Democratic-backed Susan Crawford wins Wisconsin Supreme Court seat, cementing liberal majority
From The Associated Press:
Wisconsin’s State Supreme Court race on April 1 was the most expensive state judicial election in American history, only two years after the state’s 2023 State Supreme Court race became the most expensive state judicial election in American history at the time. The election, which was nominally non-partisan, saw massive amounts of attention and spending from mega donors and national PACs, with estimated spending at around $100 million, including $21 million from Elon Musk. Ultimately, Susan Crawford, who was endorsed by the state Democratic Party, won.
Underly wins reelection in state schools superintendent race
From WisPolitics:
In addition to the record-smashing State Supreme Court Race in the state, Wisconsin also saw a record high level of spending in the State Superintendent election on April 1, as incumbent Jill Underly won re-election. In total, the race saw more than $4.7 million in advertising expenditures, over 50% more than the previous spending record in 2021. Underly benefited from more than half the spending in the race, including more than $1.8 million in support from independent expenditures.
Forward, For Our Freedom: How Wisconsin Can Protect Self-Government Against Hyper-Nationalized Money in Politics
From American Promise:
This report from American Promise looks back to the 2023 Wisconsin State Supreme Court race, as well as the 2022 and 2024 Senate races and school board elections across the state, to show just how much money has overwhelmed every level of our political system. The report details spending levels and sources across the state, and explains how we got to this point and what can be done to take back our elections.
Evan Low fined $106,000 for campaign finance violations including “intent to conceal” payment to Alec Baldwin
From The Mercury News:
Former California Assemblymember Evan Low has been fined $106,000 for 23 violations of state campaign finance law. An investigation by the California Fair Political Practices Commission found that Low failed to report $227,500 in contributions he solicited for nonprofits within the legally required time frame. Elected officials are required to report such contributions they solicit within 30 days, as they can potentially be a vector for political influence. The investigation also found that Low attempted to disguise a $220,000 payment to actor Alec Baldwin to appear at both a nonprofit event and a campaign fundraiser for Low, by splitting the payment and contract to appear at the fundraiser into separate contracts.
Who’s paying for Louisiana’s constitutional amendment campaigns? It’s mostly a secret.
From the Louisiana Illuminator:
Louisiana went to the polls on March 30th to vote on 4 proposed amendments to the state constitution. They had very little information, however, on who was funding the campaigns for and against those amendments. Louisiana’s campaign finance disclosure laws for amendment campaigns are particularly lax, with many nonprofits being able to spend money on campaigns without filing finance reports to the state. Even PACs that do file campaign finance reports often report their funds as coming from nonprofits that don’t disclose their donors, disguising the original source of the money.
