September 8, 2022
Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein are the largest contributors to Wisconsin’s legislative campaign committees. They gave more than four times as much as anyone else, according to the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign’s examination of the top 10 contributors to these committees between January 2016 and December 2021.
There are four legislative campaign committees, run by the leaders of each party in the State Capitol, and they use special interest donations on election spending.
Here are the four:
The Republican Assembly Campaign Committee (RACC).
The Committee to Elect a Republican Senate (CERS).
The Assembly Democratic Campaign Committee (ADCC).
The State Senate Democratic Committee (SSDC).
Here are the top 10 contributors to these committees:
Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein, of Lake Forest, IL, $1,469,500, including $1,308,500 to RACC and $161,000 to CERS. The couple’s $1.31 million in RACC contributions represent 10 percent of the $12.87 million the committee raised from 2016 through 2021. The billionaire couple founded packing and shipping giant Uline and have been longtime contributors to state and federal Republican candidates and causes throughout the country.
John Shaffer, of Chicago, IL, $355,000, including $203,000 to CERS and $152,000 to RACC. Shaffer is the founder and chairman of HSA Commercial Real Estate.
Lynde Uihlein, of Milwaukee, $310,000, including $185,000 to ADCC and $125,000 to SSDC. Uihlein, who is the founder of the Brico Fund, is a longtime philanthropist and contributor to Democratic and women’s causes and candidates. Lynde Uihlein and Richard Uihlein are cousins.
Christopher Abele, of Milwaukee, $270,000, including $145,000 to ADCC and $125,000 to SSDC. Abele, a businessman, philanthropist, and former Milwaukee County executive, is a longtime contributor to Democratic candidates and causes.
Jim and Alice Walton, of Bentonville, AR, $137,000, including $71,000 to CERS and $66,000 to RACC. The Walton family founded mega-retailer Walmart and have been longtime supporters of Republican candidates and school voucher programs in Wisconsin and across the country.
Fred Young Jr., of Racine, $123,000, including $65,000 to RACC and $58,000 to CERS. Young is the retired founder and owner of Young Radiator and a longtime contributor to GOP legislative and statewide candidates in Wisconsin.
Grant Abert, of Madison, $109,350, including $60,150 to SSDC and $49,200 to ADCC. Abert is an investor, philanthropist, and former manager of the Kailo Fund who supports Democratic candidates and causes.
Deborah Kern, of Fox Point, $90,000, including $50,000 to SSDC and $40,000 to ADCC. Kern is president of the Garden Room and the Anaba Tea Room.
Herb Kohl, of Milwaukee, $65,000, including $35,000 to SSDC and $30,000 to ADCC. Kohl is a millionaire businessman, former Democratic U.S. senator, and former owner of the Milwaukee Bucks professional basketball team.
Terrence Wall, of Madison, $55,250, including $31,500 to RACC and $23,750 to CERS. Wall, who is the owner of T. Wall Properties and T. Wall Enterprises, was an unsuccessful GOP U.S. Senate candidate in 2010 and a longtime backer of Republican legislative and statewide candidates.
Fundraising by four legislative campaign committees has skyrocketed in large part from changes to state campaign finance laws that allow them to receive unlimited individual contributions. Total fundraising by the four LCCs increased 148 percent from $1.53 million in 2015 to $3.8 million in 2021.
The changes to state campaign finance law were approved in late 2015 by former GOP Gov. Scott Walker and the Republican-controlled legislature. In addition to unlimited individual contributions, the legislative campaign committees (LCCs) are also allowed to accept corporate contributions for the first time in more than 100 years.
Previously, individual contributions to the committees were capped at $10,000 per person per year.
The lifting of that cap corresponded to big a jump in donations by several of the top 10 donors. Between January 2010 and December 2015, which were the six years before campaign finance law changes allowed unlimited individual contributions to the LCCs, most of these top contributors gave little or nothing to the LCCs compared to their outlay between 2016 and 2021.
For instance, Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein contributed a total of $5,500 to Republican LCCs between 2010 and 2015, compared to $1,469,500 from 2016 through 2021. Four other top contributors – Shaffer, the Waltons, Abert, and Kern – gave nothing to the LCCs between 2010 and 2015 compared to the combined $691,350 they gave to LCCs from 2016 through 2021.