Latest news with #WisconsinDemocracyCampaign
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
After record-breaking spending in April, Wis. Democracy Campaign says voters want reform
A Wisconsin Democracy Campaign poll finds nearly 90% of voters say they're concerned about the influence of money in politics. (Getty Images) After an April election that broke national records for spending, Wisconsin voters are eager to see measures to rein in money in politics, a campaign finance watchdog group leader said Monday. 'It is an environment where billionaires are running the show and everyday people like you and me are here watching,' said Nick Ramos, executive director of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign. 'We will continue to see unprecedented spending unless something changes from our Legislature and our lawmakers.' The numbers that the organization posted Monday haven't yet pierced the predicted $100 million threshold in the Supreme Court race, but final data won't be compiled until the end of June. The Democracy Campaign focuses on the money actually spent, as distinct from what was raised or what was budgeted, said research director Sam DeForest-Davis. As of Monday morning, the campaign for Judge Susan Crawford, who won the Court race, spent $22 million compared with the campaign for Judge Brad Schimel, which spent just under $10 million. While the campaigns spent a combined $32 million, independent groups supporting the campaigns spent a combined $51 million. Schimel was the larger beneficiary of independent spending, with $33.5 million in his favor or opposing Crawford. Independent spending that favored Crawford or opposed Schimel totaled $18 million. In the race for state superintendent, the two candidates' campaigns — for incumbent Jill Underly, who won, and for her challenger, Brittany Kinser — were just about even in their spending, with $1.3 million for Underly and $1.1 million for Kinser. Independent spending, however, heavily favored Underly at $1.9 million. Independent spending for Kinser totaled $160,000. Research director DeForest-Davis said the organization will have a final report in July on spending data, including spending on issue ads that don't include explicit messages to vote for or against a candidate but are slanted to clearly favor one or the other. That information won't be available until the end of June. Along with the campaign finance data released Monday, the Democracy Campaign released results from an opinion poll of Wisconsin voters on campaign finance. The survey, of 861 voters conducted from Feb. 11-14, found that 88% of participants were 'very concerned' or 'extremely concerned' about the influence of money in politics. 'I have a hard time thinking of an issue that has this kind of universal feedback across the state,' Ramos said. 'After seeing the gaudy amount of money that was spent in this Supreme Court race, I can only imagine that this number and this percentage are going to increase.' Nearly as many — more than 85% — said 'no' when asked if individuals or groups should be able to spend 'unlimited amounts of money' to support political campaigns. And 83% said there should be limits on how much campaigns can spend. Nearly 74% said they would support a ban on campaign spending 'by outside political action committees (PACs) that are not directly affiliated with a candidate's campaign.' About 53% ranked spending by 'dark money PACS who do not have to disclose their donors' as their greatest concern where the influence of money on politics is concerned. Another question showed that so far publicly financed campaigns haven't gained support from a majority of voters. Almost 47% said they would 'strongly' or 'somewhat' support such a proposal. Just under 30% said they would 'somewhat' or 'strongly' oppose public financing, while 23.5% said they were unsure. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Democrats' win in Wisconsin court race marks big loss for Elon Musk
The Democrats' victory in the Wisconsin supreme court race marks a big loss for Elon Musk. The billionaire supporter of President Donald Trump and his affiliated groups spent more than 21 million dollars (£16.2 million) supporting the conservative candidate with the aim of breaking the liberals' 4-3 majority on the court. Mr Musk also paid three individual voters one million dollars (£773,000) each for signing a petition in an effort to boost turnout in the pivotal battleground state contest. But Judge Susan Crawford won comfortably, preserving the liberals' narrow majority. She and the Democrats had focused their campaign on Mr Musk's spending. The election was the first test of Mr Musk's political impact since he skyrocketed in prominence by launching a controversial effort to slash the US federal government in Mr Trump's administration. Judge Crawford defeated conservative candidate Brad Schimel in the contest. The Democrats had contended Mr Musk was 'buying' the election, which set records for the costliest judicial race in history. The long con of the left is corruption of the judiciary — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 2, 2025 Judge Crawford said in her victory speech: 'Today, Wisconsinites fended off an unprecedented attack on our democracy, our fair elections and our supreme court. 'And Wisconsin stood up and said loudly that justice does not have a price, our courts are not for sale.' Mr Trump endorsed Mr Schimel as the race turned into a proxy fight over national political issues. The state's high court can rule on cases involving voting rights and redistricting in a state likely to be at the centre of both next year's mid-term elections and the 2028 presidential contest. But Mr Musk's involvement dialled those dynamics up, saying on his X platform: 'A seemingly small election could determine the fate of Western civilization. 'I think it matters for the future of the world.' Please send @elonmusk to all the close races! — Jon Favreau (@jonfavs) April 2, 2025 Notably, America PAC (Political Action Committee), the super PAC backed by Mr Musk, spent at least six million dollars (£4.6 million) on vendors who sent door-to-door canvassers across the state, according to the non-partisan Wisconsin Democracy Campaign. This was similar to what the group did across the seven most competitive presidential battleground states, including Wisconsin, which were carried by Mr Trump in November. But the end results this time were not good for Mr Musk. Despite the millions he spent on Mr Schimel, as of late Tuesday night the supreme court candidate was losing by four percentage points more than the other Republican-backed state-wide candidate, Brittany Kinser, who also fell short in her bid to become superintendent of public instruction. Mr Musk's court race defeat was not only because of crushing Democratic margins in deep blue cities like Madison and Milwaukee. Judge Crawford's margins were higher in places where the Musk-backed group America PAC had been active, including Sauk County, just north of Madison, which the Democrat was carrying by 10 points after Mr Trump won it by less than two points in November. In Brown County, the home of Green Bay, where Mr Musk headlined a campaign rally with 2,000 people on Sunday, Judge Crawford beat Mr Schimel. Mr Trump won the county by seven percentage points last year. Overnight, Mr Musk posted on his X platform that 'The long con of the left is corruption of the judiciary'. In another comment, he seemed to take solace from voters' approval to elevate the state's photo ID requirement from state law to constitutional amendment. The platform was rife with criticism from Mr Trump's opponents for his involvement in the race. 'Please send @elonmusk to all the close races!' Jon Favreau, former speechwriter for President Barack Obama, wrote. 'Elon Musk is not good at this,' JB Pritzker, Illinois' Democratic governor and a billionaire himself who donated to support Judge Crawford, posted on X. Democrats were happy to make Mr Musk a lightning rod in the race. 'People do not want to see Elon Musk buying election after election after election,' Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler said on Monday. 'If it works here, he's going to do it all over the country.'
Boston Globe
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Democrats' win in Wisconsin court race also is a big loss for Elon Musk
Advertisement 'Today Wisconsinites fended off an unprecedented attack on our democracy, our fair elections and our Supreme Court,' Crawford said in her victory speech. 'And Wisconsin stood up and said loudly that justice does not have a price, our courts are not for sale.' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Trump endorsed Schimel as the race turned into a proxy fight over national political issues. The state's high court can rule on cases involving voting rights and redistricting in a state likely to be at the center of both next year's midterm elections and the 2028 presidential contest. But Musk's involvement dialed those dynamics up to 11: 'A seemingly small election could determine the fate of Western civilization,' the billionaire said Tuesday in a last-ditch call to voters on his social media site X. 'I think it matters for the future of the world.' Advertisement Notably, America PAC, the super PAC backed by Musk, spent at least $6 million on vendors who sent door-to-door canvassers across the state, according to the non-partisan Wisconsin Democracy Campaign. It was a reprise of what the group did across the seven most competitive presidential battleground states, including Wisconsin, which were carried by Trump in November. But the end results this time were not good for Musk. Despite the millions he spent on Schimel, as of late Tuesday night the Supreme Court candidate was losing by four percentage points more than the other Republican-backed statewide candidate, Brittany Kinser, who also fell short in her bid for superintendent of public instruction. Musk's court race defeat wasn't only because of crushing Democratic margins in deep blue cities like Madison and Milwaukee. Crawford's margins were higher in places where the Musk-backed group America PAC had been active, including Sauk County, just north of Madison, which Crawford was carrying by 10 points after Trump won it by less than 2 points in November. In Brown County, the home of Green Bay where Musk headlined a campaign rally with 2,000 people on Sunday, Crawford beat Schimel. Trump won the county by 7 percentage points last year. Overnight, Musk posted on his X platform that 'The long con of the left is corruption of the judiciary.' In another comment, he seemed to take solace from voters' approval to elevate the state's photo ID requirement from state law to constitutional amendment. The platform was rife with criticism from Trump opponents for his involvement in the race. 'Please send @elonmusk to all the close races!' Jon Favreau, former speechwriter for President Barack Obama, wrote. Advertisement 'Elon Musk is not good at this,' J.B. Pritzker, Illinois' Democratic governor and a billionaire himself who donated to support Crawford, posted on X. Voters definitely had Musk on their minds. 'There's an insane situation going on with the Trump administration, and it feels like Elon Musk is trying to buy votes,' said Kenneth Gifford, a 22-year-old Milwaukee college student, as he cast his ballot on Tuesday. 'I want an actual, respectable democracy.' Others may not have had their vote decided by the billionaire but were all-too aware of the money pouring into their state. Jim Seeger, a 68-year-old retiree who previously worked in communications and marketing, said he voted for Schimel because he wants Republicans to maintain their outsized majority in Wisconsin's congressional delegation, which could be at risk if Crawford wins and the court orders the maps redrawn. But, he added, he was disappointed the election had become a 'financial race.' 'I think it's a shame that we have to spend this much money, especially on a judicial race,' Seeger said as he voted in Eau Claire. Wisconsin's Democratic Attorney General, Josh Kaul, sued to bar Musk from making his payments to voters if they signed a petition against 'activist judges.' The state Supreme Court unanimously declined to rule on the case over a technicality. Musk swooped into the race shortly after Trump's inauguration. Republicans were pessimistic about being able to win the seat. They lost a longtime conservative majority on the state high court in 2023, and Democrats have excelled in turning out their educated, politically tuned-in coalition during obscure elections such as the one in Wisconsin. Advertisement Musk duplicated and expanded on some of the methods he used in the final weeks of last year's presidential race, when he spent more than $200 million on Trump's behalf in the seven swing states, including Wisconsin. This time, in addition to the $1 million checks, Musk offered to pay $20 to anyone who signed up on his group's site to knock on doors for Schimel and posted a photo of themselves as proof. His organization promised $100 to every voter who signed the petition against liberal judges and another $100 for every signer they referred. Democrats were happy to make Musk a lightning rod in the race. 'People do not want to see Elon Musk buying election after election after election,' Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler said Monday. 'If it works here, he's going to do it all over the country.' Riccardi reported from Denver. Associated Press writer Meg Kinnard in Washington contributed to this report.
USA Today
18-03-2025
- Business
- USA Today
Musk, Soros help push spending in Wisconsin Supreme Court election toward $100 million
Musk, Soros help push spending in Wisconsin Supreme Court election toward $100 million Spending in a Wisconsin state Supreme Court race could ultimately top $100 million, doubling the record-breaking spending from the race for the Badger State's high court just two years ago, the executive director of an election watchdog group said Monday. "Right now, we are seeing unprecedented spending," said Nick Ramos, executive director of Wisconsin Democracy Campaign. With two weeks to go before the April 1 election, the two campaigns and special-interest groups are already closing in on the $51 million national spending record for a court race that the organization tallied in the hard-fought 2023 election, he said. In that race, ideological control of the state Supreme Court flipped from conservative to liberal. This year's high-stakes election pits liberal Dane County Judge Susan Crawford against conservative Waukesha County Judge Brad Schimel in a race that will again determine ideological control of the Wisconsin high court. More: Testy moments, abortion and billionaires. Takeaways from the Wisconsin Supreme Court debate A key metric to predict the price tag of the upcoming election comes from independent expenditures — spending for or against a candidate without consultation or coordination with the supported candidate. That figure has increased about 103% from the same point two years ago, said Samantha De Forest-Davis, research director for the watchdog group. Specifically, the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign has tallied $29.24 million in independent expenditures two weeks out from the election compared with $14.41 million at the equivalent date in 2023, she said. And, unlike two years ago, this year's race did not feature a primary. "These numbers just continue to increase daily," she said. Big bucks from Elon Musk, George Soros The race has featured more than $11 million in spending by Elon Musk, the billionaire and close adviser to President Donald Trump — and a seven-figure counter-initiative by Democratic Party leaders dubbed "The People v Elon Musk." Ramos said much attention has been focused on Musk because of his spending via America PAC, his super PAC, and a second group, the political nonprofit Building America's Future in addition to his front group calling itself Progress 2028. Still, he noted, Musk is not the only ultra-wealthy person directing large sums of money into the race. On the liberal side, funders have included billionaire investor George Soros, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Milwaukee philanthropist Lynde Uihlein and retired software engineer Gloria Page, the mother of Google co-founder Larry Page. On the conservative side, donors include ABC Supply owner Diane Hendricks, dubbed the country's wealthiest self-made woman; Elizabeth Uihlein, Uline president and one of the biggest Republican donors in the U.S.; and Joe Ricketts, founder of Ameritrade and an owner of the Chicago Cubs. "The millionaires and the billionaires are right now hedging their bets and trying to see how we come out of April 1," Ramos said. Contact Daniel Bice at (414) 313-6684 or dbice@ Follow him on X at @DanielBice or on Facebook at Alison Dirr can be reached at adirr@
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Wisconsin Supreme Court race is likely to double spending record
Spending by candidates and outside groups combined will break records again in this year's Wisconsin Supreme Court race. (Getty Images) Spending in the 2025 Wisconsin Supreme Court race could be two times as high as the record-breaking $51 million spent in the last election for a seat on the state's highest court, and outside spending is dwarfing what the candidates themselves have raised so far this year. The race, between Dane County Judge Susan Crawford and Waukesha County Judge Brad Schimel, will determine whether the Court maintains a 4-3 liberal majority that flipped two years ago or reverts to a conservative majority that was in place for more than a decade previously. 'We're watching money just flood from out of state into Wisconsin,' said Nick Ramos, executive director of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, in a briefing Monday about campaign finance trends with two weeks to go before Election Day April 1. 'It would not be crazy to say that this race could be double what the last Supreme Court race was, especially with the trends and especially with the track that we're on.' Crawford is ahead in fundraising by the campaigns themselves, raising $7.36 million. Among her donors, 35 have given the maximum Wisconsin allows an individual to donate to a single candidate, $20,000. Schimel's campaign has raised $4.93 million. There are 47 donors who have given him the maximum allowed under Wisconsin law. The Court race is officially nonpartisan, but over the last couple of decades candidates have divided along partisan as well as ideological lines. Crawford's campaign has received $3 million from the Democratic Party of Wisconsin's Political Action Committee (PAC), and the Wisconsin Republican Party PAC has given $1.68 million to Schimel's campaign. Independent expenditures, however, have so far favored Schimel over Crawford by roughly 3 to 1. Independent expenditures, which explicitly favor or oppose a candidate, are spent by groups outside the campaigns. Independent groups supporting Crawford have spent $7.79 million on pro-Crawford or anti-Schimel advertising — as much as her campaign has raised so far. But independent groups' spending on Schimel's behalf is almost three times that: $21.45 million. With 15 days until Election Day, the independent expenditure total in the 2025 race is more than twice what it was at the same point in the 2023 state Supreme Court contest: $29.24 million compared with $14.4 million. 'Credit' for the trend goes to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in the Citizens United case that unleashed corporate and union spending on campaigns and to a 2015 rewrite of state law that brought on 'this wild west of campaign spending here in Wisconsin,' Ramos said. The data also shows the outsized influence of billionaires on state politics, he said. Among the biggest spenders in the race are groups funded by Elon Musk and Richard Uihlein, Wisconsin Democracy Campaign reports. The top two biggest-spending independent groups favoring Schimel are linked to billionaire Musk: America PAC, spending $6.53 million so far, and Building America's Future, spending $4.54 million, according to the Democracy Campaign. Three other pro-Schimel organizations have been funded by Uihlein, owner of the office supplies company Uline: Fair Courts America, Americas PAC IEO, and American Principles Project PAC. Another Uihlein organization, Restoration PAC has also contributed to the American Principles Project PAC, according to the Democracy Campaign. Launched 30 years ago, the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign tracks political spending in the state. The nonpartisan organization also promotes campaign finance reform as well as voting rights and access, along with other pro-democracy policies. Ramos said voters shouldn't let the immense sums that a few are plowing into the race discourage them from going to the polls or to believe their vote won't matter. 'At the end of the day, money does not vote, people do, and your power and your voice is that vote,' he said. Early voting starts Tuesday in Wisconsin, and the Democracy Campaign is taking part in campaigns to encourage people to vote early and 'for folks to just continue to be civically engaged,' Ramos added. The Democracy Campaign also tracks spending on issue ads — advertising that does not include direct messages to vote for or against a candidate, but highlights information that paints candidates in a favorable or unfavorable light. Issue ad spending is more difficult to track, and donors behind issue ad spending aren't required to be disclosed under Wisconsin law. Total issue ad spending data will probably not be available until the summer, said Molly Carmichael, the Democracy Campaign's communications director. 'Phony issue ads flood our airwaves with disinformation and, somehow, have even less reporting requirements than other forms of spending,' said Ramos. 'It's another part of our unregulated, unruly money in politics problems we're going to need to clean up.' One set of issue ads in the Court race has come under scrutiny for masquerading as a pro-Crawford campaign while it's funded by a conservative group with ties to Musk. The Facebook and Instagram ads as well as related text messages 'are labeled as coming from a group called Progress 2028 and are made to look like authentic messages of support' for Crawford, the Associated Press reported March 5. But records for the ads showed they were underwritten by a conservative PAC for which Musk is a major contributor, according to the Wall Street Journal. The ads describe Crawford as a 'progressive champion,' the AP reported, while they focus 'on hot-button issues' and use language 'that potentially diminishes her standing with moderate or conservative voters.' Spending in the hotly contested race for the office of state superintendent is just a fraction of the money being spent on the state Supreme Court race. That election will choose the person to head the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI). Incumbent Jill Underly has raised $139,495 as of Monday, according to the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign. Kinser, a former charter school leader and school choice lobbyist, has raised more than double that, $316,316. As with the high court race, the DPI contest is officially nonpartisan, but each candidate has been favored by one particular political party. The Democratic Party of Wisconsin has given Underly $56,118 from its PAC. The Republican Party has given Kinser $2,500. Kinser has also benefited more from independent expenditures, with $40,518 spent to promote her or oppose Underly. Independent spending in favor of Underly or opposing Kinser has been about half as much, $23,177. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
