Fall 2026: Who’s Trying to Sway Our Elections?

9.25.26

Here we go, Wisconsin. With just over a month until Election Day, we’re seeing it all: digital ads, mailers, TV and radio, and canvassing operations.

Everyone is tapped into the highly competitive, contentious governor’s race, not an unusual sight in our purple Wisconsin. And thanks to temporary fair maps at the state level, we’ll see some of the most competitive legislative elections in decades. This is a huge win because our government works best when it accurately reflects and is responsive to voters. 

We also know that, with zero restrictions on big money and wealthy special interests, competition brings along more money. Outside groups with dark money and fittingly vague names are funneling money faster than you’re losing hope for your fantasy team. 

WDC tracks independent expenditures (IEs) in our database. IEs are groups that spend in support of or opposition to a candidate without coordination with the campaign. 

Let’s break it down. 

Top Independent Expenditure Groups in Wisconsin (as of 9.24.26)

Currently, total independent expenditures are just under $48 million for all fall state-level races. The current breakdown by ideology is $40 million for Republican-leaning spending and $7.6 million for Democrat-leaning spending. Why the skew? The majority of this spending (nearly $40 million of it) is for the governor’s race, and Democrat-leaning groups mostly waited until after the primary election to start spending and focus resources once the Democratic candidate was chosen. 

The last Wisconsin Governor’s Election was in 2022. That year, total reported independent spending was $60.7 million. Of that, $47.6 million was for the governor’s race. To no one’s surprise, Wisconsin is on track to break another spending record. 

Issue Ads vs. Independent Expenditures

In addition to independent expenditures, several groups are running issue ads. What’s the difference? Independent expenditures explicitly advocate for the election or defeat of a candidate. Issue ads, by contrast, focus on a candidate's record or positions without using explicit advocacy language. 

Both types of spending can influence voters—but only independent expenditures require public disclosure of their spending. It takes a lot of digging to find dollar amounts, which is why it’s not listed below. WDC hopes to have the numbers post-election season. 

Where are the Republican-leaning issue ads?

With legislative races throughout the state, WDC needs help finding the issue ads. Be our eyes and ears and report ads through our Hijacking Hub.

Most Expensive Races

Independent expenditures are pouring into races across Wisconsin, but some areas are targeted more heavily than others. Currently, the five races with the most outside spending are:

• Governor – $41 million
• Senate District 17 – $954,144
• Senate District 21 –  $908,756
• Senate District 31 –  $759,663
• Senate District 5 – $722,830

These Senate races are some of the most competitive. These are fairly purple districts where Democrats are fighting for a long-awaited majority, and Republicans are trying to hold onto power, despite losing their favored gerrymandered maps. More on these key legislative races in a future WDC article. 

The Cost of Influence in Wisconsin Politics

With millions of dollars flooding Wisconsin elections, it’s clear that outside groups continue to put their fingers on the scale, attempting to sway elections with massive amounts of money and seriously annoying ads. These ads, which are often attack ads rooted in racist stereotypes and disinformation,  can turn off voters from participating in the election. 

Wisconsinites of all backgrounds and ideologies believe voters deserve elections that are free from pay-to-play politics. That is why WDC doesn’t just track the money in our elections, we also fight to improve our system. We advocate for reforms that reduce big money’s influence, bring about transparency, and empower everyday Wisconsin voters.