The Badger Project is a nonpartisan, citizen-supported journalism nonprofit in Wisconsin.
The most a person can donate to a candidate for Wisconsin Supreme Court is $20,000, a cap set by state law.
But campaign finance law in Wisconsin currently sets no cap on how much a person can donate to a political party, nor does it set a maximum on how much that party can give to candidates.
It’s a legal way to avoid legal maximums to route huge money to candidates, and wealthy political donors have noticed.
Six and seven-figure donations have poured into the coffers of the two major political parties in Wisconsin this year, as the state experiences another consequential election for its highest court.
Billionaires like the Uihleins, Diane Hendricks on the right, and George Soros and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker on the left, have made it a habit to give their preferred political party in Wisconsin a huge check or two in recent elections. Now Elon Musk has joined them.
All that money is making its way to the candidates.
The Democratic Party of Wisconsin has reported giving left-leaning candidate and Dane County Circuit Court Judge Susan Crawford, more than $10 million, while the Republican Party of Wisconsin has tried to keep pace, reporting giving right-leaning candidate and Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge Brad Schimel more than $9 million.
The party loophole was opened by court cases and inaction by the GOP majority in the Wisconsin State Legislature. It could be closed, but so far, Republicans have ignored attempts by Democrats in the minority to do so. Should they ever retake the state Legislature, it remains to be seen if Democrats will want to close a loophole that is now working so well for them.
The super wealthy can and do fund super PACs which spend and advertise independent of political campaigns. The Uihleins spend tens of millions every election across the country trying to get their preferred Republican candidates elected. Elon Musk gave his super PACs at least $200 million to try and get Donald Trump elected president, and those same super PACs have reported spending at least $15 million in Wisconsin trying to get the right-leaning candidate Brad Schimel elected.
