Outside Spending in Wisconsin Senate Races
October 1, 2018
With five weeks to go before the Nov. 6 general elections here’s a look at where outside electioneering groups are spending in Wisconsin Senate races as of the end of September:
Press Releases
Wisconsin Democracy Campaign's press releases and special reports cover issues central to our mission, including campaign fundraising, political corruption and more.
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Influence Peddler of the Month - Democratic Governors Assocation
October 1, 2018
(An updated version of this profile posted in July 2021 is available.)
The Democratic Governors Association (DGA) plans to spend sharply more on electioneering activities this year than in any previous governor’s race in the Badger State.
Realtors Spending Big to Help GOP Sen. Roth
September 28, 2018
Four outside electioneering groups are spending nearly five times more than the candidates on a state Senate seat held by a GOP leader, recent reports show.
Walker’s Fundraising Gets $1M Boost from Lt. Gov’s Campaign
September 26, 2018
GOP Gov. Scott Walker raised $2.3 million in August, including $1 million from his running mate’s campaign.
Evers Raised $1.9M in August
September 26, 2018
Democratic candidate for governor Tony Evers raised $1.9 million in August, including nearly a third from labor unions.
GOP Express Advocacy Groups Outspending Dems Almost 5 to 1 in Wisconsin
September 25, 2018
Republican express advocacy groups outspent Democratic groups $4.9 million to $1.1 million on fall legislative and statewide races through August, according to reports filed with the state on Tuesday.
Business Group Hails Wisconsin’s Conservative Justices
September 24, 2018
Three conservative Wisconsin Supreme Court justices who scored well in a recent report by a coalition of powerful business interests received more than $1 million in campaign contributions from those trades.
Dark Money Groups Must Disclose Wealthy Backers, U.S. Supreme Court Says
Posted: September 19, 2018
Updated: September 20, 2018
The names of wealthy contributors to certain political nonprofit groups that often sponsor negative ads and mailings during elections must be disclosed, following U.S. Supreme Court action on Tuesday.
WEDC Hands $250K in State Welfare to Company Run by Generous Walker Donor
September 14, 2018
Top executives of a company that was awarded $250,000 in state welfare have contributed nearly $26,000 to Republican Gov. Scott Walker’s campaigns.
WMC Pushing Kimberly-Clark Welfare Package
September 12, 2018
Kimberly-Clark will keep open one of two northeastern Wisconsin plants if the state Senate approves a welfare package by the end of the month, a legislative leader says.
Foxconn Investment Fund Partners Are Big Walker Contributors
September 6, 2018
Three Wisconsin companies that partnered with Foxconn to create a $100 million fund to help new tech companies are also generous contributors to GOP Gov. Scott Walker’s campaign.
Influence Peddler of the Month - Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation
September 4, 2018
This Milwaukee-based conservative foundation with about $900 million in assets has become one of the nation’s largest funders of rightwing think tanks, political groups, and social and economic policies.
Partisan Groups Boast $4+ Million in Election Spending in AG Race
August 31, 2018
Two partisan groups say they plan to sponsor a combined $4.5 million in electioneering activities in Wisconsin’s race for attorney general this November.
Outside Group Spending Nears $900K in Gov’s Race
August 28, 2018
Outside group spending on the governor’s race approached $900,000 as of Tuesday, according to reports reviewed by the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign.
3M’s Money Trail
August 24, 2018
Here is the money trail for 3M, which the Department of Natural Resources is investigating again after air pollution control equipment at 3M’s Wausau factory failed in April and records show the company didn’t properly report emissions in 2016 and 2017.
FOIC Should Rescind ‘Openness’ Award to Governor
An open letter to the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council
August 22, 2018
Dear Bill Lueders and the FOIC Board,
We urge you to rescind the “Openness” award you gave to Gov. Walker earlier this year.
Six Wealthy Donors Give State GOP $255K
August 15, 2018
Six wealthy contributors, all but one of whom are from outside Wisconsin, have given the state Republican Party $255,000 during the past two weeks.
Outside Electioneering Groups Spent Most on Mahlon Mitchell
August 13, 2018
About a dozen outside electioneering groups have spent about $655,300 on legislative and statewide primary elections that will be held Tuesday. And nearly two-thirds of the spending was made by unions to support Democratic candidate for governor Mahlon Mitchell.
WMC Recognizes High-Capacity-Well Backer with “Environmental” Award
August 9, 2018
An industry group that helped spearhead a state law that loosened state oversight and regulation of controversial high-capacity wells has received an environmental award from Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (WMC).
Half of the Largest Contributors to AG Candidates Were Outside Wisconsin
August 8, 2018
About half of the largest individual contributions to the major party attorney general candidates in July were from lawyers and others outside of Wisconsin, newly filed campaign finance reports show.
WEDC Gives $60M to Company Run by Walker Donors
August 7, 2018
Top executives of a papermaker that was recently awarded $60 million in state welfare for a construction project have contributed more than $17,000 to Republican Gov. Scott Walker’s campaigns.
WDC Letter on 2020 Census Citizenship Question
Wisconsin Democracy Campaign opposes the inclusion of a citizenship question on the 2020 census.
Posted: August 3, 2018
Major State Parties Raising Money Hand Over Fist
August 3, 2018
The state Democratic and Republican parties raised nearly $4.9 million combined during the first six months of 2018, with the GOP sharply outraising Democrats. The Republican Party of Wisconsin also had five times as much money on hand as its Democratic counterpart.
Republicans Outraising Dems with Record-Breaking Hauls by Legislative Leaders
August 2, 2018
The four legislative campaign committees in Wisconsin are hauling in money at a record clip, with the two Republican ones far outdistancing their Democratic counterparts, according to a review by the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign.
Influence Peddler of the Month - For Our Future
August 1, 2018
(An updated version of this profile was published in April 2022.)
This is a relatively new Washington, D.C. group that supports Democratic candidates for federal and state offices using a Super-PAC to make disclosed independent expenditures.