Posted: July 13, 2006
Updated: October 2, 2006

2006 Legislative campaign statistics.

Posted: July 12, 2006
Updated: July 17, 2006

July 12, 2006

Letter accompanying League of Women Voters' Fall 2006 Government Ethics Voter Guide.

Recent ethics poll results mirror WDC analysis of legislative contributions

July 5, 2006

Madison - Wisconsin legislators collectively raised nearly $3 of every $4 in large individual contributions in 2005 from well-heeled special interests outside of their districts who cannot vote for them, a Wisconsin Democracy Campaign analysis shows.

Letter to broadcasters notes project to track coverage in Milwaukee, Madison

June 29, 2006

Madison - Three public interest advocacy groups today challenged Wisconsin television broadcasters to significantly boost coverage of the 2006 elections and election-related issues.

Position of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign on the Proposed Constitutional Amendment Banning Gay Marriage and Civil Unions

June 21, 2006

Madison - The Wisconsin Democracy Campaign is opposed to the proposed constitutional amendment prohibiting gay marriage and civil unions and urges a “no” vote in November on ratification of the amendment.

$500-plus special interest contributions dominate races for governor, AG

June 15, 2006

Madison - Democratic Governor Jim Doyle and Republican gubernatorial candidate Mark Green collectively raised $3 of every $4 in 2005 from contributions of $500 or more and nearly two thirds came in contributions of $1,000 or more, a Wisconsin Democracy Campaign analysis shows.

May 30, 2006

Madison - Democratic Governor Jim Doyle accepted $10,000 in campaign contributions in 2004 from attorneys at a New York law firm accused this month of paying more than $11 million in illegal kickbacks to get people to participate in lawsuits against corporations.

Violators include two repeat offenders, another who gave double the limit

May 11, 2006

Madison - Twelve wealthy contributors violated the annual $10,000 limit on campaign contributions to state political candidates and committees in 2005, including two who exceeded the limit in 2002 and a Texas contributor who gave $20,000 to two candidates, a Wisconsin Democracy Campaign analysis shows.

May 5, 2006

Madison - Representatives of 22 advocacy groups today urged Governor Jim Doyle to call the Legislature back into special session to act on Senate Bill 1, the ethics reform legislation the state Assembly refused to take up earlier this week.

April 20, 2006

Madison - Five wealthy special interests from Wisconsin contributed $260,000 in the first three months of 2006 to two leading Democratic and Republican organizations that collect and spend unlimited amounts of money on negative ads and mailings to influence voters, the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign has found.

GOP governor hopeful voted for freebies, to protect indicted leader

April 12, 2006

Madison - Republican gubernatorial candidate Mark Green has supported a string of proposals since 2003 to loosen ethics standards for members of Congress, including rules to protect an indicted former GOP leader who contributed about $31,000 to Green’s congressional campaign, a Wisconsin Democracy Campaign review of congressional actions on ethics rules shows.

Two more IT companies give to Doyle after getting state work

March 27, 2006

Madison - Executives from two out-of-state companies contributed nearly $45,000 to Democratic Governor Jim Doyle’s campaign after they were hired to work on technology and real estate projects, the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign has found.

State of Wisconsin Circuit Court Dane County

Posted: March 27, 2006

(Copy of criminal complaint against Scott Jensen.)

Support to democratic shadow groups up over past non-election years

March 23, 2006

Madison - Wisconsin contributions to unregulated national groups that can accept and spend unlimited amounts to influence elections set a record for a non-election year, topping $600,000 in 2005 as contributors ramped up their donations to groups that support Democrats, a Wisconsin Democracy Campaign analysis shows.

Fundraising accelerates despite public’s growing distrust of elected officials

February 21, 2006

Madison - Legislators raised a budget-year record $3.39 million in 2005 and had double the money in their campaign accounts heading into this gubernatorial election year as they did eight years ago, a Wisconsin Democracy Campaign analysis shows.

Realtor, builder and restaurant campaign contributions floating weak pier rules

January 30, 2006

Madison - Assembly lawmakers who support a legislative proposal that weakens dock rules sought by state environmental experts have received 5.5 times more in campaign contributions from powerful special interests that favor the plan than opponents, a Wisconsin Democracy Campaign analysis shows.

Assembly Campaigns and Elections Committee

January 25, 2006

The state of state government is corrupt. The way the public’s business has been conducted at the Capitol in recent years is criminal – literally criminal.

Top State Leaders Invited to Address Corruption, Political Reform Jan.23

January 5, 2006

Madison - In the absence of public hearings to get citizen input on campaign finance reform legislation and other reform measures, the People’s Legislature announced it is holding a “public telling” on Monday, January 23 to give the governor and legislative leaders an opportunity to tell the public where they stand on the issues.

Nuke plant sale denied, then approved after campaign contributions flow

December 6, 2005

Madison - Democratic Governor Jim Doyle accepted $41,550 in campaign contributions from two utilities shortly after a state panel controlled by Doyle appointees first denied, then reopened and approved the controversial $220 million sale of the utilities’ Kewaunee nuclear power plant, a Wisconsin Democracy Campaign analysis shows.

Convictions, charges, probes dog Illinois power brokers

November 28, 2005

Madison - The three Republican and Democratic candidates for governor next year have accepted nearly $23,000 since 2003 from Illinois contributors who have been convicted or indicted of extortion, fraud, bribery or other crimes, or who are connected to state and federal criminal investigations, the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign has found.

November 22, 2005

Madison - U.S. Senator Russ Feingold was presented the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign’s Mr. Smith Award at WDC’s 10th anniversary event on Monday, November 21 at the Edgewater Hotel in Madison.

Candidate for governor did not fully disclose info he has on more than $387,000 in special interest contributions

November 2, 2005

Madison - Republican candidate Mark Green has not fully disclosed the source of more than $387,000 worth of large special interest campaign contributions he is using to run for governor in 2006, the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign has found

Petition Filed With FCC Cites ‘Marketwide Failure’ to Serve Public Interest

November 1, 2005

A coalition of groups calling itself the Milwaukee Public Interest Media Coalition today filed a petition with the Federal Communications Commission challenging the renewal of all commercial television licenses in the Milwaukee market because of a marketwide failure of local stations to serve the public interest by meaningfully covering 2004 state and local election campaigns.

Grassroots Reform Movement Calls for Special Session on Reform

October 27, 2005

Madison - The multipartisan citizen movement known as the People’s Legislature today called for a special session on political reform to address growing corruption in Wisconsin politics and rehabilitate the state’s ailing democracy.

‘Politically Homeless’ to Rally for Reform at Capitol Thursday

October 24, 2005

Madison - After 10 months spent enlisting the state’s growing ranks of “politically homeless” citizens into a statewide grassroots reform movement, the next step for the People’s Legislature is to converge on the people’s house.