Contact: Alec Zimmerman
(608) 257-4765
(608) 257-4765
Cap Times reveals Mahlon Mitchell, Kelda Roys saying one thing while doing another on money in politics
[Madison, WI] — Democrat candidates aren’t practicing what they preach when it comes to raising money in the race for governor. A report today from The Cap Times outlines how at least two candidates’ fundraising efforts are failing to live up to their flowery liberal rhetoric.
“The highly flawed Democrats running for governor hypocritically condemn money in politics until it’s being spent in their favor. As each candidate tries to outmatch the next on their anti-money rhetoric, they’re actually maneuvering to court big money liberal special interests from around the country,” said Alec Zimmerman, spokesman for the Republican Party of Wisconsin. “Whether it’s Kelda Roys condemning dark money and claiming to raise support a dollar at a time while recruiting high-end liberal donors on the East and West Coasts, or Mahlon Mitchell decrying the very kinds of donations that are fueling his campaign, Democrat hypocrisy on money in politics knows no bounds.”
Check out the full story from The Cap Times here or find key excerpts below:
Mitchell found condemning maximum contributions in Wisconsin while building his campaign upon them:
Mitchell made news earlier this month for comments he made to Democrats at the University of Wisconsin-Madison about campaign finance reform. Mitchell, who is registered as a lobbyist for the Professional Fire Fighters of Wisconsin, told the group, “We need to get lobbyists, lawyers and that out of the state Capitol.”
At the same speech, made in April, Mitchell decried changes made by state lawmakers raising contribution limits for political campaigns. Under the changes, individuals can donate up to $20,000 to gubernatorial candidates, up from $10,000 previously. Political action committees, or PACs, can now donate up to $86,000, up from $43,000.
… But Mitchell’s own campaign has been heavily funded by PACs, according to his most recent campaign finance report. Reports for gubernatorial candidates were last due in January, with a new set due in July.
Roys found claiming to be building her campaign “a dollar or two dollars” at a time while holding high-dollar fundraisers in Chicago, LA, New York, and DC:
Roys was asked by an audience member at a WisPolitics luncheon earlier this month about her travels throughout the country to Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and Washington, D.C. to raise campaign cash.
The question was framed in the context of a statement she made on the Milwaukee-based “414 Wisconsin” radio show, encouraging people to support her campaign.
“We take a dollar or two dollars from people, that’s how we’re putting our campaign together so that everyone can be invested and have a seat at the table,” Roys said on the show in April.
The audience member asked Roys if it was “hypocritical” to hold fundraisers in large cities outside of Wisconsin in light of that appeal.
Read the full story here.
