $1.38 million in reserved TV ad time by the Democratic Attorneys General Association to back incumbent Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul.
In the lieutenant governor’s race, a group called Speak Free or Die has spent $100,000 on mailings to support GOP Sen. Roger Roth, of Appleton.
In addition to the attorney general’s race, Americans for Prosperity has also spent about $16,640 on consulting, canvassing, and online advertising to support Republicans in the 17th, 19th, and 25th District Senate races.
In the 63rd Assembly race, a group called Wisconsinites for Liberty Fund has spent nearly $12,300 on mailings to support Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos.
For more details about election spending and activities by all of the groups involved in this fall’s elections so far, please check out the Democracy Campaign’s Hijacking Campaign 2022 feature.