WMC Issue Ads and Mobilization
WMC has been using paid issue advertisements since the mid-1990s. Usually, these issue ads come during legislative, judicial and gubernatorial political campaigns. In 1996, WMC spent $400,000, but in the past 12 years the WMC Issues and Mobilization Council has dumped millions of dollars to influence voters.
Below is a summary of spending by WMC IMC from 2000-2008. [Sources: WMC.org; Wisconsin Democracy Campaign]
WMC Check
Fact Checking WMC's Issue Ads
2008
State Supreme Court
- TV and radio ads raising the credentials of conservative judge and Supreme Court candidate Mike Gableman
- Reports are WMC will spend millions in additional TV ads to tip the balance of the Supreme Court to conservatives
2007
State Budget
- TV, direct mail and radio ads on issues such as opposing Governor Doyle’s plan to tax big oil and make it a crime for big oil to pass the tax along to consumers
- Radio ads criticizing the Senate Democrats’ Healthy Wisconsin universal health care plan
State Supreme Court
- Spent $2.4 million to support conservative judge Annette Ziegler
- Spending included TV commercials, direct mail and paid phone calls
- The Institute for One Wisconsin’s affiliated organization, One Wisconsin Now, first raised questions about Ziegler’s conflicts of interest, which led to a continuing unprecedented ethics investigation
- Ziegler has so far refused to recuse herself from cases in which WMC has an announced position, most notably, the Menasha Corporation case.
2006
Governor
- Spent $1.5 million in the waning weeks of the campaign on TV ads criticizing Democratic Governor Doyle in his race against Republican Mark Green.
Attorney General
- Spent $2.5 million attacking Democratic Attorney General candidate Kathleen Falk in her race against Republican JB Van Hollen
State Senate
- Ran advertisements criticising Democratic State Senate candidate Pat Kreitlow during his race with Republican Dave Zien
- Ran advertisement criticizing Democratic State Senate candidate John Lehman
- Spent $4,200 for billboards criticizing Democratic State Senator Bob Jauch
State Assembly
- Ran October between $40,000 and $50,000 in radio ads criticizing State Assembly candidate Gordon Hintz
- Ran radio ads criticizing Democratic Assembly candidate Roberta Rasmus
- Ran radio ads criticizing Democratic Assembly candidate Ann Hraychuck
- Ran radio ads criticizing Democratic Assembly candidate Andy Jorgenson
- Ran radio ads criticizing Democratic Assembly candidate Cory Mason
- Ran radio ads criticizing Democratic Assembly candidate Kerry Kittle
- Ran radio ads lauding Republican Assembly Representative Mark Pettis
- Ran radio ads lauding Republican Assembly Representative Jeff Wood
- Ran February radio ads on “Wisconsin Taxpayer Protection Amendment” in partnership with the big-oil financed Americans for Prosperity.
2005
State Supreme Court
- Ran ads criticizing the State Supreme Court for its decision on three cases
State Legislature
- Ran radio ads in support of legislation which would allegedly freeze property taxes
2004
State Legislature
- Ran TV ads in four races and its backed candidates won three of the races
- Ran radio ads in every major market and 75 percent of its candidates won in these areas
- Sent 500,000 pieces of mail and its preferred candidates won 14 of 15 races
State Senate
- Ran TV, radio and newspaper ads criticizing Democratic State Senator Bob Wirch
- Ran ads lauding Republican Senate candidate Reince Preibus
- Ran ads criticizing Democratic State Senator Roger Breske
- Ran ads lauding Republican Senate candidate Dan Kapanke
State Assembly
- Ran ads lauding Republican Assembly candidate Jeff Mursau
2003
State Assembly
- Ran ads criticizing Democratic State Assembly candidate Al Foeckler
- Ran ads lauding Republican State Assembly candidate Mark Honadel
2002
State Senate
- Ran ads criticizing Democratic State Senate Jim Baumgart
- Ran ads criticizing Democratic State Senate candidate George Christianson
- Ran TV ads lauding Republicans State Senate candidate Gary Drzewiecki
- Ran newspaper ads criticizing Democratic State Senator Alice Clausing
- Ran TV and radio ads criticizing Democratic State Senate candidate Mark Meyer
State Assembly
- Ran TV ads lauding Republican State Assembly candidate Garey Bies
- Ran TV ads lauding Republican State Assembly candidate Judy Krawczyk
- Ran ads lauding Republican State Assembly candidate MaryAnn Lippert
- Ran ads lauding Republican State Assembly Representative Jerry Petrowski