MADISON, Wis. — For weeks, Dan Kelly has claimed he is “not accepting funds from the state GOP” [14:16]. On Thursday, Kelly reiterated this claim, stating he is “not taking large contributions from the state party” [00:30].
Unfortunately for Kelly, his campaign finance reports tell a different story. As of March 30, Kelly has accepted over half a million dollars in in-kind support from the Republican Party of Wisconsin, including nearly $100,000 this week alone.
These contributions do not include the almost $120,000 Kelly received from the Wisconsin GOP and Republican National Committee for legal work that included “election integrity” issues following the 2020 election. Kelly was paid by the RNC as recently as December 2022, when he was an active candidate for the Supreme Court. While the payments were not a campaign contribution, they clearly illustrate the shared interests of Kelly and the Republican Party of Wisconsin.
Earlier this week, Kelly made it clear that he would also be a rubber stamp for a right-wing agenda on the court, telling a talk radio host “I don’t think you have to worry about that with me,” when asked if he would rule against conservative priorities.
Here’s a summary of the support Kelly has accepted from the Wisconsin GOP:
- $414,733 in in-kind support received on March 20 alone
- $98,188.78 in in-kind support received from March 26 through March 29
- $557,647.83 total in in-kind support received since February 15
“For Dan Kelly to claim that he isn’t accepting support from the Wisconsin GOP is clearly not true,” said Democratic Party of Wisconsin spokesperson Haley McCoy. “Campaign finance reports don’t lie, and Kelly’s most recent reports show the Republican Party of Wisconsin is one of his biggest sources of funding, to say nothing of his work as a paid operative on the GOP’s behalf.”
