The state GOP has concluded it needs more out-of-state donors and should play a bigger role in campaigns to help turn around a losing streak in off-year elections, according to the postmortem it did on the spring state Supreme Court race.
That includes encouraging donors to prioritize direct contributions to campaigns or RPW rather than outside groups and that third parties should “reinforce, rather than overshadow, candidate and party messaging.”
The party on Friday sent a summary of the report to supporters that laid out recommendations for the state party, county chapters, candidates and third parties.
Some of the recommendations were common knowledge among operatives after liberal candidates Janet Protasiewicz and Susan Crawford won Supreme Court races in 2023 and 2025, flipping the majority in liberals’ favor and then cementing it until at least 2028. That includes the assertion that contributions through the party that can be passed onto candidates are a more efficient use of donor dollars.
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State law allows donors to make unlimited donations to political parties, which can then make uncapped contributions to campaigns. Candidates get a better rate on broadcast TV ads than outside groups.
State Treasurer John Leiber, who state Chair Brian Schimming tasked with leading the review, said in a phone interview it’s not just about the state party and candidates being able to spend money more efficiently due to the better ad rates. It’s also about getting donations locked in early to spend the money more efficiently.
“If a million dollars comes in a week before the election, there’s only so much you can do with it,” Leiber said.
WisPolitics has tracked spending in each of the last two Supreme Court races, finding candidates and groups spent more than $56 million as Protasiewicz beat former conservative Justice Daniel Kelly for an open seat in 2023. In that race, Protasiewicz and the groups backing her spent $32 million, while Kelly and his supporters dropped more than $22.5 million. The rest of the $56 million spent overall came from the other two candidates who ran in the primary.
This spring, conservatives had the financial edge. Of the $115 million that WisPolitics tracked, $59 million of it was from Schimel and those backing him.
But while Crawford and those supporting her spent just under $56 million, the justice-elect parlayed her robust fundraising effort into an advantage in the ad wars. For the full campaign, the former Dane County judge reported $24.6 million spent on “media-TV.”
By comparison, Schimel, a former Republican AG and a former Waukesha County judge, spent $15.9 million on his entire campaign with $12.2 million of that marked media-TV.
That allowed Crawford to be even or have an advantage in terms of gross ratings points — a measure of how often broadcast ads are seen — over the final weeks of the race.
Overall, Crawford raised $33.7 million, with $11.7 million of that from the state Dem Party. WisPolitics found $14.7 million of what she raised from individuals came from out-of-state donors.
By comparison, Schimel raised $1.1 million from those outside Wisconsin.
The recommendations for the state party included strengthening communications to amplify messaging, bolstering county parties and sustaining research efforts, such as retaining an in-house opposition researcher.
The report also suggests county parties boost voter contact through social media engagement, phone calls and door knocking while expanding funding to support year-round operations.
And it calls for candidates to get financial support early in the cycle and to emphasize to donors “that contributions to campaigns or RPW are the most cost-effective way to support Republican victories.”
Some in the grassroots have criticized the party, and there was a failed effort earlier this year by some on the RPW Executive Committee to oust Schimming.
8th CD Chair Ken Sikora has been at odds with state party leadership at times. Sikora said Friday he was still reviewing the report, which the Executive Committee went over during an Aug. 16 meeting. He added his main goal is for the party to be more transparent with supporters, noting there are a number of supporters in the grassroots who have become disillusioned with RPW.
“I’m excited about the future,” Sikora said. “But I think a lot of it is going to hinge on transparency and openness.”
