In other cases, lawmakers failed to reveal information interest groups gave to them, documents show

August 30, 2000

Madison - Powerful special interest groups are violating Wisconsin’s campaign finance laws by not disclosing employment information about their contributors, and some legislative candidates are not revealing this legally required information even when it is provided to them, according to a Wisconsin Democracy Campaign analysis released today.

Up 25 Percent Over Last Six Months Of ’99

August 23, 2000

Madison - Forty-nine legislators and legislative candidates violated state election laws by not disclosing required employment and occupational information about large individual contributors who made 171 donations totaling $46,902 during the first six months of 2000 (see list, PDF file), a Wisconsin Democracy Campaign analysis shows.

Lobbying up 78%

August 10, 2000

Madison - Pharmaceutical manufacturers substantially increased their dose of campaign contributions and lobbying activity during the first six months of 2000 when Wisconsin legislators considered but failed to pass any one of six bills to create a prescription drug assistance plan for the elderly, the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign said today.

Fund Raising Up 55%, War Chests Up 60% Over 98; Incumbents Hold 14-1 Fund Raising Advantage

July 27, 2000

Madison - Legislative candidates kicked off the first six months of the 2000 election year by raking in campaign contributions at a furious, record pace. A Wisconsin Democracy Campaign analysis shows that legislative campaign coffers held a total of $3.6 million as of June 30, which is 60 percent higher than at the same time in the 1998 election year.

Coalition of Public Interest Groups Offer Common Sense Recipe for Bipartisan Reform

July 5, 2000

Madison - A coalition of 20 public interest organizations today unveiled a new campaign finance reform proposal that re-establishes campaign spending limits, tightens limits on campaign donations, creatively addresses independent electioneering by special interest groups and breathes new life into Wisconsin’s once effective system of public financing of election campaigns.

TV Stations Outside Wisconsin Aired a Half-Minute of Candidate Discourse Nightly Before Primary Elections, National Study Shows

Air time well short of national target but far better than 9 seconds a night in Madison

June 13, 2000

Madison - A new study of the broadcast industry’s role in the 2000 election campaign has found that the national networks and a sampling of local television stations across the country devoted just over a half-minute to candidate discourse during the height of the 2000 primary season, while the industry as a whole pocketed record revenues from political ads, the Alliance for Better Campaigns-Wisconsin said today.

May 9, 2000

Madison - After failing to enact a single piece of campaign finance reform legislation in the 1999-2000 legislative session, state lawmakers were given an "F" in a final report card released today by the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign.

May 1, 2000

Madison - Payday lenders, mostly from outside of Wisconsin, have become the No. 1 out-of-state special interest contributor during the past two years, contributing thousands of dollars to Gov. Thompson and key legislators who control the fate of legislation to limit the interest rates that the industry charges, the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign said Monday.

Local TV Newscasts Shunned April Election, Study Finds

April 19, 2000

Madison - Local television stations devoted an average of 9 seconds a night to statements by candidates for national, state and local office in the month before Wisconsin’s April 4 primary election, an analysis of evening newscasts in the Madison market shows.

New Brand of Carpetbagging Leaves Constituents Out in the Cold

March 27, 2000

Madison - State legislators have become so heavily dependent on campaign contributions from people they are not elected to represent that a new form of "carpetbagging" has emerged in Wisconsin, a report released today by the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign shows.

Jensen, Darling, Clausing Have Most Improperly Reported Donations

March 6, 2000

Madison - Thirty state legislators failed to comply with the state elections law requiring them to disclose the occupation and employer of all contributors who give more than $100, a review of campaign finance reports by the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign revealed.

February 17, 2000

Madison - Campaign finance reports filed with the State Elections Board show that a Mequon resident who owns more than 100 gasoline stations exceeded the state’s $10,000 a year limit on political contributions, the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign said today.

February 15, 2000

Madison - A week after a bill preventing banks from charging consumers fees to use automatic teller machines (ATMs) was defeated by one vote in the State Senate, an analysis of state campaign finance records by the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign shows a sharp increase in campaign contributions in the last half of 1999 from banking interests to State Senator Kevin Shibilski (D-Stevens Point), who cast the deciding vote on the ATM bill.

Fundraising, War Chests Up 60% For 2000 Elections

February 7, 2000

Madison - Voters turned off by negative advertising and runaway campaign spending in the 1998 election are in for a much larger dose in 2000, due to a staggering increase in legislative fundraising, the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign reported today.

What a Day! Thompson Campaign Receives More than $90,000 in a Day

February 3, 2000

Madison - As Gov. Thompson continues to keep his political opponents wondering about whether he’ll run for a fifth term, his campaign continued to rake in contributions in 1999, including more than $90,000 in large individual contributions ($100 or more) one day last July (Table 1), an analysis of campaign records by the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign showed.

Research & Advocacy Project to Monitor Stations’ Ad Revenue, News Coverage

January 24, 2000

Madison - The Wisconsin Democracy Campaign announced today it is joining forces with the national Alliance for Better Campaigns to press the television industry to open the airwaves to brief nightly issue forums in the 2000 election season.

by Bill Kraus & Jack DeWitt

January 24, 2000

Madison - As the campaign contributions flow and the candidate war chests grow for the 2000 elections, we write to voice a concern about - and offer a remedy for - the increasingly harmful role of TV in politics.

January 11, 2000

Many people are disgusted by the way money is corrupting government, but few realize there’s a powerful tool taxpayers can use to do something about it - checking the box on Wisconsin’s income tax form to support the State Election Campaign Fund.

December 13, 1999

Madison - Wisconsin’s reputation for open government and clean politics took another beating in a new national survey of disclosure of money in politics, which ranks Wisconsin 35th among the 50 states and says the forecast for electronic disclosure of campaign donations in the state is "mostly cloudy," according to the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign.

December 8, 1999

Five local government associations ally for campaign finance reform.

Committees Shield Candidates from Taint of Special Interest Cash

November 18, 1999

Madison - Legislative campaign committees controlled by legislative leaders have become legal money laundering operations that raise huge sums of special interest money that benefits candidates but is not reported by the candidates, allowing them to appear free of lobby groups’ attempts to influence them, according to a report released today by the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign and Common Cause in Wisconsin.

WDC Gives Legislature D+ for ‘Bleak’ Record on Reform

November 15, 1999

Madison - The Wisconsin Democracy Campaign said Monday that the Legislature’s penchant for partisan bickering and a lack of desire to reduce the flow and influence of monied special interest groups earns them "D+" grade on campaign finance reform efforts so far in the 1999-2000 legislative session.

September 23, 1999

Madison - Democratic and Republican legislators scheduled events this summer and fall to get Wisconsin residents to part with some of their money. One is pitching airplane rides, several others hosted golf outings, two of them went on the road with a comedian, one group organized a zoo tour and the others threw theme parties ranging from a pig roast in a park to a reception at a yacht club. (See table below.)

Money Flowing to Power, Leadership Committees Sop Up PAC Cash, Sources of Donations Reveal Little Difference Between Parties

September 7, 1999

Madison - Legislators and leadership-run campaign committees collected over $875,000 in campaign contributions in the first half of the year when state budget decisions were being made, according to an analysis of state campaign finance records by the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign.

Number of Taxpayers Aiding Public Financing Nearly Triple the Number of Private Donors

August 12, 1999

Madison - For the second straight year, the number of taxpayers designating $1 to the state’s election campaign fund increased from the previous year, according to records the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign obtained from the state Elections Board. The income tax check-off provides funding used for public grants to candidates who agree to limit campaign spending.