Liberal Group One Of Top Outside Spenders

Cash. (CC0 Creative Commons).

This independent expenditure committee was created in late 2019 to support Democratic and liberal legislative and statewide candidates. In just three state elections since then, A Better Wisconsin Together has become one of the top spenders among outside electioneering groups in the Badger State.

The group, which has a Monona address, raised $5.24 million in 2020 and 2021. Most of the group’s contributions came from labor union political action committees (PACs) and corporations, and Democratic ideological groups.

A Better Wisconsin Together’s top donors in its first two years of existence were:

State Victory Action Fund, a Washington, D.C.- based committee funded by billionaires George Soros and Tom Steyer, $1.4 million;

American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), $650,000;

National Education Association (NEA), $600,000;

Service Employees International Union (SEIU), $588,000;

Wisconsin Education Association Council, the state teacher’s union, $545,395 in PAC and corporate contributions;

America Votes Action Fund, a Washington, D.C.-based superPAC, $530,000;

Wisconsin Leadership Committee, which shares the same Washington, D.C., address as the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, $340,000;

National Democratic Redistricting Committee, Washington, D.C., $250,000;

American Federation of Teachers, $90,000.

During the 2020 spring and fall elections and the 2021 spring election, A Better Wisconsin Together spent $4.69 million on independent expenditures to support Democratic and nonpartisan legislative and statewide candidates.

Here’s a snapshot of their outside electioneering activities:

In spring 2021, the group dropped $780,210 on television and digital advertising to back Jill Underly and oppose Deborah Kerr in the state school superintendent’s race. Though the race was nonpartisan, Underly drew support from Democratic contributors and groups and Kerr received backing from Republican groups and contributors;

In spring 2020, A Better Wisconsin Together spent $1.88 million on mailings and digital and television advertising in the nonpartisan Wisconsin Supreme Court race to oppose incumbent conservative Justice Dan Kelly and to support challenger Jill Karofsky, who won;

In fall 2020, A Better Wisconsin Together spent $2.03 million on digital and television ads and web development in 95 legislative races.

More than half of that was spent in just four races, including: