Max donors to David Crowley, Dem candidate for Wisconsin governor

David Crowley

See the list of donors who have given Crowley $20,000, the maximum allowed by Wisconsin campaign finance law.

By Gus Pirlot and Peter Cameron, THE BADGER PROJECT

In Wisconsin, individuals can give a maximum of $20,000 to a candidate for statewide office per election cycle. Political action committees for entities like companies and labor unions can give a maximum of $86,000. And many do.

But state law currently places no caps on what political parties can raise from donors and give to candidates.

State Democrats have taken advantage of this loophole in recent years to dominate the money game. But in 2026, the Wisconsin GOP has turned the tables, thanks mainly to three billionaires.

This trio of megadonors, Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein, co-founders of ULINE packing supplies, and Diane Hendricks, co-founder of ABC Supply Co., a building supplies company, have combined to give the party nearly $60 million so far in this election cycle.

And much of that cash has been routed to U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany’s campaign for governor.

The Republican Party of Wisconsin has given Tiffany’s campaign nearly $35 million, according to mandatory campaign finance reporting to the state. By comparison, the Democratic Party of Wisconsin has given its gubernatorial candidate, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, only about $3 million.

In total, Tiffany has reported raising about $42 million through Sep. 23, while Crowley has raised about $12 million. Crowley has actually outraised Tiffany slightly from individual donors, at about $9.4 million to $8.6 million, according to their reports.

After the state Democratic Party, Crowley’s top donor is the candidate committee of his lieutenant governor running mate, Sarah Godlewski, currently the Wisconsin secretary of state, which has given the campaign $326,000. An exemption in state law allows unlimited contributions between the candidates for governor and lieutenant governor of the same political party.

Crowley has also received the $86,000 maximum from the political committees of many labor unions.

And he has received the maximum $20,000 donation from many donors, including Allan “Bud” Selig, the former owner of the Milwaukee Brewers and ex-MLB commissioner, as well as from the man who previously held the job of Milwaukee County Executive, Chris Abele.

The final campaign finance reporting deadline before the Nov. 3 election is Oct. 26.

THE TOP DONORS TO CROWLEY

NAMECITY & STATENOTES/OCCUPATIONAmount
Democratic Party of WisconsinMadison, WI$2,982,463
Sarah for WisconsinMadison, WICrowley’s Lt. Gov. running mate Sarah Godlewski’s fundraising committee$326,000
WI Laborers District CouncilDeForest, WIlabor union PAC$86,000
AFSCME People PACWashington, DClabor union PAC$86,000
Active Ballot Club General FundWashington, DC$86,000
DRIVE CommitteeWashington, DClabor union PAC$86,000
Democratic ActionWashington, DC$86,000
IBEW PAC Voluntary FundWashington, DClabor union PAC$86,000
Laborers’ International Union of North America PAC – Wisconsin AccountWashington, DClabor union PAC$86,000
Local 158 PACGreen Bay, WIlabor union PAC$86,000
Plumbers Local 75 PACMilwaukee, WIlabor union PAC$86,000
Weac PacMadison, WIlabor union PAC$86,000
Wisconsin Pipe Trades Association PAC FundMadison, WIlabor union PAC$86,000
International Union of Operating Engineers Local 139 PACPewaukee, WIlabor union PAC$84,000
Wisconsin Carpenters PACMadison, WIlabor union PAC$82,500
The Next 50 PACNew York, NY$66,000
Local 400 COPE FundKaukauna, WI$50,000
Direct Supply Inc Partners PACMilwaukee, WI$35,000
In This Together PACProvidence, RI$25,000
Steamfitters Local 601 PACMilwaukee, WIlabor union PAC$25,000
United Association Local 118 PACKenosha, WIlabor union PAC$25,000
Prof Firefighters of WI PACGreen Bay, WIlabor union PAC$20,000
Tony for WisconsinMadison, WIThe governor’s candidate committee$20,000
Abele, ChrisMilwaukee, WIFormer Milwaukee County Executive$20,000
Bader, Daniel J.Shorewood, WIPresident/CEO$20,000
Baker, DonaldMedina, OHFiscal Officer$20,000
Barber, MichaelWindermere, FLNot Employed$20,000
Bauer, NicholasNew Berlin, WIFounding Partner$20,000
Bonderman, CaleFort Worth, TXNo Employer$20,000
Bonderman, DjangoFort Worth, TXNo Employer$20,000
Boucher, RossSan Francisco, CANot Employed$20,000
Burns, TimothyFitchburg, WILawyer$20,000
Carroll, JasonNew York, NYFounder$20,000
Caves, Sherry AnnMiddleton, WIRetired$20,000
Christensen, Laurits R.Madison, WIChairman$20,000
Conroy, Kevin TMadison, WIChairman & CEO, Exact Sciences$20,000
Delaney, QuinnOakland, CANot Employed$20,000
desJardins, DavidBurlingame, CAinvestor$20,000
Erdman, HaroldSan Francisco, CANot Employed$20,000
Fowler, Amy GoldmanRhinebeck, NYAuthor$20,000
Fowler, Morgan CaryRhinebeck, NYRetired$20,000
Frederick, David CMc Lean, VALEGAL$20,000
Gates, RoryWashington, DCAnalyst$20,000
Harvey, Charles AMilwaukee, WINot Employed$20,000
Haselow, JustineEdina, MNNot Employed$20,000
Haselow, Robert EEdina, MNRadiation Oncology$20,000
Heising, MarkAtherton, CANot Employed$20,000
Hughes, Linda StackMadison, WINot Employed$20,000
Irgens, MarkElm Grove, WIBusiness Owner$20,000
Irgens, ThomasElm Grove, WIPartner$20,000
Karplus, BarbaraThousand Oaks, CATax Practitioner$20,000
Katz, MarcMissoula, MTNot Employed$20,000
Lasry, AlexMilwaukee, WINot Employed$20,000
Lasry, Lauren MarkowitzMilwaukee, WINot Employed$20,000
Laufer, EricNew York, NYEngineer$20,000
Lawson, EricaSan Francisco, CADoctor$20,000
Lawson, JeffreySan Francisco, CACEO$20,000
Lubar, David JFox Point, WIPresident$20,000
Lubar, JoanMilwaukee, WINot Employed$20,000
Lubar, Madeleine KellyFox Point, WINon Profit Leader$20,000
Lubar, MarianneMilwaukee, WINot employed$20,000
Lubar, SheldonRiver Hills, WIChairman$20,000
Mandel, Barry R.Milwaukee, WICEO$20,000
Markov, TodorSan Francisco, CAMember of Technical Staff$20,000
Mayer, ScottFranklin, WIBoard Chair$20,000
Miller, John C.Kohler, WINot employed$20,000
Miller, John W.Fox Point, WIPrincipal$20,000
Milliken, WestonLos Angeles, CAConsultant$20,000
Minsky, YaronNew York, NYProgrammer$20,000
Miszewski, MattMilwaukee, WICEO$20,000
Nettles, CoryMilwaukee, WIAttorney$20,000
Neubauer, JeffreyRacine, WIExecutive Director$20,000
Newell, KevinBrown Deer, WIHolding Company$20,000
Nikolay, Mary E.Abbotsford, WIRetired$20,000
O’Toole, KathleenMilwaukee, WIExecutive$20,000
Primus, LisaNew York, NYPhysician$20,000
Randall, GiovannaNew York, NYPresident$20,000
Schusterman, LynnTulsa, OKRetired$20,000
Schusterman, StacyTulsa, OKExecutive$20,000
Selig, Allan H.Milwaukee, WIex-Milwaukee Brewers owner, MLB commissioner$20,000
Sontheim, GwendolynRancho Santa Fe, CAInvestor$20,000
Splude, JohnGreendale, WIBusiness Owner$20,000
Stauss, EileenFederal Way, WAAttorney$20,000
Stolte, ChrisSeattle, WARetired$20,000
Stryker, PatFort Collins, COPhilanthropist$20,000
Thomsen, MarkMilwaukee, WILawyer$20,000
Uihlein, Lynde B.Milwaukee, WIPhilanthropist, Schlitz heir$20,000
Wallace, MaraPalo Alto, CAnot employed$20,000
Walsh, KarenMadison, WINot Employed$20,000
Welch, TeresaCorvallis, ORNo Employer$20,000
Whaley, CherylNew York, NYManaging Director$20,000
White, Ellen B.Madison, WINot Employed$20,000
Womer, RodNewbury Park, CARetired$20,000

The Badger Project is an independent news nonprofit in Wisconsin.

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