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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December 14, 2018
Republican Gov. Scott Walker received more than $5,000 in campaign contributions from Kimberly-Clark employees over the last eight years. Walker just announced a gift of $28 million in taxpayer dollars to Kimberly-Clark, which planned to close plants in the Fox Valley unless it received state aid.
December 11, 2018
About 1 in 5 appointees by outgoing Republican Gov. Scott Walker to state councils and boards who were approved by the state Senate last week contributed more than $16,000 to the governor’s campaign.
December 5, 2018
Business interests led by Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (WMC) are backing a lame-duck session bill that would give the GOP-controlled legislature more control over state rules and laws.
December 4, 2018
A bill that would let the state avoid complying with federal wage laws for some highway projects was among a package of controversial lame-duck measures the GOP-controlled Senate and Assembly was set to consider Tuesday.
December 3, 2018
This Washington, D.C.-based group spent nearly $2.2 million in the homestretch of the Nov. 6 elections to help elect Democrat Josh Kaul as Wisconsin’s new attorney general.
November 30, 2018
A state consumer protection board appointed by Republican Gov. Scott Walker has sided with the restaurant industry to prohibit local governments from using grading systems to tell the public about restaurant food safety.
Posted: November 29, 2018
Updated: March 5, 2019 due to amended reports filed by the groups
About four dozen wealthy special interest groups doled out more than $60 million to mostly smear candidates during the 2018 fall legislative and statewide elections, a Wisconsin Democracy Campaign preliminary review found.
November 12, 2018
A former Department of Natural Resources employee says the agency was pressured to approve permits for a high-end golf course along Lake Michigan by the Kohler Co., whose owner is a major contributor to Republican Gov. Scott Walker.
November 8, 2018
On Nov. 6, voters in Wisconsin and around the country demonstrated that they want more democracy.
November 7, 2018
About four dozen special interest groups reported a record $36.5 million in independent expenditures in Wisconsin’s statewide and legislative fall elections, according to a Wisconsin Democracy Campaign preliminary review.
November 5, 2018
Scott Walker has benefited from almost a 3-to-1 advantage in the money chase.
November 5, 2018
On Election Day tomorrow, voters in a dozen communities in Wisconsin will be asked to weigh in on referendums dealing with banning gerrymandering or overturning the Citizens United decision.
Posted: November 1, 2018
Updated: November 20, 2018
This is a list of the record-breaking spending by independent expenditure groups in Wisconsin in this election, as of Nov. 1. Most of the spending has been for the governor’s race and the race for attorney general. Almost all of the rest has been for state senate and state assembly seats.
November 1, 2018
Outside electioneering groups have already spent a record amount on the 2018 state attorney general’s race.
Posted: November 1, 2018
Updated: November 15, 2018
This Washington, D.C.-based group, which raises unlimited amounts from special interests to help elect state GOP attorneys general throughout the country, has been the biggest spender in the 2018 Wisconsin attorney general’s race.
October 31, 2018
Reported spending by express advocacy groups is likely to top $1 million in at least two state Senate races. And in the Assembly, reported outside spending has exceeded $100,000 in four races. Here’s a rundown on the most expensive Senate and Assembly races for reported spending by outside electioneering groups as of Wednesday morning:
October 30, 2018
The two major party candidates for governor accepted a combined $15.5 million in September and most of October – an average of about $266,500 a day, according to their state campaign finance reports.
October 31, 2018
The two major party candidates for attorney general accepted a combined $1.5 million in September and most of October, their latest campaign finance reports show.
October 24, 2018
Spending by GOP outside electioneering groups outpaced Democratic groups about 2.5 to 1 as reported spending by special interests in the fall elections neared $24 million.
October 10, 2018
Reported election spending by special interest groups totaled about $13.7 million in the governor’s race, where Republican groups are outspending their Democratic counterparts by nearly 8 to 1.
October 18, 2018
Republican legislative candidates had nearly three times more money in the bank than their Democratic challengers, according to campaign finance reports filed late last month.
October 12, 2018
A Democratic electioneering group says it plans to spend $1 million on digital ads against at least four incumbent Republican state senators.
October 10, 2018
Reported outside electioneering activities topped $13 million led, by GOP groups that are outspending Democrats more than 4 to 1 a month out from the fall elections.
October 4, 2018
A western Wisconsin sand mine whose owner is a generous Republican Party contributor will not be fined by the state for a 10-million-gallon spill in May.
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: