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MADISON, WI (WSAU) – As voters across the state will be heading to the polls next Tuesday to vote in numerous local races and two state constitutional amendments, both state parties are continuing to compete for one of the most important commodities in politics: money.
According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Daniel Bice, the Wisconsin GOP has raised an estimated $283,000 in the last 72 hours and an overall total of $395,000 this year so far. Meanwhile, Wisconsin Democrats have raised a whopping $5.4 million in 2024 alone, which is 13x higher than the Republican’s figure.
The report goes on to say that one individual has helped play a significant role in the wide fundraising gap: billionaire LinkedIn co-founder and Microsoft board member Reid Hoffman, who donated $2 million to the Wisconsin State Democratic Party in January and another $3.6 million in 2023.
Hoffman, who has a current net worth of over $2.5 billion, has donated to several high-profile campaigns in recent months, including $250,000 to a PAC for former Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley. Hoffman also notably came under heavy fire in May of 2023 after documents disclosed that he was a personal friend of deceased and disgraced billionaire Jeffery Epstein, visited the now notorious Little Saint James Island in 2014, and had plans to also stay at Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse on another occasion, according to the Wall Street Journal. He confirmed to the Journal that he last spoke to Epstein during a 2015 dinner in Palo Alto, California, before his arrest and eventual death.
These figures come only days after Adimpact and WisPolitics reported the Wisconsin Democratic Party made recent ad buys that will run on local TV and radio stations totaling $191,000 for this week alone in favor of incumbent Wausau Mayor Katie Rosenberg, while her challenger Doug Diny has spent a total of $92,000 since March 7th.
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