Powered by billionaires, Wisconsin Dems smash GOP in fundraising

Do the number of political ads on your TV and mailbox seem to increase with each last election? It’s not your imagination.

That’s due in part to a loophole in state campaign finance law that allows billionaires to give unlimited amounts of cash to political parties in Wisconsin, who can then turn around and donate unlimited amounts to their candidates.

The result is millions of dollars pouring into traditionally sleepy races for seats in the Wisconsin State Legislature. And ads upon ads.

The super-wealthy in state and out have gotten wise to this loophole and are engaging in an arms race, trying to one up each other each election cycle.

But it hasn’t been an even match. The state Democratic Party has badly beaten its Republican counterparts in recent years, despite two heavy hitters at the top.

The Democratic Party of Wisconsin has raised nearly $57 million this election cycle compared to only about $29 million for the state GOP, according to campaign finance records filed with the state.

Prominent liberal donor Reid Hoffman, who co-founded LinkedIn and has an estimated net worth of $2.5 billion, has given the state Democratic Party nearly $8 million in the 2024 election cycle. Diane Hendricks, the co-founder of ABC Supply in the Beloit area with an estimated net worth of $22 billion, has given nearly $7 million to the state GOP this election cycle. Elizabeth Uihlein, co-founder of the packing supplies company ULINE, with an estimated net worth of $6 billion, has given the state GOP nearly $5 million. And Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, an heir to the Hyatt Hotels fortune with an estimated net worth of $3.7 billion, has given the Democratic Party of Wisconsin more than $2 million this election cycle.

Before 2015, the total any single person, billionaire or not, could have given in annual political donations in Wisconsin was just $10,000.

But the 2014 U.S. Supreme Court decision McCutcheon v. FEC ruled that the $10,000 total limit in Wisconsin was an unconstitutional violation of 1st Amendment free speech rights. While Wisconsin campaign finance law had donation limits in place to candidates, it had none on parties, because the $10,000 cap had functioned as one. Once it was removed, the wealthiest political donors, and the political parties they could now give to unlimitedly, were unshackled.

Political parties also have no limits on how much they can give to candidates, so those ultra-wealthy donors can work with the political parties to bypass campaign finance limits and route huge sums of cash to candidates.

Democrats in the Republican-controlled legislature have proposed bills that would put caps on how much political parties can receive and give, but so far, the GOP majority has ignored them. So now Democrats are using the loophole left open by Republicans against them.

TOP DONORS TO WISCONSIN POLITICAL PARTIES IN 2024 ELECTION

DONOR	HOMETOWN	OCCUPATION	AMOUNT	PARTY
REID, GARRETT HOFFMAN	MENLO PARK, CA	VENTURE CAPITALIST	$7,650,000	DEMOCRATIC
HENDRICKS, DIANE M	AFTON, WI	CHAIRWOMAN	$6,506,300	REPUBLICAN
UIHLEIN, ELIZABETH	LAKE BLUFF, IL	CEO	$4,825,000	REPUBLICAN
PRITZKER, J B	CHICAGO, IL	GOVERNOR	$2,250,000	DEMOCRATIC
MUNGER, BARRY A	NEW YORK, NY	NOT EMPLOYED	$2,190,000	DEMOCRATIC
SOROS, GEORGE	NEW YORK, NY	EXECUTIVE	$1,250,000	DEMOCRATIC
DUDA, KENNETH JAMES	MENLO PARK, CA	EXECUTIVE	$1,000,000	DEMOCRATIC
SINGH, NINA	SAN FRANCISCO, CA	NOT EMPLOYED	$1,000,000	DEMOCRATIC
PAGE, GLORIA	LOS ALTOS, CA	NOT EMPLOYED	$800,000	DEMOCRATIC
SHANNON ZIMMERMAN CAMPAIGN CMTE	RIVER FALLS, WI		$790,850	REPUBLICAN
BOB DONOVAN CAMPAIGN CMTE	GREENFIELD, WI		$765,940	REPUBLICAN
HABUSH, ROBERT	WHITEFISH BAY, WI	NOT EMPLOYED	$764,441	DEMOCRATIC
JESSIE RODRIGUEZ CAMPAIGN CMTE	OAK CREEK, WI		$759,452	REPUBLICAN
HEISING, MARK W	ATHERTON, CA	MANAGING DIRECTOR	$704,125	DEMOCRATIC
HARRIS SR, WILLIAM HAMILTON	LEXINGTON, MA	PHYSICIAN	$600,000	DEMOCRATIC
KAUFERT FOR ASSEMBLY	NEENAH, WI		$598,327	REPUBLICAN
PAT SNYDER CAMPAIGN CMTE	WAUSAU, WI		$590,710	REPUBLICAN
FRIENDS OF RYAN HUEBSCH	WEST SALEM, WI		$560,743	REPUBLICAN
KERN, DEBORAH S	FOX POINT, WI	BUSINESS OWNER	$550,000	DEMOCRATIC
FRANKLIN FOR WISCONSIN	DE PERE, WI		$549,435	REPUBLICAN
LIEBMAN, THOMAS	LAKE BARRINGTON, IL	MANAGER	$540,100	DEMOCRATIC
BUCKLEY FOR ASSEMBLY	GREEN BAY, WI		$492,055	REPUBLICAN
KARP, DAVID	BROOKLYN, NY	TRADER	$450,000	DEMOCRATIC
UIHLEIN, LYNDE B	MILWAUKEE, WI	INVESTOR	$400,000	DEMOCRATIC
SEIDENSTICKER, LAURA	LAKE FOREST, IL	RETIRED	$400,000	REPUBLICAN
CLINT MOSES FOR WISCONSIN	MENOMONIE, WI		$364,205	REPUBLICAN
TODD NOVAK CAMPAIGN CMTE	DODGEVILLE, WI		$330,293	REPUBLICAN
ROBIN VOS CAMPAIGN CMTE	BURLINGTON, WI		$323,914	REPUBLICAN
AMY BINSFELD FOR STATE ASSEMBLY	SHEBOYGAN, WI		$310,906	REPUBLICAN
HARRIS, WILLIAM	MIAMI BEACH, FL	EXECUTIVE	$300,000	DEMOCRATIC
CHRISTY FOR WI	DE PERE, WI		$267,500	DEMOCRATIC
FRIENDS OF MICHELE SKINNER	ALTOONA, WI		$264,449	REPUBLICAN
HARRIS SR, WILLIAM HAMILTON	LEXINGTON, MA	RETIRED	$260,000	DEMOCRATIC
LUANN BIRD FOR ASSEMBLY	HALES CORNERS, WI		$257,000	DEMOCRATIC
PAGE FORWARD	RIVER FALLS, WI		$257,000	DEMOCRATIC
EYCHANER, FRED	CHICAGO, IL	NOT EMPLOYED	$250,000	DEMOCRATIC
DELANEY, MARY ANN QUINN	OAKLAND, CA	BOARD CHAIR	$250,000	DEMOCRATIC
SCHUSTERMAN, LYNN J	TULSA, OK	NOT EMPLOYED	$250,000	DEMOCRATIC
GATES, RORY	REDMOND, WA	ANALYST	$250,000	DEMOCRATIC
MEYER, GWENDOLYN SONTHEIM	MINNETONKA, MN	INVESTOR	$250,000	DEMOCRATIC
MESSINGER, ALIDA R	AFTON, MN	RETIRED	$250,000	DEMOCRATIC
FRIEDMAN, GIDEON	BROOKLYN, NY	REAL ESTATE	$250,000	DEMOCRATIC
DEVIN LEMAHIEU CAMPAIGN CMTE	OOSTBURG, WI		$250,000	REPUBLICAN
REEVES, WILLIAM HUNTINGTON (BILL)	HONOLULU, HI	NOT EMPLOYED	$240,000	DEMOCRATIC
YEE FOR WI	WESTON, WI		$228,000	DEMOCRATIC
LOREN OLDENBURG CAMPAIGN CMTE	VIROQUA, WI		$207,679	REPUBLICAN
MUNGER, PHILIP R	NEW YORK, NY	INVESTOR	$200,000	DEMOCRATIC
SHENKER, SCOTT	BERKELEY, CA	SCIENTIST	$200,000	DEMOCRATIC
MICKLES, LINDSAY	PETALUMA, CA	RETIRED	$200,000	DEMOCRATIC

The Badger Project is a nonpartisan, citizen-supported journalism nonprofit in Wisconsin.

This article first appeared on The Badger Project and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.