GOP committees outspend Democrats despite lower raises

Republican campaign committees in Wisconsin spent more money than their Democratic counterparts in the final months of the state legislative election, despite raising far less new cash during that period. The spending advantage was driven by large cash reserves accumulated from earlier donations.

The Republican Assembly Campaign Committee, or RACC, raised approximately $281,000 between July 1 and October 19. The Assembly Democratic Campaign Committee, or ADCC, raised about $5.1 million in the same window. On the Senate side, the Committee to Elect a Republican Senate, or CERS, raised roughly $242,000, while the State Senate Democratic Committee, or SSDC, raised approximately $1.4 million.

Financial records show the Republican groups entered July with substantial liquidity. RACC held more than $11 million in the bank, following previously reported $9.5 million in donations from Diane Hendricks and Liz Uihlein. CERS began the summer with about $5 million, supported by a combined $6.75 million in earlier gifts from Uihlein and Hendricks.

During the final reporting period, RACC spent around $7 million. CERS spent more than $3.4 million. Democrats matched or exceeded these figures on the Assembly side but trailed on the Senate side. The ADCC spent approximately $6.3 million, while the SSDC spent about $1.8 million.

Democratic fundraising efforts relied on transfers and new gifts from high-net-worth individuals. The ADCC received $1.6 million in transfers from the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, $500,000 from Gwendolyn Sontheim, $300,000 from M. Quinn Delaney, and $250,000 from Gideon Friedman. The group also recorded a $2.5 million donation from Sarah O’Neil and about $3.5 million from relatives of Charlie Munger.

The SSDC started July with approximately $1.4 million. Recent reports list donations of $300,000 from Delaney, $250,000 from Sontheim, and $150,000 from Ashish Shaskikant Patel. Earlier reports indicated O’Neil contributed a combined $1 million, Lynn Schusterman gave $250,000, and Lynde Uihlein provided a combined $450,000 to the Democratic Senate committee.