Wisconsin’s grassroots versus Scott Walker’s greenbacks

News came today that Republican Gov. Scott Walker’s recall campaign has raised just over $13 million since January of this year as he prepares to try to retain his office in the gubernatorial recall election.

While that number is both staggering and unprecedented, one important point to note is that of the $13.2 million Gov. Walker’s campaign has raised since January of this year, only $4.4 million came from Wisconsin donors. That means other two-thirds of the contributions to Gov. Walker’s campaign came from outside Wisconsin.

Among those donating to Gov. Walker’s campaign:

  • Casino tycoon Sheldon Adelson – the big funding source for Newt Gingrich – who gave $250,000 to Gov. Walker’s campaign
  • Richard Devos, the owner of the Orlando Magic basketball team and co-founder of Amway, gave Gov. Walker’s campaign $250,000

In addition to the millions of dollars Gov. Walker’s campaign has raised thanks to its billionaire benefactors, billionaire David Koch personally gave $1 million earlier this year to the Republican Governors Association, which is already running statewide ads supporting Walker and attacking the top two Democratic candidates, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and former Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk.

In stark contrast to Gov. Walker’s “working for billionaires, funded by billionaires” campaign, the campaign of Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, one of the Democrats vying to challenge Gov. Walker, announced it had raised $750,000 in just the first 25 days of Barrett’s gubernatorial campaign, with 87% of the campaign’s contributions coming from right here in Wisconsin.

In honor of Gov. Walker’s prodigious out of state fundraising numbers, I’m going to suggest a new campaign slogan. Instead of Wisconsin: Open for Business,” how about Gov. Scott Walker: “Working for billionaires, funded by billionaires.”

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4 thoughts on “Wisconsin’s grassroots versus Scott Walker’s greenbacks

  1. Give me a break – if you think that national union money has not been pouring into our state for the past 18 months you are just not being honest. It is going both ways. You guys started this process, so now live with it.

    1. I’m looking at the candidates here, not the outside groups. If you see nothing wrong with Scott Walker’s campaign being propped up by billionaires and folks from outside Wisconsin, then so be it, but to me that speaks volumes about who really wants to see Scott Walker hold on to his office.

  2. Sadly for Walker, my vote is priceless, and I can’t be bought by all of his millions.

  3. So a third of his money came from in state? That still puts the Dems to shame in what kind of support you have. I will condemn him for raising money out of state as soon as you condemn Tammy Baldwin for doing the same.

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