March 29, 2025
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.
Top donors to Wisconsin political parties in 2025
NAME AMOUNT CITY & STATE STATE PARTY NOTES Hendricks, Diane $3,095,000 Beloit, WI GOP billionaire co-founder of ABC Supply Co. Musk, Elon $3,000,000 Lakeway, TX GOP his super PACs have also spent more than $15 million in race Uihlein, Elizabeth $2,075,000 Lake Bluff, IL GOP billionaire co-founder of ULINE packing supplies Soros, George $2,000,000 New York, NY DEMOCRATIC Wall Street investor and Dem megadonor Uihlein, Richard $1,650,000 Lake Bluff, IL GOP billionaire co-founder of ULINE packing supplies Pritzker, J.B. $1,500,000 Chicago, IL DEMOCRATIC Illinois governor whose family owns Hyatt Hotels Uihlein, Lynde $740,000 Milwaukee, WI DEMOCRATIC Schlitz heir, philanthropist & major Dem donor Ricketts, John $500,000 Bondurant, WY GOP member of the Ricketts family which founded TD Ameritrade and owns the Chicago Cubs Schusterman, Lynn $500,000 Tulsa, OK DEMOCRATIC Schusterman, Stacy $500,000 Tulsa, OK DEMOCRATIC Kern, Deborah $450,000 Fox Point, WI DEMOCRATIC Page, Gloria $450,000 Los Altos, CA DEMOCRATIC Dawson, Hans $260,000 Richfield, WI GOP Ricketts, Laura $254,056 Wilmette, IL DEMOCRATIC member of the Ricketts family which founded TD Ameritrade and owns the Chicago Cubs Conway, Ronald $250,000 San Francisco, CA DEMOCRATIC Hoffman, Reid $250,000 Menlo Park, CA DEMOCRATIC billionaire investor, co-founder of LinkedIn Mennet, Lisa $250,000 Seattle, WA DEMOCRATIC Kunes, Gregg $200,000 Fontana, WI GOP Katz, Donald $150,000 Madison, WI DEMOCRATIC Dawson, Heidi $140,000 Hubertus, WI GOP Fox, Brent $100,000 Janesville, WI GOP son of Diane Hendricks Hall, David $100,000 Madison, WI DEMOCRATIC Liebman, Thomas $100,000 Lake Barrington, IL DEMOCRATIC Moeller, James $100,000 Waunakee, WI GOP Neumann, Matt $100,000 Hartland, WI GOP O’Neill, Sarah Quinn $100,000 New York, NY DEMOCRATIC Reeves, William $100,000 Honolulu, HI DEMOCRATIC Scott, Shenker $100,000 Berkeley, CA DEMOCRATIC Seidensticker, Laura $100,000 Lake Forest, IL GOP Shenker, Scott $100,000 Berkeley, CA DEMOCRATIC
The Badger Project is a nonpartisan, citizen-supported journalism nonprofit in Wisconsin.
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