Committee on the Judiciary, Consumer Affairs and Campaign Finance Reform,
July 2, 2002

Posted: July 3, 2002

(Testimony by Mike McCabe, Executive Director, Wisconsin Democracy Campaign)

Governor’s Task Force on Ethics Reform in Government, June 24, 2002

June 25, 2002

I applaud your willingness to take on the task of considering and ultimately proposing ethics reforms for our state government. You have your work cut out for you. It is a sad commentary on the current ethical climate in Wisconsin that a task force such as yours is deemed necessary.

June 19, 2002

Madison - Senators Russ Feingold (D-Wisconsin), John McCain (R-Arizona), Robert Torricelli (D-New Jersey) and Representative Martin Meehan (D-Massachusetts) today launched the next phase of campaign finance reform at the national level by unveiling the key elements of a bill that will reduce the cost and increase the flow of campaign communication on the nation’s television and radio stations, the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign announced.

Concerns Over Grantmaking Process, Link to Donations Persist

June 17, 2002

Madison - A statement released by Attorney General Jim Doyle’s gubernatorial campaign on Friday does not put to rest concerns about grants his office handed out to charitable groups and campaign contributions he received from officials of some of the agencies, the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign said today.

AG Should Recuse Himself from Corruption Probe, WDC Says

June 12, 2002

Madison - The district attorneys investigating apparent illegal campaigning and so-called "pay to play" activity in the Capitol should expand their probe to examine possible links between government grants made by Attorney General Jim Doyle to several charitable groups and the campaign donations individuals connected to the groups made to Doyle’s campaign for governor, the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign said today.

June 12, 2002

Madison - Remarks made in a Cross Plains restaurant in the presence of two newspaper reporters by veteran legislator Rick Skindrud about clandestine campaign activities in the legislative caucuses underscore the hypocrisy of state lawmakers who supported the use of taxpayer money for illegal campaigning by state employees to ensure their own re-election but oppose campaign reforms featuring public financing of election contests that would level the playing field for all candidates, the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign said today.

But Few Know Public Owns Airwaves & Broadcasters Get Free Licenses

June 11, 2002

Madison - Americans overwhelmingly support proposals to require that broadcasters provide free television time for candidates to discuss issues just before elections, according to a nationwide survey by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press in Washington, DC.

3 Top Leaders, 70 Majority Party Lawmakers, State Elections Board Cited for Fiddling While Corruption Takes Root

June 4, 2002

Madison - Wisconsin’s governor, 72 state legislators and a state regulatory agency were given "Nero Awards" today by the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign for failing to respond effectively to growing political corruption in the state.

4-Year-Old “Citizens Right to Know’ Law Finally to be Implemented

May 22, 2002

Madison - The Wisconsin Democracy Campaign and Wisconsin Citizen Action applauded the emergency rule adopted today by the State Elections Board requiring candidates to file their campaign finance reports electronically to give citizens quicker access to information about donations candidates receive.

Freese Rant on WDC Hides Real Weaknesses in Latest Campaign Finance Reform Proposal

May 16, 2002

Madison - A top Assembly Republican’s criticism of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign for expressing concerns about the most recent campaign reform proposal offered to the budget conference committee is a symptom of legislative leaders’ closemindedness and unwillingness to seriously work for much-needed reforms to Wisconsin’s broken campaign finance system, WDC’s executive director said today.

Open Memo to Budget Conferees

May 15, 2002

TO: Budget Conferees
FROM: Mike McCabe, Executive Director, Wisconsin Democracy Campaign
DATE: May 15, 2002
RE: Latest Campaign Finance Reform Proposal in Budget Repair Bill

Many lawmakers get better marks, but most candidates for top political jobs get average to poor report cards

May 13, 2002

Madison - Four dozen state officeholders and candidates violated state law by not adequately revealing the special interests behind hundreds of large individual campaign contributions worth more than $192,000 in the last six months of 2001, a Wisconsin Democracy Campaign analysis shows.

May 7, 2002

Memos to the legislature decrying state funds used pay legal costs involved in caucus cover-up.

16 Groups Join WDC to Push for Next Step in Reform After McCain-Feingold

May 2, 2002

Madison - Since the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign announced last month that it has joined the national Free Air Time Coalition, 16 more state-level advocacy groups have joined the grassroots campaign to build support for proposals to require that television and radio stations provide free air time before all elections for candidate ads, debates and issue discussion.

April 30, 2002

Madison - Nineteen well-heeled contributors to campaigns for state offices violated campaign finance laws in the last half of 2001 by exceeding the annual $10,000 limit on contributions, according to the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign.

WDC review shows special interest pork shielded from cuts

April 22, 2002

Madison - Despite a $1.1 billion budget deficit, state lawmakers crafting a budget repair bill are refusing to reconsider nearly $500 million worth of special interest tax breaks and pork barrel spending tucked in the original budget and have added at least $49 million in new breaks and windfalls sought by their most generous campaign donors, the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign reported today.

April 18, 2002

Madison - The presence of high-powered lobbyists in Governor Scott McCallum’s newly formed circle of advisers and the McCallum campaign’s response to ethical concerns expressed by departing fundraiser Dana Grigoroff are evidence that the administration lacks a commitment to standards of ethical conduct that used to be taken for granted in Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign said today.

Campaign Finance Reform in Budget Repair Bill

April 17, 2002

TO: Budget Conferees
FROM: Mike McCabe, Executive Director, Wisconsin Democracy Campaign
DATE: April 16, 2002
RE: Campaign Finance Reform in Budget Repair Bill

We are heartened by indications that the conference committee will be dealing with campaign finance reform after both houses passed comprehensive campaign finance reform bills on a bipartisan basis.

McCallum to Legislative Leaders: All Campaign Reform Ideas Should Be On Table(Except Ellis Bill)

April 5, 2002

Madison - Governor Scott McCallum’s admonition to Assembly Speaker Scott Jensen and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Chvala to "roll up their sleeves" and work out a campaign reform package rings hollow because of the governor’s insistence that no taxpayer dollars be used in the reforms, the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign said today.

WDC Joins New National Campaign to Promote Free Air Time As Next Step After McCain-Feingold

April 1, 2002

Madison - The Wisconsin Democracy Campaign announced today it has joined the national Free Air Time Coalition and will take part in a nationwide grassroots campaign to build support for proposals to require that television and radio stations provide free air time before all elections for candidate ads, debates and issue discussion.

In Wake of Troubling Poll Results, WDC Renews Call for Special Session

March 21, 2002

Madison - In a letter to Governor Scott McCallum, the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign today renewed its request that the governor call the legislature into special session to finish work on the first meaningful reforms in Wisconsin’s campaign finance laws in a generation.

Legislature Needs to Work Overtime on Campaign Finance Reform

March 13, 2002

Madison - The Wisconsin Democracy Campaign today called for an extended session of the legislature to finish work on campaign finance reform legislation and urged legislative leaders and Governor Scott McCallum to agree to the final negotiations needed to reach bipartisan agreement yielding the first meaningful reforms in Wisconsin’s campaign finance laws in a generation.

An open letter to the Governor

March 13, 2002

Despite Claims of ‘Grassroots’ Backing, Most Money Comes From a Few Big Checkbooks

March 5, 2002

Madison - Candidates for statewide office who boast they have broad statewide support because small campaign donors make the greatest number of contributions to their campaigns are misleading voters about the true origin of most of their support, a Wisconsin Democracy Campaign analysis shows.

Fundraising in governor’s race picks up steam after 9/11

February 25, 2002

Madison - The post-September 11 economy has produced layoffs, reduced charitable contributions and falling tax collections but it certainly has not stopped powerful special interests - many of which are pleading for tax breaks and stimulus plans - from investing heavily in candidates for governor, a Wisconsin Democracy Campaign analysis shows.