Campaign finance requirements govern how much money candidates may receive from individuals and organizations, how often they must report those contributions, and how much individuals, organizations, and political entities may contribute to campaigns.
While campaign finance is not the only factor in electoral outcomes, successful fundraising can provide a candidate with advantages during a campaign. Fundraising can also indicate party momentum.
This article lists top fundraisers in the Wisconsin State Assembly, overall and by party. It is based on campaign finance reports that officeholders in and candidates for the Assembly submitted to the Wisconsin Ethics Commission. It includes activity between July 1, 2022, and Dec. 31, 2022.
Top fundraisers in the Wisconsin State Assembly by party
The top fundraisers in Wisconsin State Assembly elections are shown below. Individuals are presented with the office that they were on the ballot for in 2022, if applicable.
In the Democratic Party, the top fundraisers in the most recent semiannual reporting period were:
- Tip McGuire (District 64) – $796,881
- Lori Palmeri (District 54) – $685,224
- Lu Ann Bird (District 84) – $522,861
- Laura Gapske (District 73) – $501,060
- Katrina Shankland (District 71) – $448,368
In the Republican Party, the top fundraisers in the most recent semiannual reporting period were:
- Ryan Huebsch (District 94) – $538,865
- Angie Sapik (District 73) – $413,107
- Scott Johnson (District 33) – $350,018
- Donnie Herman (District 54) – $337,326
- Scott Soik (District 71) – $316,110
Fundraising totals
Overall, Democratic officeholders and candidates raised $6.6 million in this period. Republican officeholders and candidates raised $6.3 million. Combined, all Assembly fundraisers in the July 1, 2022, through Dec. 31, 2022, filing period raised $12.9 million.
The five largest Democratic fundraisers were responsible for 45 percent of all Democratic Assembly fundraising. The five largest Republican fundraisers were responsible for 31 percent of all Republican Assembly fundraising.
The table below provides additional data from the campaign finance reports from the top 10 fundraisers during this period.
| TOP 10 FUNDRAISERS – WISCONSIN STATE ASSEMBLY (July 1, 2022, through Dec. 31, 2022) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Party Affiliation | Raised | Spent |
| Tip McGuire | Democratic Party | $796,881 | $836,818 |
| Lori Palmeri | Democratic Party | $685,224 | $688,168 |
| Ryan Huebsch | Republican Party | $538,865 | $555,271 |
| Lu Ann Bird | Democratic Party | $522,861 | $520,333 |
| Laura Gapske | Democratic Party | $501,060 | $513,136 |
| Katrina Shankland | Democratic Party | $448,368 | $707,227 |
| Angie Sapik | Republican Party | $413,107 | $318,435 |
| Don Vruwink | Democratic Party | $408,130 | $433,808 |
| Steve Doyle | Democratic Party | $398,564 | $1,058,038 |
| Clinton Anderson | Democratic Party | $373,587 | $380,992 |
Campaign finance reporting periods
The data above are based on campaign finance reports that candidate committees submitted to the Wisconsin Ethics Commission. Candidate committees represent individuals who have run for state or local office at any point, including past and present officeholders. This article does not include non-candidate committees. Transparency USA publishes campaign finance data following major reporting deadlines.
This article is a joint publication from Ballotpedia and Transparency USA, who are working together to provide campaign finance information for state-level elections. Learn more about our work here.