Candidates running for 132 state-level Wisconsin offices spent nearly $11 million in total on their campaigns, an analysis of pre-election reports filed with the Wisconsin Campaign Finance Information System performed by The Daily Cardinal revealed.
One hundred sixty state Assembly candidates and 30 state Senate candidates’ combined total campaign disbursements were $10,990,854.24, according to available data.
“Campaign disbursements” is a broader term used by the Federal Election Commission to describe campaign expenditures and “other kinds of payments” that may not necessarily affect the outcome of an election. All disbursements are reportable.
Republican legislature candidates outspent their Democratic counterparts by almost $2 million in total. GOP Assembly candidates spent a total of $3,084,354.09, while Democrats spent $2,460,261.68. In senate races, Republicans spent $3,389,195.61. Democratic candidates spent $2,057,042.86.
It should be noted, though, that funds involved in campaign disbursements from a candidate are not necessarily spent on that candidate’s campaigns. For example, Rep. Treig Pronschinske, R-Trempealeau, disbursed more than $75,000 to the Republican Assembly Campaign Committee in the space of four days for television media purchases, according to a campaign finance filing.
Similarly, a filing for Sen. Janet Bewley, D-Ashland, shows a disbursement of more than $11,000 to the Democratic Party of Wisconsin for “mailing service.”
What does that look like?
Below are interactive maps based on Tuesday’s election results. They reveal the winners of 132 state legislative seats as well as each winning candidates total campaign disbursements.
Winners of Assembly seats disbursed a combined total of more than $3.7 million, according to pre-election filings.
Winners of state Senate seats disbursed a combined total of more than $3.3 million, according to pre-election filings.
What does that mean?
Results from the election suggest that Republicans’ big spending paid off. The GOP was able to maintain a significant 63-36 majority in the Assembly. In the Senate, Republicans were able to pick up a seat, increasing their majority to 19-14.
And the sizable majorities won by Republicans may prove to be critical for the party in Wisconsin, as Democrats won every statewide election Tuesday. Republican leaders, though, are pledging to continue to push their conservative agenda.
“While [Tuesday] was a win for Governor-elect [Tony] Evers, it cannot be seen as any kind of mandate for change,” Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, said in a statement. “Assembly Republicans will continue to deliver on our conservative promises to our constituents and won’t allow Wisconsin to slide backward.”
However, those legislators will be in for a fight. Vos and his fellow Republicans will be tasked with redrawing the Wisconsin legislative districts following the completion of the 2020 census, an issue that will likely be a top priority of Gov.-elect Evers, a Democrat.
In November 2016, a three-judge panel from the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the current, gerrymandered maps unconstitutional. The same panel ordered Republican lawmakers to redraw the maps in January 2017. However, the ruling was appealed and eventually made it to the U.S. Supreme Court, where the case was thrown out in June.
Come 2020, Republicans will find it far more challenging to draw maps that give them such heavy majorities in both chambers of the legislature, as Gov.-elect Evers will have to approve them.
With the fate of Republican dominance in the legislature on the line in 2020, expect to see even greater spending in local-level races.
