Madison, WI – Wisconsin elections are once again being flooded with out-of-state billionaire money. Just last year, Wisconsinites watched as Elon Musk poured millions of dollars into the 2025 Spring Supreme Court race in a blatant attempt to buy influence over our courts. Voters rejected it, sending a clear message: Wisconsin is not for sale.
Now, as the 2026 midterms loom, the same playbook is being rolled out again. This time, the Uihlein family has written a seven-figure check from Illinois to the Wisconsin College Republicans to bankroll right-wing campus organizing. In a statement, Wisconsin Young Democrats Chair Jake Williams said: “Let’s be clear about what this is — a billionaire-funded political operation, engineered from outside our state. It pushes an extremist agenda that benefits the wealthy few at the expense of everyone else.”
According to publicly available filings, in the last six months the Wisconsin College Republicans only had two donors: Richard & Elizabeth Uihlein who each gave a donation of $500,000 which represented their entire fundraising for that period. The filings also show a $86,000 dollar transfer to Republican Tom Tiffany’s gubernatorial campaign. It suggests that the committee is being used as a conduit to influence the outcome of the Republican Primary for governor.
“It shows they are fundamentally disconnected from the realities facing Wisconsin students and young voters: rising tuition, unaffordable housing, student debt, and an economy that increasingly leaves working people behind.” Said Chair Williams “Billionaires like the Uihleins are not investing in young people, they are investing in power, using massive checks to manufacture consent and tilt the political playing field.”
This trend reflects the current state of the conservative youth movement: heavily financed by a small number of wealthy, out-of-state donors rather than powered by local organizing or young voters. The Young Democrats of Wisconsin reaffirm their commitment to grassroots organizing, transparent elections, and a political system that prioritizes people-powered campaigns over concentrated donor influence.
