Liberal Protasiewicz and Conservative Kelly to Face Off in Election to Decide Control of Wisconsin Supreme Court

The candidates in the election to decide idealogical control of the Wisconsin Supreme Court are set, as liberal Milwaukee County Judge Janet Protasiewicz and former Supreme Court Justice Daniel Kelly, a conservative, advanced in Tuesday’s primary election.

With all but 14 percent of Wisconsin precincts reporting, Protasiewicz had tallied 46.4 percent of the vote, while Kelly claimed 24.4 percent

Read the full story

Commentary: The Escalating Nationwide Battle over Private Millions to Bankroll Public Elections

Democrats across the country are pushing to continue allowing private money to fund public elections as Republicans try to limit the practice, which they say gave Joe Biden an unfair and perhaps decisive advantage in his victory over Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential contest.

So far at least 10 Republican-controlled states have passed laws to prohibit or limit the use of private money in public elections. These include the swing states of Arizona, Florida, Georgia, and Ohio. In another swing state, North Carolina, Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed such legislation, as did other Democratic governors.

Read the full story

Michigan Secretary of State Rules Whitmer Did Not Violate Law with Excessive Campaign Contributions

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson on Tuesday resolved a campaign finance complaint against Governor Gretchen Whitmer, ruling the governor did not violate campaign finance laws.

The original complaint, filed by the Michigan Freedom Fund, alleged that Whitmer used threat of a recall to collect campaign donations beyond the established individual limits. However, no recall attempt materialized into a credible challenge, making the donations illegal.

Read the full story

Michigan Lawmaker Introduces Bill to Close Campaign Finance Loophole Used by Whitmer to Raise Millions

Michigan State Senator Jim Runestad (R-White Lake) on Thursday introduced a bill to close a campaign finance loophole that has allowed Governor Gretchen Whitmer to rake in millions of dollars through questionable donations.

Whitmer, pointing to a ruling from 1983, claims she had the right to haul in donations over the $7,150 individual limit due to a threat of a recall campaign.

Read the full story

Top Texas University Employees Donated Overwhelmingly to Democrats in 2020 Election

The overwhelming majority of employees at ten of the top Texas universities who contributed campaign money throughout the 2020 election cycle donated to Democrats, a Campus Reform investigation has revealed.

Using publicly available data from the Federal Election Commission, Campus Reform analyzed the donation records of the employees of the universities in Texas for the 2020 election cycle.

Read the full story

Campaign Finance Complaints Filed After Gretchen Whitmer Takes Several $100,000+ Donations

The Michigan Freedom Fund filed a campaign finance complaint against 10 donors to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s (D) reelection campaign, alleging they violated state law when they broke donation limits.

Dubbing it Whitmer’s “$100,000 Club,” Michigan Freedom Fund said in a filing with Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson (D) the group “comprised of donors who each illegally gave over $100,000 to Whitmer’s campaign in violation of the $7,150 contribution limit in state law.”

Read the full story

Most US Democratic Presidential Hopefuls Still Relying on Large Campaign Donations

As U.S. Democrats emphasize building their 2020 presidential campaigns on grass-roots support, fewer than half amassed at least 50 percent of their early financial support from small-dollar donations, a Reuters analysis found. Candidates seeking the White House filed their first-quarter fundraising totals Monday, revealing that many are still relying on checks exceeding $200. Of the 15 Democrats who launched campaigns before April 1, only six of 15 amassed half their hauls from small-dollar donations. And many candidates are still leaning on donors in their home states for larger checks. Nine Democratic candidates received the bulk of their contributions of $200 or more from their home states, the Reuters analysis found. Early fundraising prowess can signal the strength of a candidate’s campaign. Raising small checks from more donors can act as a test of popular support. Building a broad donor base that stretches beyond a candidate’s home state is evidence of gaining traction. Many Democrats have touted their support among so-called “small dollar” donors, those who give less than $200. But only six — U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, former Congressman Beto O’Rourke, Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana, U.S. Representative Tulsi Gabbard, and Andrew Yang, a…

Read the full story

Ilhan Omar Raises Massive Donations Despite Anti-Semitic Controversies

by Molly Prince   Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar raised nearly $1 million for her 2020 re-election campaign despite repeatedly receiving backlash for anti-Semitic and anti-America comments. Omar raised $832,000 in the three months since being sworn into congressional office, according to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) report filed Monday. The massive fundraising haul puts her among the top-earning House Democrats. Omar’s time in congressional office has been embroiled in allegations of anti-Semitism. She has defended her anti-Israel statements, such as ones invoking Allah to expose Israel’s “evil doings,” and she is on record suggesting Israel is not a democracy. She also gave an interview to a host that referred to Israel as the “Jewish ISIS” and mocked how Americans speak about al-Qaeda and Hezbollah. The Minnesota congresswoman has also faced criticism from both sides of the aisle for espousing ages-old anti-Semitic canards while in office, such as accusing Jews of having a dual loyalty to the U.S. and Israel and that American support for Israel is bought by the pro-Israel lobby. The House of Representatives passed an anti-hate resolution that was intended as a reprimand for Omar’s anti-Semitic comments. The financial disclosures show that while the Minnesota congresswoman received…

Read the full story