Uihleins, Walton Shower GOP Legislators With Cash

Wisconsin legislators accepted nearly $1.9 million, or $1 of every $4, in large individual contributions from outside Wisconsin in 2020, and nearly half of it came from one Illinois couple.

Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein, of Lake Forest, Ill., co-founders of Uline Shipping Supplies, contributed $918,000 to GOP legislators and two legislative campaign committees, which are mega-fundraising committees used by legislative leaders to raise money for elections.

The bulk of the Uihlein contributions – $805,000 – went to the Republican Assembly Campaign Committee.  The Committee to Elect a Republican Senate received $100,000 from the billionaire couple, who are among the top supporters of GOP and conservative candidates and causes throughout the country.  Seven GOP legislators shared the remaining $13,000 in contributions from the couple.  For more about the Uihleins, go here and here.

Behind the Uihleins was another Illinoisan, John Shaffer, of Chicago, founder of HSA Commercial Real Estate, who contributed $202,000, including $102,000 to the Republican Assembly Campaign Committee and $100,000 to the Committee to Elect a Republican Senate.

Rounding out the top three out-of-state contributors to legislative candidates and fundraising committees was Alice Walton, of Bentonville, Ark., an heir to the Walmart Stores fortune. Walton is a longtime supporter of voucher schools in Wisconsin and across the country.  Walton contributed $50,000, including $25,000 each to the Republican Assembly Campaign Committee and the Committee to Elect a Republican Senate.

The Wisconsin Democracy Campaign considers any contribution of $100 or more a large individual contribution.

Here are some other highlights of the Democracy Campaign’s review of large individual contributions from outside Wisconsin to current legislators and legislative campaign committees in 2020:

• Current legislators and the four legislative campaign committees raised nearly $7.7 million from large individual contributors, including $1.87 million, or 24 percent, from outside Wisconsin,

• Republican legislators and their two legislative campaign committees collected $1.48 million, or 79 percent of the out-of-state contributions compared to $389,741, or 21 percent, that went to Democratic legislators and their two legislative campaign committees,

• The four legislative campaign committees alone accepted $1.32 million, or 48 percent, of their total $2.75 million in large individual contributions from out-of-state contributors. Current legislators accepted about $554,700, or 11 percent, of their total $4.93 million in large individual contributions from out-of-state contributors.

• The $1.32 million in large individual out-of-state contributions to the four legislative campaign committees represented 70 percent of the $1.87 million in out-of-state contributions to all current legislators and fundraising committees,

• The Republican Assembly Campaign Committee accepted $999,481, or 68 percent, of its large individual campaign contributions from out-of-state donors followed by the Committee to Elect a Republican Senate, which accepted $250,501, or 37 percent, of its large individual contributions from outside Wisconsin,

• The two Democratic legislative campaign committees received sharply less from large individual out-of-state contributors than their GOP counterparts. The Assembly Democratic Campaign Committee received $49,436, or 14 percent of its large individual contributions from outside Wisconsin.  The State Senate Democratic Committee raised $16,235, or 7 percent, from large individual out-of-state contributors,

The legislators who raised the highest amount of large individual contributions from outside Wisconsin were Democrats, including: