Notable donors include Judith Faulkner of Epic, Kevin Conroy of Exact Sciences, Herb Kohl, and the man he hopes to replace, the retiring U.S. Rep. Ron Kind.
By Peter Cameron, THE BADGER PROJECT
State Sen. Brad Pfaff, Democrat from Onalaska, is running for the U.S. House seat in western Wisconsin and has raised about $1.6 million for the race, according to filings with the Federal Elections Commission.
That’s compared to more than $6 million raised by Republican candidate Derrick Van Orden.
Those figures are accurate up to Oct. 19, the final campaign finance reporting deadline before the election.
Van Orden has, on his own, shattered the record amount for the district he and Democratic Rep. Ron Kind raised for their tight election— about $5 million — in 2020.
Federal campaign limits allow an individual to give a candidate for federal office a maximum of $2,900 per election. Since candidates face a primary and a general, one person can give a total of $5,800 to one candidate per election cycle. A political action committee can give $5,000 per election to a candidate for a total of $10,000 per election cycle.
Big donors to Pfaff’s campaign include Judith Faulkner, CEO and founder of Epic, the healthcare software giant based in Dane County, her husband Gordon Faulkner, and Kevin Conroy, the CEO of the Madison-based Exact Sciences, all of whom have given $5,000.
The retiring Kind’s campaign committee has given Pfaff’s campaign at least $4,000. Kind and his wife Tawni Kind also personally have given Pfaff’s campaign at least $3,000 and $3,750 each. Pfaff previously worked for Kind’s congressional office.
Former Democratic state legislator Tim Cullen has given Pfaff $3,400. Lynde Uihlein, a Schlitz heir, major Democratic donor and relative of the Republican billionaire donor Dick Uihlein, has given Pfaff the maximum $5,800. Former U.S. Senator Herb Kohl has given the campaign $2,700.
| DONOR | CITY | STATE | TOTAL DONATION |
| BADGERPAC | LA CROSSE | WI | $10,000 |
| KERN, DEBORAH | SHOREWOOD | WI | $5,800 |
| MERINOFF, CHARLES | NEW YORK | NY | $5,800 |
| LUBAR, MARIANNE S | RIVER HILLS | WI | $5,800 |
| WALKER, THOMAS | BLACK RIVER FALLS | WI | $5,800 |
| LAUX, JOE | ONALASKA | WI | $5,800 |
| MILLER, JOHN W | FOX POINT | WI | $5,800 |
| PFAFF, SHAWN W | FITCHBURG | WI | $5,800 |
| UIHLEIN, LYNDE B | MILWAUKEE | WI | $5,800 |
| WEIL, SAGE | MADISON | WI | $5,800 |
| PAGE, GLORIA | LOS ALTOS | CA | $5,300 |
| WISCONSIN BEER DISTRIBUTORS CONDUIT FUND | MADISON | WI | $5,000 |
| FAULKNER, GORDON | MOUNT HOREB | WI | $5,000 |
| FAULKNER, JUDITH | MOUNT HOREB | WI | $5,000 |
| CONROY, KEVIN T. | MADISON | WI | $5,000 |
| INTERNATIONAL UNION OF OPERATING ENGINEERS LOCAL 139 | PEWAUKEE | WI | $5,000 |
| NEW DEMOCRAT COALITION ACTION FUND | WASHINGTON | DC | $5,000 |
| AMERICAN CRYSTAL SUGAR COMPANY POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE | MOORHEAD | MN | $5,000 |
| NEA FUND FOR CHILDREN AND PUBLIC EDUCATION | WASHINGTON | DC | $5,000 |
| UA UNION PLUMBERS & PIPEFITTERS VOTE! PAC | ANNAPOLIS | MD | $5,000 |
| KIND FOR CONGRESS COMMITTEE | LA CROSSE | WI | $4,000 |
| ROTH, HOWARD | WAUZEKA | WI | $3,900 |
| KIND, TAWNI | LA CROSSE | WI | $3,750 |
| RENWICK, SUZETTE | LA CROSSE | WI | $3,660 |
| HENNER, LISA | VIROQUA | WI | $3,600 |
| NATIONAL MILK PRODUCERS FEDERATION PAC (NMPF PAC) | ARLINGTON | VA | $3,500 |
| CULLEN, TIM | JANESVILLE | WI | $3,400 |
| DART, RICHARD | MAIDEN ROCK | WI | $3,250 |
| BAKKEN, MARK | MADISON | WI | $3,150 |
| SCHNICK, ROSALIE | LA CROSSE | WI | $3,100 |
| KIND, RON | LA CROSSE | WI | $3,000 |
| LAGALLY, MAX G | MADISON | WI | $3,000 |
| SCHARFMAN, PAUL | MADISON | WI | $3,000 |
| PRUITT, CHARLES | SHOREWOOD | WI | $2,925 |
| PFAFF, LEON | HOLMEN | WI | $2,900 |
| PFAFF, RUTH A | HOLMEN | WI | $2,900 |
| GOODMAN, MIKE | WASHINGTON | DC | $2,900 |
| SMITH, STACEY | FALLS CHURCH | VA | $2,900 |
| CUMMING, ANNETTE P | JACKSON | WY | $2,900 |
| KAMEN, AL | NEW YORK | NY | $2,900 |
| KRAUS, JILL | NEW YORK | NY | $2,900 |
| PAGE, BARBARA | PALO ALTO | CA | $2,900 |
| BJORK, TANYA | MIDDLETON | WI | $2,900 |
| KATZ, DON | MADISON | WI | $2,900 |
| LAWSON, ELISE | LEXINGTON | MA | $2,900 |
| MILLER, JOHN C. | KOHLER | WI | $2,900 |
| RAYMAN, STEVEN | BIG ROCK | IL | $2,900 |
| ROWE, KEVIN | LAGUNA NIGUEL | CA | $2,900 |
| SELIG, ALLAN | MILWAUKEE | WI | $2,900 |
| PAGE, CARL | SAN FRANCISCO | CA | $2,800 |
| MOBERLY, LAURA | MADISON | WI | $2,750 |
| REALTORS DIRECT GIVER PROGRAM | MADISON | WI | $2,700 |
| KOHL, HERB | MILWAUKEE | WI | $2,700 |
This journalism was funded by a grant from the La Crosse Community Foundation.
The Badger Project is a nonpartisan, citizen-supported journalism nonprofit in Wisconsin.
Categories: Investigations