According to Wisconsin state law, a candidate subject to a recall election is allowed the unique privilege to solicit an unlimited amount of money for their campaign until an official recall election date is set. Created to balance the scale by allowing a candidate to circumvent normal campaign finance laws in a somewhat abnormal election, the law gives representatives some form of monetary defense in what many may classify as an unanticipated election.
Although it's pretty obvious his war chest has never been lacking in Franklins, Grants and good ol' Jacksons, Wisconsin's recall candidate in golden armor, Gov. Scott Walker, has sucked the aforementioned law for all it's worth, and undoubtedly tipped the financial scale in his favor. Raising about $4.5 million in the five weeks since the recall election was filed, Walker has tapped into Wisconsin's recall contribution loophole like an experienced college senior would a keg filled with Optimator-swift but with clean finesse.
While he finally seems to be following a real Wisconsin law, I can't help but analyze Walker's methods of exploiting this one campaign finance regulation that, to me, unfairly caters to his advantage. You see, with the recall election Walker doesn't need office aids or chiefs of staff to unlawfully use public time, money and resources to raise campaign money-illegal actions the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office uncovered in their John Doe investigation of Walker's first gubernatorial campaign. This time around, Walker is actually permitted to raise as much money as he wants from whomever he wants, no under-the-table misdemeanors needed. What luck.
But this is where things start to make less moral sense to me. Because I perfectly understand how someone like Jafar, Cruella or Sauron might use these financial tactics in their rise to power, but someone like Gandalf or Russ Feingold would never play by these rules. While grassroots efforts have sprung up across the state in an honest attempt to mobilize citizens, canvass on the streets and, ultimately, garner over 1 million signatures for the recall, Walker decided to leave the very state petitioning against him to solicit funds from donors outside of Wisconsin. Walker received money from individuals who aren't directly affected by Walker's rigid laws and disproportional state budget and who aren't struggling under his administration.
Out of the about $4.5 million in campaign funds Walker received over the last five weeks, 61 percent were from out-of-state donors. That means that over half of the individuals financing Walker's campaign to remain the governor of Wisconsin aren't even from Wisconsin.
According to the Green Bay Press Gazette, some of the largest contributions were made by David Humphreys of the Tamko Building Products in Joplin, Mo. ($250,000), Sarah Atkins of Tamko ($250,000), Stanley Herzog of Herzog Contracting in Missouri ($250,000) and the owner of Houston-based Perry Homes, Bob Perry ($250,000). That's a fast million right there.
What was the largest contribution made to the Democratic Party of Wisconsin in those same five weeks? Just a simple $40,000 from Grant Albert, a retiree living in Hillpoint, Wis., bringing the Wisconsin Democratic Party's total funding to a mere $394, 000-or just a weekend at the spa for Mr. and Mrs. Walker.
While Wisconsinites have spent the last five weeks working from the ground up to make an effective change in their government on an honest, shoestring budget, Walker has spent those same five weeks looking like an ass as he accepts donations from large out-of-state business owners who have virtually nothing to do with the citizens of Wisconsin.
If it doesn't sound fair, it's because it isn't.
With a total $12.1 million in his war chest, Walker will see a significant rise in his campaign funds as attack ads are launched and real, strategic anti-recall efforts are put into effect. In the upcoming weeks, the Wisconsin Democratic Party and anti-Walker proponents need to prepare themselves for a GOP financial bomb that has the potential to wipe out any and all recall efforts on the Democratic side. Especially with unknown gubernatorial candidates like Kathleen Falk waiting in the ring, Walker winning the recall election with his budget and GOP popularity will be a synch.
While I, like many Wisconsinites and citizens across the United States, am genuinely impressed and proud to see our state collect over 1 million signatures in such a brief period, there's a real chance these efforts may crumble in one golden-armed punch from Walker and his financial backers. After all, money talks. Money is power. And Walker has money. The Democratic Party of Wisconsin needs to come up with its own secret weapon in this fight for solidarity, otherwise Goliath will continue to sit on top.
Sam Witthuhn is a senior majoring in political science and journalism. Please send all feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
