Members of the Milwaukee-area Lubar family, Charlie Munger’s daughters and Steven Spielberg and his wife have all given the left-leaning candidate the maximum $20k donation allowed by law.
With one week to go before the April 1 election, Dane County Circuit Court Judge Susan Crawford, the left-leaning candidate for Wisconsin Supreme Court, has nearly doubled the direct fundraising of her opponent, Brad Schimel, in direct fundraising, by a total of about $21 million to about $10 million. Those are donations made directly to the candidate.
But political groups like super PACs can also spend and advertise independently of the campaigns. In this category, independent groups supporting Schimel, led by about $15 million from Elon Musk’s super PACs, have reported spending $31 million compared to $16 million for independent groups supporting Crawford, according to an analysis by the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, which tracks political spending in the state.
That gives Schimel a campaign finance total of about $41 million to Crawford’s $36 million, with about one week to go before the election.
State law caps the total amount one person can give to a candidate for the Wisconsin Supreme Court at $20,000 per election cycle. Below is a list of donors who have given that maximum amount, according to the state’s campaign finance reporting database and the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign.
However, a loophole in Wisconsin campaign finance law allows political parties to accept unlimited amounts, and also to give unlimited amounts to political candidates, effectively providing a way around the legal caps.
The Democratic Party of Wisconsin has given the left-leaning Crawford, more than $10 million for her campaign. By comparison, the Republican Party of Wisconsin has given the right-leaning candidate, Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge Brad Schimel, more than $9 million.
The winner of the election will earn a 10-year term on the state’s highest court.
Donors who have given Crawford the legal maximum $20,000
| NAME | CITY & STATE | NOTES |
| Allen, Edith | Arlington, MA | |
| Artz, Christy | San Francisco, CA | |
| Bernstein, Natalie | Atlanta, GA | |
| Blumenthal, Jabe | Seattle, WA | retired |
| Burnstein, Clifford | New York, NY | manager |
| Capshaw, Kate | Pacific Palisades, CA | actor & wife of Steven Spielberg |
| Carsey, Marcy | Los Angeles, CA | |
| Chambers, Merle | Denver, CO | |
| Christensen, Laurtis | Madison, WI | chairman |
| Clearman, Stephen | Valatie, NY | investor |
| Connell, William | Lake Forest, IL | |
| Couric, Charles | Moraga, CA | retired |
| Cumming, Annette | Jackson, WY | president & CEO |
| Devereaux, Marjorie | Madison, WI | retired |
| English, Stephen | Pasadena, CA | |
| Eder, Daniel | Milwaukee, WI | business president |
| Erdman, Harold | San Francisco, CA | |
| Goldman Fowler, Amy | Rhinebeck, NY | |
| Gomer, Adelaide | Ithaca, NY | |
| Grand, Marcia | San Francisco, CA | |
| Gumport, Leonard | Pasadena, CA | lawyer |
| Hall, David | Madison, WI | |
| Haselow, Justine | Edina, MN | retired |
| Haselow, Robert | Edina, MN | healthcare services president |
| Hess, Lawrence | San Diego, CA | |
| Katz, Donald | Madison, WI | financial advisor |
| Kern, Deborah | Fox Point, WI | |
| Krantz, Rebecca | Madison, WI | principal |
| Lainer, Eleanor | Encino, CA | |
| Lainer, Luis | Los Angeles, CA | industrial real estate management |
| Lubar-Solvang, Susan | Mequon, WI | founder/president of education nonprofit Growing Minds |
| Lubar, David | Milwaukee, WI | Lubar & Co. investment firm |
| Lubar, Joan | Milwaukee, WI | retired |
| Lubar, Madeleine | Fox Point, WI | Lubar & Co. investment firm |
| Lubar, Marianne | River Hills, WI | Lubar & Co. investment firm |
| Lubar, Sheldon | River Hills, WI | Lubar & Co. investment firm |
| Messinger, Alida | Saint Paul, MN | |
| Miller, John C. | Grafton, WI | former CEO of Miller-St. Nazianz, a farm equipment supplier |
| Miller, John W. | Fox Point, WI | Arenberg Holdings |
| Morgridge, John | Portola Valley, CA | |
| Morgridge, Tashia | Portola Valley, CA | |
| Mosberger-Tang, Ning | Boulder, CO | Photographer |
| Munger, Molly | Pasadena, CA | daughter of Charlie Munger of Berkshire Hathaway |
| Munger, Wendy | Pasadena, CA | another daughter of deceased billionaire Charlie Munger |
| Nerode, Nathanael | Ithaca, NY | |
| Nikolay, Mary E | Abbotsford, WI | retired |
| O’Farrell, John | Atherton, CA | Venture Capitalist |
| Peracchio, Laura | Milwaukee, WI | Professor |
| Pigott, Gaye | Seattle, WA | |
| Pitts, Bradley | Brooklyn, NY | |
| Potter, Bonnie | New York, NY | |
| Schusterman, Lynn | Tulsa, OK | billionaire philanthropist who made a fortune in oil with her now-deceased husband |
| Schusterman, Stacy | Tulsa, OK | Lynn’s daughter and chair of the family’s foundation |
| Simons, Liz | Atherton, CA | |
| Singleton, Gerald | Encinitas, CA | |
| Sontheim, Gwendolyn | Rancho Santa Fe, CA | Investor |
| Sosnick, Aaron | Reno, NV | |
| Spielberg, Steven | Pacific Palisades, CA | film director |
| Stolte, Chris | Seattle, WA | |
| Stryker, Pat | Fort Collins, CO | philanthropist |
| Torres, Tomas | Houston, TX | |
| Tullman, Glen | Chicago, IL | |
| Uihlein, Lynde B | Milwaukee, WI | Schlitz heir & philanthropist |
| Walton, Christy | Bentonville, AR | |
| Winkel, Adam | New York, NY |
The Badger Project is a nonpartisan, citizen-supported journalism nonprofit in Wisconsin.
FREE TO READ. EXPENSIVE TO PRODUCE.
Creating our in-depth journalism takes a lot of time and money.
A story like this requires at least 8 hours to research, write and edit.
Please consider supporting The Badger Project to help us do more nonpartisan journalism in the future.
Until the end of the year, all donations* will be MATCHED by NewsMatch.
*Up to $1,000 per person
Categories: Investigations, Politics
