Top donors to Wisconsin political parties in 2023 (so far) – loophole allows wealthy to bypass legal limits and steer millions to Supreme Court candidates

Rich, left-wing donors like George Soros, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman are repeatedly exploiting the loophole left open by state Republicans.

Clockwise from top left: Reid Hoffman, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, George Soros, Steven Spielberg, Karla Jurvetson and Liz Uihlein.

By Peter Cameron and Hina Suzuki, THE BADGER PROJECT

Normally an off-year election wouldn’t attract a lot of attention or campaign donations, but the 2023 race for Wisconsin Supreme Court is not normal.

The winner of the race between Milwaukee County Judge Janet Protasiewicz, the left-wing candidate, and former Justice Daniel Kelly, the right-wing candidate, will either flip the court’s majority to the left for the first time in years, or keep it on the right. That’s huge for a court that will likely be ruling soon on the legality of abortion, the state’s highly gerrymandered maps and perhaps even the votes in next year’s presidential election.

So campaign cash is flooding into Wisconsin, especially into the coffers of the state’s political parties. That’s because a loophole in state law allows wealthy donors — from both inside and outside the state — to circumvent campaign finance limits and route huge sums to the candidates.

While state law caps the amount a donor can give a candidate, no limits currently exist on what one can donate to a political party. And nothing limits what a political party can give to a candidate. So big donations to the political parties mean big transfers of cash to the candidates.

The loophole was opened by court decisions in recent years. State Democrats have proposed bills to close the loophole, but Republicans in control of the legislature have ignored them. So Democrats are now using the loophole to their advantage, raising huge sums through the state party.

In the first three months of 2023, Reid Hoffman, a California billionaire who co-founded LinkedIn, donated $2 million to the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. Liberal megadonor George Soros and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, whose family owns the Hyatt Hotels chain, each gave the party $1 million. Steven Spielberg and his wife, the actress Kate Capshaw from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, each donated $125,000 to the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. Laure Ricketts, of the family who owns the Chicago Cubs and started TD Ameritrade, donated $100,000 to the party.

Liz Uihlein, one-half of the right-wing, billionaire couple who owns the shipping supplies company ULINE, donated $500,000 to the Republican Party of Wisconsin this year. But wealthy donors to the Democratic Party of Wisconsin have been much more active this year, and in recent years, than those to the GOP.

Instead, right-wing mega-donors like Liz Uihlein and her husband Dick are spending millions independent of the parties and the campaigns, using Super PACs to run advertisements promoting Kelly, their preferred candidate, and attacking Protasiewicz.

Below is a list of the top donors to political parties in Wisconsin in 2023.

DONORCITYSTATETOTALPARTY
HOFFMAN, REID GARRETTMOUNTAIN VIEWCA$2,000,000DEM
PRITZKER, J.B.CHICAGOIL$1,000,000DEM
SOROS, GEORGENEW YORKNY$1,000,000DEM
JURVETSON, KARLALOS ALTOSCA$500,000DEM
SCHUSTERMAN, LYNNTULSAOK$500,000DEM
SCHUSTERMAN, STACYTULSAOK$500,000DEM
UIHLEIN, LIZLAKE BLUFFIL$500,000GOP
UIHLEIN, LYNDE B.MILWAUKEEWI$400,000DEM
EYCHANER, FREDCHICAGOIL$250,000DEM
PAGE, GLORIALOS ALTOSCA$250,000DEM
SINGH, NINASAN FRANCISCOCA$250,000DEM
SNOWDON JR, EDWARDNEW YORKNY$190,000DEM
GUND, LOUISEBERKELEYCA$150,000DEM
HERRO, DAVID G.MIAMI BEACHFL$150,000GOP
KERN, DEBORAHFOX POINTWI$150,000DEM
UIHLEIN, LYNDE B.RIVER HILLSWI$150,000DEM
PRICE, ROBERTGAINESVILLEFL$130,000DEM
CAPSHAW, KATELOS ANGELESCA$125,000DEM
SPIELBERG, STEVENPACIFIC PALISADESCA$125,000DEM
LAUFER, MARSHALANTANAFL$105,000DEM
BUNTROCK, DEAN LHINSDALEIL$100,000GOP
GENTINE, LOUIS P.ELKHART LAKEWI$100,000GOP
HEISING, MARK WATHERTONCA$100,000DEM
LIEBMAN, THOMASLAKE BARRINGTONIL$100,000DEM
MESSINGER, ALIDA R.SAINT PAULMN$100,000DEM
MEYER, GWENDOLYN SONTHEIMMINNETONKAMN$100,000DEM
RICKETTS, LAURAWILMETTEIL$100,000DEM
SIMONS, ELIZABETH DIANE (LIZ)ATHERTONCA$100,000DEM
BONDERMAN, DJANGOFORT WORTHTX$95,000DEM
BONDERMAN, CALEFORT WORTHTX$90,000DEM
KIRK, CLAYNEW YORKNY$90,000DEM
KRANTZ, DONALD B (DON)MADISONWI$90,000DEM
STRYKER, PATFORT COLLINSCO$90,000DEM
CARSEY, MARCYLOS ANGELESCA$50,000DEM
DELANEY, QUINN QUINNOAKLANDCA$50,000DEM
DYSON, ROBPOUGHKEEPSIENY$50,000DEM
HANEY, WILLIAMWAYLANDMA$50,000DEM
HARRIS SR, WILLIAM HAMILTONLEXINGTONMA$50,000DEM
HARRIS, WILLIAMMIAMI BEACHFL$50,000DEM
LANG, BARRYLOS ANGELESCA$50,000DEM
MINSKY-PRIMUS, LISA S.NEW YORKNY$50,000DEM
LAWSON, ERICASAN FRANCISCOCA$50,000DEM
LAWSON, JEFFEREYSAN FRANCISCOCA$50,000DEM
RUBIN, ROBERTNEW YORKNY$50,000DEM
SNOWDON, MARGUERITEJACKSONWY$50,000DEM
STIEFEL, BARBARACORAL GABLESFL$50,000DEM
BURSTEIN, BARTONPALO ALTOCA$40,000DEM
DUDA, JENNIFER LEEMENLO PARKCA$40,000DEM
DUDA, KENNETH JAMESMENLO PARKCA$40,000DEM
MCCORMACK, WINTHROPPORTLANDOR$40,000DEM
RYAN, ADAMMADISONWI$40,000DEM
SILBERSTEIN, STEPHEN MICHAELBELVEDERECA$40,000DEM
YOUNG, FRED M.RACINEWI$40,000GOP
LUBAR, DAVID J.MILWAUKEEWI$33,667DEM
LUBAR, MADELEINE KELLYFOX POINTWI$33,333DEM
LUBAR, MARIANNE SRIVER HILLSWI$33,333DEM
LUBAR, SHELDON BRIVER HILLSWI$33,333DEM
LUBAR, SUSANMEQUONWI$33,333DEM
LUBAR, JOANFOX POINTWI$33,000DEM
CLEARMAN, STEPHENVALATIENY$30,000DEM
MUNGER, WENDYPASADENACA$30,000DEM
MISCIKOWSKI, CYNTHIA ANNLOS ANGELESCA$30,000DEM
STOLTE, CHRISTSEATTLEWA$30,000DEM
BAINUM, BRUCEFULTONMD$25,000DEM
DISNEY, TIMOTHY JOHN (TIM)ENCINOCA$25,000DEM
FLESSAS, JULIEMEQUONWI$25,000DEM
HABUSH, ROBERT LMILWAUKEEWI$25,000DEM
HARRIS, JEFFREYBROOKFIELDWI$25,000GOP
HARRIS, ROBERT JEFFREY (R J)BROOKFIELDWI$25,000GOP
HENDRICKS, KIMBERLEE K.JANESVILLEWI$25,000GOP
HOLLOWAY, SAMANTHAFORT WORTHTX$25,000DEM
KELLNER, TEDMILWAUKEEWI$25,000GOP
MOSBERGER-TANG, NINGBOULDERCO$25,000DEM
POTTER, BONNIENEW YORKNY$25,000DEM
SCOTT, JAMES KEVINLOS GATOSCA$25,000DEM
SONNENFELDT, MICHAELNEW YORKNY$25,000DEM
STAYER, RALPHNAPLESFL$25,000GOP
TOLL, NANCY A.FRANKLINWI$25,000GOP
WEBER, DONALD J (DON)LA CROSSEWI$25,000GOP
OPERATING ENGINEERS LOCAL 139PEWAUKEEWI$24,000DEM
PLUMBERS & GASFITTERS LOCAL 75MILWAUKEEWI$24,000DEM
WISCONSIN LABORERSDEFORESTWI$24,000DEM
ROGER J ROTH JR CAMPAIGN CMTEAPPLETONWI$22,070GOP
MASON FOR RACINERACINEWI$20,500DEM
WAUKESHA COUNTY DEM PARTYWAUKESHAWI$20,380DEM
HASELOW, ROBERTEDINAMN$20,000DEM
MILLIKEN, WESTON FLOS ANGELESCA$20,000DEM
MOSLING, JOHN PPICKETTWI$20,000GOP
NICHOLS, THERESE A.ELM GROVEWI$20,000GOP
PEARL, BARBARANEW YORKNY$20,000DEM
PENZEY, WILLIAMWAUWATOSAWI$20,000DEM
SCRIPPS, SEBASTIANNEW CANAANCT$20,000DEM
HANSEN, MICHAEL L.FORT LAUDERDALEFL$17,000GOP
BEIDLER, FRANCISLAKE FORESTIL$15,000DEM
HALL, DAVID WMADISONWI$15,000DEM
DEVEREAUX, MARGIEMADISONWI$15,000DEM
GOLDMAN, DOUGLASSAN FRANCISCOCA$15,000DEM
GOLDMAN, LISASAN FRANCISCOCA$15,000DEM
ORR, DOMINICSARATOGACA$15,000DEM

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

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