A Better Wisconsin Together Political Fund put another $727,000 into the state Supreme Court race over the last three days through mail and digital ads, helping push post-primary spending past the $20 million mark.
And that has the race knocking on the door of $30 million spent overall, according to a WisPolitics.com tally.
The Better Wisconsin Together Political Fund outlay was one of three big new investments in the race this week, coming on the heels of liberal Janet Protasiewicz adding another $1.2 million to her TV buy, according to her campaign.
Fair Courts America, meanwhile, earlier this week added $459,000 in radio knocking Protasiewicz. WisPoiltics.com reported on that ad earlier this week.
The other large outlays reported to the Ethics Commission this week include:
*Power to the Polls Action Fund reporting $404,503, most of it for canvassing costs to support Protasiewicz.
*Americans for Prosperity is now up to $316,285 in expenditures for canvassing and mail pieces to support conservative Daniel Kelly.
*Wisconsin Family Action reported $129,500 for digital ads to support Kelly.
Also, the Republican State Leadership Committee-Judicial Fairness Initiative reported $46,486 in mail supporting Kelly. The group has been a significant player in past Wisconsin state Supreme Court races. Yesterday’s report was its first detailed expenditure in this spring’s contest.
Meanwhile, the WMC Issues Mobilization Council is out with a new TV ad knocking Protasiewicz on sentences she handed out while on the Milwaukee County Circuit Court bench.
Of the $20.6 million spent post-primary that WisPolitics.com has tracked, $6.2 million has been to support Kelly.
WisPoltiics.com tracked $9.2 million in spending during the primary.
Insiders have also noted expenditures for issues ads, which aren’t reported to the state, have likely pushed the overall cost for the race significantly higher than the nearly $30 million that WisPolitics.com has tracked.
