Record Spending by Outside Groups for Republicans

100 Dollar Bill. Photo by Dave Reid.

Outside groups that sponsor electioneering activities that expressly tell people how to vote have already spent a record $36.7 million on legislative and statewide candidates with three weeks to go before the Nov. 8 elections. (This is for non-federal races. It does not include spending on the U.S. Senate race, for instance, or on any other Congressional races.)

To date, express advocacy groups supporting Republicans have outspent groups supporting Democrats $29 million to $7.7 million. (See chart below.)

Express Advocacy Spending in 2022 Fall State Elections as of October 17, 2022

The $36.7 million spent on independent expenditures so far in 2022 surpasses the previous record $36.57 million spent in the 2018 fall elections.

These independent expenditure groups, also known as “express advocacy” groups, use the magic words “vote for” or “vote against” or their equivalents in their broadcast and online advertising, mailings and other activities.

Nine groups have spent more than $1 million on races for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, treasurer, secretary of state, and the legislature. They are:

Right Direction Wisconsin PAC, $8.28 million. This political action committee (PAC) is run by the Republican Governors Association and has spent most of its cash on television and digital ads attacking incumbent Democratic Gov. Tony Evers on tax and crime issues. Evers faces Republican businessman Tim Michels.

Americans for Prosperity, $5 million. This rightwing group created by billionaire brothers David and Charles Koch  has used broadcast and digital advertising, canvassing, and mailings to support Michels and other Republican candidates in races for attorney general and the legislature.

Fighting for Wisconsin, $4.38 million. This Super PAC was created to support GOP candidate for governor Kevin Nicholson. It spent all of its money before the Aug. 9 primary mostly on television ads. Nicholson dropped out the GOP primary for governor in early July.

Club for Growth Action, $3.55 million. This Super PAC controlled by the national Club for Growth spent all of its money mostly on television ads before the Aug. 9 primary to oppose GOP candidate for governor Rebecca Kleefisch. The conservative group has a track record of opposing Democrats in general elections and Republicans in primaries who it does not feel are conservative enough.

A Better Wisconsin Together Political Fund, $3.15 million. This group has spent most of its money on television and digital ads attacking Michels for his positions on gun issues and abortion. The group is also spending in about two dozen legislative races to date. The Wisconsin Democracy Campaign found $1,865,000 of this spending in the committee’s campaign finance report filed on September 27. But to date, the group has only officially reported making about $1.28 million in independent expenditures in the 2022 election.

Freedom Wisconsin PAC, $2.56 million. This PAC supported Kleefisch for governor and spent all of its money before the Aug. 9 primary mostly on television ads to attack Michels.

Wisconsin Conservation Voters Independent Expenditure Committee, $1.54 million. The group has spent most of its money to support Evers and oppose Michels using online advertising. The group is also sponsoring online ads to support Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul and a handful of Democratic legislative candidates.

Wisconsin Freedom PAC, $1.49 million. This independent expenditure committee is controlled by the Republican Attorneys General Association, which sponsors electioneering activities throughout the country to help elect Republican state attorneys general. In Wisconsin, the group sponsored television and online ads and mailings opposing incumbent Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul, who faces Republican Eric Toney in November.

Sunrise in America Political Fund, $1.07 million. This Florida-based committee first opposed Kleefisch in the Aug. 9 GOP primary then switched its sights after Michels defeated Kleefisch to spending most of its money on broadcast ads attacking Evers.

For more information about all of the express advocacy groups, please visit the independent expenditure page in our Hijacking Campaign 2022 feature.

This tally does not include several million dollars in spending by phony issue ad groups, which can also raise and spend unlimited amounts of money on elections. But, unlike express advocacy groups, phony issue ad outfits do not have to report their spending because of federal court decisions and lax campaign finance laws. These groups smear or praise candidates but without explicitly telling viewers who to vote for or against.

Those phony issue ad groups are the Alliance for Common Sense, WMC Issues Mobilization Council, State Solutions, Inc., Wisconsin Initiative, Forward Future USA Action and Empower Wisconsin. For more information about these groups, click on their names or go here .