Wisconsin GOP Has Raised Millions More Than For Last Midterm Election in 2022

Republican Party of Wisconsin Chair Brian Schimming attends a visit from President Donald Trump at Custer Farms in Chippewa Falls, Wis. on June 5, 2026. Angela Major/WPR

Amid the political battle for the governorship and control of the state Legislature, the Republican Party of Wisconsin has raised millions more this year than at the same point in the 2022 midterm election.

Meanwhile, fundraising figures from the Democratic Party of Wisconsin show it’s millions behind where it was four years ago.

Both parties raised and have spent millions of dollars in 2026 according to the latest state fundraising reports, posted July 15. But an apples-to-apples comparison with reports from July 2022 show key differences.

The Republican Party of Wisconsin’s fundraising figures are noticeably better than they were four years ago. Between Jan. 1 and June 30, the GOP brought in around $6.7 million more, spent nearly $6.6 million more and ended the reporting period with nearly $1.2 million more than it did on June 30, 2022.

The bulk of the GOP money came from three people. Billionaire Diane Hendricks gave the party $2.5 million in 2026 and fellow billionaire GOP megadonors Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein gave a combined $4 million.

Richard and Elizbeth Uihlein, seen here in a 2017 promotional video, own the Pleasant Prairie-based Uline company. They’re also among the nation’s largest donors to conservative candidates. Screenshot via YouTube

At the same time, the Democratic Party of Wisconsin’s fundraising and spending figures from 2026 are lower than they were at the same point in the last midterm election. The party’s total contributions were down by around $4.4 million, it reported spending roughly $3.9 million less this year and its available cash on June 30 was about $2 million lower than it was at this point in 2022.

Republican Party of Wisconsin Chair Brian Schimming celebrated the latest haul on social media with a July 16 post.

“We have record fundraising numbers at @WisGOP,  giving us one of the strongest competitive edges in years, new poll worker recruitment record with 5,300, expanding field staff reaching voters directly, assistance to local candidates,” said Schimming. “We’re unified, spending time building…not bickering.”

A spokesperson for the Democratic Party of Wisconsin did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the fundraising comparison.

Mordecai Lee is an emeritus political science professor for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He told WPR that the year-to-year differences in party fundraising are very interesting, and he thinks they “reflect all the turbulence in Wisconsin politics, in the sense of sometimes one party is strong and the other is weak, and then they flip-flop.”

“It’s disillusioning to us as citizens, but money is the mother’s milk of politics,” said Lee.

The fundraising figures from the Democratic Party of Wisconsin come under new leadership. The party’s former chair, Ben Wikler, who was widely lauded as a fundraising powerhouse, stepped down to make way for current Chair Devin Remiker.

The Republican Party of Wisconsin’s latest haul came after multiple attempts by some within the party to fire Schimming over lackluster fundraising.

GOP Senate and Assembly fundraising groups saw more money, too

When it comes to the balance of power in the Wisconsin Legislature, a handful of party fundraising committees play a big role. Again, Republican groups focused on the state Assembly and Senate saw bigger improvements from 2022 to 2026 than their Democratic counterparts.

The Committee to Elect a Republican Senate has raised around $4.4 million more and had nearly $4 million more in the bank than it did at the end of June 2022. By contrast, the State Senate Democratic Committee has raised around $2.6 million more and had an additional $2 million in cash than it did at the end of June 2022.

Republicans have transferred hundreds of thousands of dollars to GOP candidates running for open Senate seats as the party tries to hold on to its slim majority in the chamber. While Democrats have made widespread use of that tactic in previous elections, they hadn’t done so through the end of June.

The Republican Assembly Campaign Committee, overseen by outgoing Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, reported raising around $5.3 million more in 2026 than it did in 2022 and had an additional $8.5 million in the bank at the end of June this year. Again, that came largely from megadonors Hendricks, who gave the committee $2.5 million, and Liz Uihlein, who donated $3 million. In the same period of 2022, Uihlein had only donated $500,000 to the committee and there were no donations reported from Hendricks.

The Assembly Democratic Campaign Committee also posted improved numbers, but they paled by comparison. At the end of June 2026, the group reported raising around $2.6 million more than it did as of June 30, 2022 and having around $1.8 million more cash in the bank year-over-year.

Lee said while Republicans have clearly picked up more fundraising momentum in 2026, he suspects it will even out once Democrats pick their nominee in the race for governor in the Aug. 11 primary.

“I’m guessing that by the time we’re talking in early November, the spending levels, when you add them all up from the different sources, will probably be roughly similar,” said Lee.

Wisconsin GOP has raised millions more than it did at this time 4 years ago was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.