The Badger Project

State Democrats Smash GOP in Fundraising

Liberal billionaires outspend conservative billionaires in Wisconsin.

By , The Badger Project - Nov 5th, 2024 12:01 pm
Clockwise from top left: Reid Hoffman, Elizabeth Uihlein, Diane Hendricks, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Kenneth Duda and George Soros.

Clockwise from top left: Reid Hoffman, Elizabeth Uihlein, Diane Hendricks, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Kenneth Duda and George Soros.

Do the number of political ads on your TV and mailbox seem to increase with each last election? It’s not your imagination.

That’s due in part to a loophole in state campaign finance law that allows billionaires to give unlimited amounts of cash to political parties in Wisconsin, who can then turn around and donate unlimited amounts to their candidates.

The result is millions of dollars pouring into traditionally sleepy races for seats in the Wisconsin State Legislature. And ads upon ads.

The super-wealthy in state and out have gotten wise to this loophole and are engaging in an arms race, trying to one up each other each election cycle.

But it hasn’t been an even match. The state Democratic Party has badly beaten its Republican counterparts in recent years, despite two heavy hitters at the top.

The Democratic Party of Wisconsin has raised nearly $57 million this election cycle compared to only about $29 million for the state GOP, according to campaign finance records filed with the state.

Prominent liberal donor Reid Hoffman, who co-founded LinkedIn and has an estimated net worth of $2.5 billion, has given the state Democratic Party nearly $8 million in the 2024 election cycle. Diane Hendricks, the co-founder of ABC Supply in the Beloit area with an estimated net worth of $22 billion, has given nearly $7 million to the state GOP this election cycle. Elizabeth Uihlein, co-founder of the packing supplies company ULINE, with an estimated net worth of $6 billion, has given the state GOP nearly $5 million. And Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, an heir to the Hyatt Hotels fortune with an estimated net worth of $3.7 billion, has given the Democratic Party of Wisconsin more than $2 million this election cycle.

And these figures don’t include money these folks may be donating to independent groups that can run ads attacking or promoting candidates outside of an official campaign.

Before 2015, the total any single person, billionaire or not, could have given in annual political donations in Wisconsin was just $10,000.

But the 2014 U.S. Supreme Court decision McCutcheon v. FEC ruled that the $10,000 total limit in Wisconsin was an unconstitutional violation of 1st Amendment free speech rights. While Wisconsin campaign finance law had donation limits in place to candidates, it had none on parties, because the $10,000 cap had functioned as one. Once it was removed, the wealthiest political donors, and the political parties they could now give to unlimitedly, were unshackled.

Political parties also have no limits on how much they can give to candidates, so those ultra-wealthy donors can work with the political parties to bypass campaign finance limits and route huge sums of cash to candidates.

Democrats in the Republican-controlled legislature have proposed bills that would put caps on how much political parties can receive and give, but so far, the GOP majority has ignored them. So now Democrats are using the loophole left open by Republicans against them.

Top Donors to Wisconsin Political Parties in 2024 Election

DONOR HOMETOWN OCCUPATION AMOUNT PARTY
REID, GARRETT HOFFMAN MENLO PARK, CA VENTURE CAPITALIST $7,650,000 DEMOCRATIC
HENDRICKS, DIANE M AFTON, WI CHAIRWOMAN $6,506,300 REPUBLICAN
UIHLEIN, ELIZABETH LAKE BLUFF, IL CEO $4,825,000 REPUBLICAN
PRITZKER, J B CHICAGO, IL GOVERNOR $2,250,000 DEMOCRATIC
MUNGER, BARRY A NEW YORK, NY NOT EMPLOYED $2,190,000 DEMOCRATIC
SOROS, GEORGE NEW YORK, NY EXECUTIVE $1,250,000 DEMOCRATIC
DUDA, KENNETH JAMES MENLO PARK, CA EXECUTIVE $1,000,000 DEMOCRATIC
SINGH, NINA SAN FRANCISCO, CA NOT EMPLOYED $1,000,000 DEMOCRATIC
PAGE, GLORIA LOS ALTOS, CA NOT EMPLOYED $800,000 DEMOCRATIC
SHANNON ZIMMERMAN CAMPAIGN CMTE RIVER FALLS, WI $790,850 REPUBLICAN
BOB DONOVAN CAMPAIGN CMTE GREENFIELD, WI $765,940 REPUBLICAN
HABUSH, ROBERT WHITEFISH BAY, WI NOT EMPLOYED $764,441 DEMOCRATIC
JESSIE RODRIGUEZ CAMPAIGN CMTE OAK CREEK, WI $759,452 REPUBLICAN
HEISING, MARK W ATHERTON, CA MANAGING DIRECTOR $704,125 DEMOCRATIC
HARRIS SR, WILLIAM HAMILTON LEXINGTON, MA PHYSICIAN $600,000 DEMOCRATIC
KAUFERT FOR ASSEMBLY NEENAH, WI $598,327 REPUBLICAN
PAT SNYDER CAMPAIGN CMTE WAUSAU, WI $590,710 REPUBLICAN
FRIENDS OF RYAN HUEBSCH WEST SALEM, WI $560,743 REPUBLICAN
KERN, DEBORAH S FOX POINT, WI BUSINESS OWNER $550,000 DEMOCRATIC
FRANKLIN FOR WISCONSIN DE PERE, WI $549,435 REPUBLICAN
LIEBMAN, THOMAS LAKE BARRINGTON, IL MANAGER $540,100 DEMOCRATIC
BUCKLEY FOR ASSEMBLY GREEN BAY, WI $492,055 REPUBLICAN
KARP, DAVID BROOKLYN, NY TRADER $450,000 DEMOCRATIC
UIHLEIN, LYNDE B MILWAUKEE, WI INVESTOR $400,000 DEMOCRATIC
SEIDENSTICKER, LAURA LAKE FOREST, IL RETIRED $400,000 REPUBLICAN
CLINT MOSES FOR WISCONSIN MENOMONIE, WI $364,205 REPUBLICAN
TODD NOVAK CAMPAIGN CMTE DODGEVILLE, WI $330,293 REPUBLICAN
ROBIN VOS CAMPAIGN CMTE BURLINGTON, WI $323,914 REPUBLICAN
AMY BINSFELD FOR STATE ASSEMBLY SHEBOYGAN, WI $310,906 REPUBLICAN
HARRIS, WILLIAM MIAMI BEACH, FL EXECUTIVE $300,000 DEMOCRATIC
CHRISTY FOR WI DE PERE, WI $267,500 DEMOCRATIC
FRIENDS OF MICHELE SKINNER ALTOONA, WI $264,449 REPUBLICAN
HARRIS SR, WILLIAM HAMILTON LEXINGTON, MA RETIRED $260,000 DEMOCRATIC
LUANN BIRD FOR ASSEMBLY HALES CORNERS, WI $257,000 DEMOCRATIC
PAGE FORWARD RIVER FALLS, WI $257,000 DEMOCRATIC
EYCHANER, FRED CHICAGO, IL NOT EMPLOYED $250,000 DEMOCRATIC
DELANEY, MARY ANN QUINN OAKLAND, CA BOARD CHAIR $250,000 DEMOCRATIC
SCHUSTERMAN, LYNN J TULSA, OK NOT EMPLOYED $250,000 DEMOCRATIC
GATES, RORY REDMOND, WA ANALYST $250,000 DEMOCRATIC
MEYER, GWENDOLYN SONTHEIM MINNETONKA, MN INVESTOR $250,000 DEMOCRATIC
MESSINGER, ALIDA R AFTON, MN RETIRED $250,000 DEMOCRATIC
FRIEDMAN, GIDEON BROOKLYN, NY REAL ESTATE $250,000 DEMOCRATIC
DEVIN LEMAHIEU CAMPAIGN CMTE OOSTBURG, WI $250,000 REPUBLICAN
REEVES, WILLIAM HUNTINGTON (BILL) HONOLULU, HI NOT EMPLOYED $240,000 DEMOCRATIC
YEE FOR WI WESTON, WI $228,000 DEMOCRATIC
LOREN OLDENBURG CAMPAIGN CMTE VIROQUA, WI $207,679 REPUBLICAN
MUNGER, PHILIP R NEW YORK, NY INVESTOR $200,000 DEMOCRATIC
SHENKER, SCOTT BERKELEY, CA SCIENTIST $200,000 DEMOCRATIC
MICKLES, LINDSAY PETALUMA, CA RETIRED $200,000 DEMOCRATIC

The Badger Project is a nonpartisan, citizen-supported journalism nonprofit in Wisconsin.

This article first appeared on The Badger Project and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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