State Treasurer John Leiber tells WisPolitics money will be a key piece of the final report a panel of party activists he’s leading puts together in the hopes of turning around GOP fortunes in off year races.
And a big piece of that will be a pitch to donors that there’s a better way to spend their money.
WisPolitics tracked $109 million spent on this spring’s state Supreme Court race with $59 million of that dropped by conservative candidate Brad Schimel and those backing him. Still, liberal Susan Crawford spent $28.5 million, compared to the $14.9 million directly from Schimel’s campaign.
That allowed Crawford to have an advantage on the airwaves during the closing weeks of the race, and Leiber said in an interview at the state convention that Republicans need to make sure donors understand candidates get a better rate on ads than outside groups do.
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“They want to see value for their money,” Leiber said. “They’re donating because they want to see success. If we can present them a plan that this is how we win an election, this is the best use of the money, and make a pitch on why they should be donating to the state party so we help candidates directly, I think that might help bridge the gap we have right now,” he said.
State GOP Chair Brian Schimming appointed Leiber to lead the postmortem on the April race that Crawford won by 10 points. It was the second straight double-digit loss for conservatives in a state Supreme Court contest, and Crawford’s win guaranteed a liberal majority through at least 2028.
The members serving on the commission with Leiber are: Terry Dittrich, the Waukesha County GOP chair and a member of the RNC; former state Rep. Amy Loudenbeck, of Clinton; Chris Goebel, chair of the Walworth County GOP; former state Rep. Angie Sapik, of Lake Nebagamon; Lindsay Clark, a member of the Neenah School Board; Katie Verzal, the 1st CD GOP vice chair; and Landis Holdorf, an aide to U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany and a member of the Merrill Common Council.
Leiber said he hopes to have a final report by early July. He also has a personal interest in the party improving its performance. Leiber told WisPolitics he plans to seek reelection in 2026. His 2022 win is one of our four GOP or conservative victories in the last 19 contested statewide races.
Leiber said another task will be better cooperative with groups such as Turning Point USA. There has been friction between the state party and some grassroots groups, leading to concerns that they’re not being efficient with their resources.
“I think that’s part of what we’re going to be discussing is, ‘What is the best way to utilize third-party efforts to support our goals rather than duplicating them,” Leiber said. “I think we want to cut down on wasted efforts.”
