August 15, 2023
Four fundraising committees used by legislative leaders to attract individual, political action committee (PAC), and corporate contributions from special interests raised and saved record amounts in the first six months of 2023.
The four legislative campaign committees (LCCs) collectively raised a record $2.63 million. That eclipsed by 87 percent the previous record $1.41 million raised by the committees in an odd-numbered year during the first half of 2011, a year with 14 special and recall legislative elections (see Table below).
In addition to fundraising, the committees reported a record $3.39 million in the bank on June 30, beating by 17 percent the previous record $2.9 million set at the mid-point of an odd-numbered year in 2021.
Table
Legislative Campaign Committee Fundraising in the First Six Months of 2023
| Committee | Fundraising | June 30 Cash Balance |
|---|---|---|
| State Senate Democratic Committee | $815,134 | $256,469 |
| Republican Assembly Campaign Committee | $768,539 | $1,936,193 |
| Committee to Elect a Republican Senate | $637,651 | $1,097,828 |
| Assembly Democratic Campaign Committee | $408,710 | $98,232 |
| TOTAL | $2,630,034 | $3,388,722 |
The four LCCs are cash cows for Democratic and Republican legislative leaders because they often account for a substantial portion of the total fundraising and cash-on-hand by all of the legislative candidate committees.
During the first half of 2023, the LCCs raised 59 percent of the $4.43 million raised by all of the legislative committees. The LCCs collective cash on hand as of June 30 was $3.39 million, which was 44 percent of the $7.64 million held by all of the legislative committees.
The State Senate Democratic Committee led in fundraising among the four LCCs, pulling in $815,134 and banking $256,469.
The committee’s top contributors were:
Democratic Party of Wisconsin, $493,875;
Robert L. Habush, a retired Milwaukee attorney, $75,000;
Janet Bewley for Senate, $13,500.
The Republican Assembly Campaign Committee raised $768,539 and had $1.94 million in the bank on June 30. The committee’s top contributors were PACs and corporations, which each gave the maximum $12,000 contribution allowed under state law.
They were:
Realtors Association of South Central Wisconsin PAC;
Wisconsin Dental Association PAC;
Alliant Energy Employees’ PAC;
Concerned Realtors Committee;
GOPAC Elections Fund;
Oneida Nation (corporation);
Wisconsin Energy Corp. Business Services (corporation);
Alliance of Health Insurers (corporation);
Elevance Health Inc. (corporation);
Wisconsin Beer Distributors (corporation);
Wisconsin Insurance Alliance (corporation);
Charter Communications (corporation);
Forest County Potawatomi Community (corporation);
Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce (corporation);
Mobility for Our Future (corporation);
Wisconsin Power & Light (corporation);
Realtors Political Action Committee.
The Committee to Elect a Republican Senate raised $637,651 and had $1.1 million in its campaign account on June 30. The committee’s top contributors were PACs and corporations, which each gave $12,000. They were:
Alliant Energy Wisconsin Government Action Committee;
Festival Foods PAC;
Alliance of Health Insurers (corporation);
Elevance Health Inc. (corporation);
Oneida Nation (corporation);
Wisconsin Beer Distributors (corporation);
Wisconsin Energy Corp. Business Services (corporation);
Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce (corporation);
Charter Communications (corporation);
Forest County Potawatomi Community (corporation);
Mobility for Our Future (corporation);
U.S. Venture Inc. (corporation);
Festival Foods (corporation).
The Assembly Democratic Campaign Committee raised $408,710 in the first half of 2023 and banked $98,232 as of June 30.
The Democratic Party of Wisconsin was the committee’s top contributor at $19,425. After the state Democratic Party, the committee’s top contributors were PACs and corporations, which each gave the committee $12,000.
They were:
DRIVE Committee PAC (Teamsters Union);
Wisconsin Laborers District Council PAC;
Wisconsin Pipe Trades Association PAC;
Plumbers Local 75 PAC;
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers PAC;
Wisconsin Laborers District Council Political Fund (corporation).
Semi-annual and annual fundraising and cash-on-hand for legislative campaign committees have steadily increased since sweeping changes in state campaign finance law were enacted in 2015 by former GOP Gov. Scott Walker and the Republican-controlled legislature.
Those changes included allowing the LCCs to create segregated funds that can collect contributions of up to $12,000 a year from corporations, trade groups, unions and American Indian tribes, organizations that were previously banned from making direct political contributions. Contributions to the LCC segregated funds accounted for over 36% of LCC income in the first six months of 2023.
The changes also removed the limits on contributions that individuals may give to LCCs, as well as the limits on the contributions that LCCs can give to candidates or parties. There used to be a $10,000 limit on individual contributions to LCCs.
LCCs are prohibited from using corporate, union, and other special interest money from their segregated funds to contribute to candidates or sponsor independent expenditures, which are electioneering activities, like mailings and broadcast ads that directly tell people how to vote.