Record Outside Group Spending for Underly

Outside election spending by special interest groups in this spring’s race for state school superintendent topped $1 million – a record, a Wisconsin Democracy Campaign preliminary review found.

Pecatonica Area School Superintendent Jill Underly, who was backed by Democratic-leaning groups and contributors in the nonpartisan April 6 race, defeated Deborah Kerr, a retired Brown Deer School District superintendent, who was backed by GOP-leaning groups and contributors.

Eight outside groups spent $1.02 million in the race, which sharply surpassed the previous record of $693,722 in the 2009 contest for state school superintendent.

Six groups supported Underly or opposed Kerr and spent about $810,460. That was nearly four times more than the $214,000 that two groups spent to back Kerr or oppose Underly.

The groups that backed Underly or opposed Kerr were:

A Better Wisconsin Together, which spent $780,210 on digital, cable, and broadcast television ads,

Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin, which spent $16,606 on online ads, text messages and robocalls,

Blue Sky Waukesha, which spent $10,976 on mailings,

Wisconsin Muslim Civic Alliance, which spent $1,600 on digital ads to support Underly,

Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC), which spent $955 on robocalls,

WEAC Region 7 PAC, which spent $111 on mailings.

The groups that supported Kerr or opposed Underly in the race were:

American Federation for Children, founded by Betsy DeVos, spent $209,000 on online ads and videos,

Rebecca PAC, a new political action committee created by former GOP Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, spent $5,000 on digital ads.