The La Crosse County Democratic Party announced today that it has filed two complaints with the Wisconsin Ethics Commission alleging wrongful campaign transactions by the La Crosse County Republican Party and County Board Candidate Robert Haines. According to campaign finance reports filed by the County Republican Party, the Party gave Robert Haines $500 before Mr. Haines had even registered his campaign. Mr. Haines then failed to file a campaign finance report due January 15th noting the transaction.
“This is about transparency and ensuring that everyone plays by the same rules. If the Democratic Party wants to give money to local candidates, we dot every ‘i’ and cross every ‘t’ to make sure we’re following the law. We know the County Republicans have filed correctly in the past, which raises the question: why have they suddenly failed to do so now?” La Crosse County Democratic Party Chairman Wyatt Molling stated. “This isn’t a question about whether or not parties can, or should, give money to candidates. It’s about making sure that when they do, they follow the law.”
“Campaign finance rules are a necessary safeguard against corruption and political cronyism,” Molling added. “To ensure accountability and transparency in this election, we hope there will be a full audit of Robert Haines’s campaign finances to verify compliance with all local and state campaign finance laws and to bring any potential wrongdoing to light.”
The County Republican Party also wrongfully transferred $3,500 to seven county board candidates by giving the money to them personally rather than to their appropriate campaign committees. The candidates who received these wrongfully transferred donations are…
● Josh Dirks
● Kevin Decker
● Jeff Fimreite
● Jack Pogreba
● Robert Haines
● Chris Muller
● Ken Johnson
