Rebecca Kleefisch Ditches Pretend Nonprofit At Final Hour, Surprising No One

MADISON, Wis. — Just days before a “big announcement,” Rebecca Kleefisch has tossed aside her “nonprofit” the 1848 Project like yesterday’s trash in preparation for her gubernatorial run. Kleefisch filed paperwork to run for governor this week, and abruptly stepped down from the 1848 Project today.

Over the last year, Kleefisch has used the 1848 Project to hide her donors, abuse the tax code, and dodge the scrutiny that comes from being an announced candidate. The 1848 Project did little to hide its true purpose – Kleefisch hired political operatives from the Republican Party of Wisconsin for key roles in the organization, ran radio ads directly attacking Gov. Tony Evers, and released a self-described policy “manifesto” that reads like a far-right campaign platform.

An IRS complaint was filed against the 1848 Project earlier this year.

“Rebecca Kleefisch’s resignation from the 1848 Project is too little too late – Wisconsinites still deserve answers about who funds this organization, how much money the nonprofit spent on raising Kleefisch’s profile across the state, and whether the project will still exist as a dark money group to support her candidacy,” said Democratic Party of Wisconsin Rapid Response Director Kayla Anderson. “With her upcoming ‘announcement,’ it’s even more obvious that this group only existed as a holding place to pay her campaign staffers, promote her campaign platform pre-announcement, and avoid media scrutiny. We look forward to holding Kleefisch accountable for her lack of transparency and her radical agenda in 2022.”

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.