Wisconsin Democracy Campaign
Campaign Cash

The NRA Brigade

48 Republican legislators get NRA donations, may resist Evers' Special Session on gun control.

By - Oct 22nd, 2019 02:11 pm
Hanging sculpture of guns from another angle. Photo by Craig Mastantuono.

Hanging sculpture of guns from another angle. Photo by Craig Mastantuono.

Democratic Gov. Tony Evers on Monday ordered a special session of the GOP-controlled legislature to consider gun control legislation.

Evers’ executive order requires the legislature to convene Nov. 7 and consider legislation that would:

  • Create universal background checks for all gun purchases in Wisconsin;
  • Create an extreme risk protection order process, more commonly known as a red flag law, to temporarily restrict a person’s access to a gun in instances when that person is at risk of self-harm or of harming others.

GOP leaders in both houses said earlier this year that they would not support legislation that puts new restrictions on buying or possessing guns. Gun control laws are routinely opposed by the National Rifle Association (NRA), which is a strong backer of Republican legislative and statewide candidates.

The NRA has spent nearly $5.5 million during the past 20 years on outside electioneering activities to support GOP and conservative legislative and statewide candidates. Most of that, more than $4.4 million, was spent to support former GOP Gov. Scott Walker’s 2010, 2012, 2014, and 2018 campaigns for governor. Walker lost his bid for a third four-year term last November to Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, who has received no contributions or election support from the NRA.

In addition to outside electioneering activities, NRA political action committees have directly contributed $119,450 to all legislative and statewide candidates between January 1998 and June 2019. The top recipient of the group’s direct campaign contributions was Walker, who received $17,500 in NRA PAC contributions.

The following table shows the NRA supported about four dozen current legislators – all Republicans – with direct contributions and outside electioneering activities.

Name Party Office* Direct
Contributions
Outside Election
Support
Total
Olsen, Luther R S14 $1,500 $10,772 $12,272
Tiffany, Tom R S12 $3,500 $4,437 $7,937
Darling, Alberta R S08 $3,000 $2,035 $5,035
Committee to Elect a Republican Senate R S $5,000 $0 $5,000
Cowles, Robert R S02 $0 $4,639 $4,639
Jacque, Andre R A02 $1,000 $2,433 $3,433
Krug, Scott S R A72 $2,000 $1,088 $3,088
Stafsholt, Rob R A29 $1,500 $1,390 $2,890
Feyen, Dan R S18 $0 $2,824 $2,824
Roth, Roger R S19 $2,000 $650 $2,650
Kulp, Bob R A69 $0 $2,408 $2,408
Quinn, Romaine Robert R A75 $1,500 $717 $2,217
Bernier, Kathy R A68 $1,000 $1,149 $2,149
VanderMeer, Nancy Lynn R A70 $500 $1,629 $2,129
Wanggaard, Van H R S21 $2,000 $127 $2,127
August, Tyler R A32 $2,000 $0 $2,000
Czaja-Felzkowski, Mary R A35 $2,000 $0 $2,000
Vos, Robin R A63 $1,500 $339 $1,839
Fitzgerald, Scott R S13 $1,500 $277 $1,777
Steineke, Jim R A05 $1,750 $0 $1,750
Tranel, Travis R A49 $500 $1,216 $1,716
Marklein, Howard R S17 $1,000 $671 $1,671
LeMahieu, Devin R S09 $1,000 $666 $1,666
Petrowski, Jerry R S29 $1,000 $638 $1,638
Horlacher, Cody R A33 $1,000 $526 $1,526
Zimmerman, Shannon R A30 $0 $1,500 $1,500
Novak, Todd R A51 $500 $876 $1,376
Tusler, Ron R A03 $0 $1,243 $1,243
Kitchens, Joel C R A01 $500 $585 $1,085
Republican Assembly Campaign Committee R A $1,000 $0 $1,000
Kerkman, Samantha R A61 $1,000 $0 $1,000
Kooyenga, Dale R A14 $1,000 $0 $1,000
Petryk, Warren R A93 $500 $495 $995
Macco, John R A88 $500 $493 $993
Craig, Dave R A83 $500 $331 $831
Stroebel, Duey R S20 $500 $317 $817
Swearingen, Rob R A34 $800 $0 $800
Mursau, Jeffrey L R A36 $300 $486 $786
Edming, James R A87 $100 $501 $601
Ballweg, Joan R A41 $500 $0 $500
Knodl, Dan R A24 $500 $0 $500
Spiros, John R A86 $500 $0 $500
Brooks, Robert R A60 $500 $0 $500
Tauchen, Gary R A06 $300 $0 $300
Nygren, John R A89 $250 $0 $250
Skowronski, Ken R A82 $250 $0 $250
Born, Mark L R A39 $200 $0 $200
Schraa, Michael R A53 $100 $0 $100
Kuglitsch, Mike R A84 $100 $0 $100
Brandtjen, Janel R A22 $100 $0 $100
Gundrum, Rick R A58 $100 $0 $100

*“S” means Senate District, and “A” means Assembly District

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One thought on “Campaign Cash: The NRA Brigade”

  1. JE Brown says:

    I’d love to see what Tom Tiffany and Scott Fitzgerald expect to get from the NRA for thwarting the special session.

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