WisGOP: Lisa Neubauer reverses course on special interest spending

Contact: Charles Nichols

(608) 257-4765

[Madison, WI] — Today, Obama ally Eric Holder announced he is coming to Wisconsin next week to campaign for Supreme Court candidate Lisa Neubauer and that his political groups plan to spend $350,000 to get her elected. This news is a stark contrast to Judge Neubauer’s earlier positions on such activity. When first entering the race, Neubauer told voters she would call on these types of outside groups to stay out of the race, stating “[t]here’s nothing good about outside money — special interest money — coming in to influence court elections.” Neubauer has also called special interest money “toxic” and claimed it “undermines the public’s confidence in our judicial system,” despite accepting nearly $120,000 in direct campaign contributions from special interests groups. Has Neubauer reversed her position on special interest spending, or is she only opposed to it when it doesn’t benefit her?

Read the full write-up here or find excerpts below.

Holder and his group, the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, have been active in Wisconsin politics since last year.

The group and its affiliates spent more than $2 million in 2018 to help liberal candidates, including Tony Evers, who won his bid for governor, and Rebecca Dallet, who secured a seat on the state Supreme Court. An arm of Holder’s group also sued last year to force then-Gov. Scott Walker to schedule special elections for open state legislative seats.

Hagedorn campaign adviser Stephan Thompson in a statement noted Neubauer’s has been critical of outside spending in Supreme Court races.

“Clearly, Eric Holder and left wing special interests want to politicize the Supreme Court to accomplish their own agenda,” his statement said. “Lisa Neubauer called on special interest money to stay out and now she’s happy to accept it. The key question is, ‘What’s changed?’ “

Read the full write-up here.