Wisconsin Conservation Voters: Wisconsin Conservation Voters IEC invests more than $3 million to mobilize voters

MADISON – Heading into next week’s crucial election, Wisconsin Conservation Voters Independent Expenditure Committee invested more than $3.17 million to mobilize voters across the state. With the opportunity to elect David Crowley as governor and flip both chambers of the legislature, this once-in-a-generation campaign aims to secure a pro-conservation trifecta to deliver on clean energy, clean water, voting rights, and real relief for Wisconsin’s cost of living crisis.

Because data centers and high costs are defining issues of this election, Wisconsin Conservation Voters’ ongoing work to regulate data centers and bring the cost of utility bills down with clean energy is more important than ever. 

Since August, Wisconsin Conservation Voters IEC has been talking to voters across the state about the stakes of this election. Program highlights include:

• Knocking on more than 200,000 doors in Senate Districts 21, 31, and Assembly Districts 30, 61, 88, 89, 92, and 94.
• Sending 38 pieces of direct mail to voters in Senate Districts 5, 17, 21, and 31; Assembly Districts 30, 51, 61, 85, 88, 89, 92 and 94; and to voters across the state in support of David Crowley for Governor.
• Running a digital ad campaign across Wisconsin that exposes Tom Tiffany’s real record on data centers.
  • See the ad “Helping Them” here
• Running digital ads in key Assembly districts. See the ads “Driving Up” here:
  • Assembly District 30 
  • Assembly District 51 
  • Assembly District 61 
  • Assembly District 85 
  • Assembly District 88 
  • Assembly District 92 
• Organizing a volunteer postcard program that sent nearly 12,000 handwritten postcards to voters in key legislative districts.

In the Chippewa Valley, Wisconsin Conservation Voters IEC is partnering with LCV Victory Fund on a door-to-door canvass where we’re talking to voters about electing Rebecca Cooke to Congress, David Crowley as Governor, Jeff Smith to the State Senate, and Jeremiah Fredrickson to the State Assembly.

“Voters are faced with a choice,” said Seth Hoffmeister, WCV Deputy Director. “With Tom Tiffany comes the partisan extremism, corruption, and economic turmoil that has defined Trump’s second term in the White House. Wisconsinites deserve better. With David Crowley and a pro-conservation legislature, we can finally see a state government that can address the biggest issues that people face. From holding greedy corporations accountable, to bringing down skyrocketing costs, to protecting our environment, the choice is clear.”

When it comes to data centers and utility rate hikes, David Crowley is the only gubernatorial candidate to stand up to greedy big tech, electric utilities, and data center developers to protect local Wisconsin communities. He’s committed to repealing tax breaks for data center developers and putting a one year pause on new projects while guardrails are put in place to protect Wisconsin communities. He’ll require data centers to pay their full share in energy and water costs so Wisconsinites’ utility bills aren’t subsidizing billion and trillion dollar corporations. He has called for transparency and to ban non-disclosure agreements that hide the impacts on local communities. He’ll make sure they’re powered by 100% cheap, fast, clean energy sources like wind and solar. 

In addition, David Crowley has a track record in Milwaukee County of reducing the county’s carbon emissions by 50 percent and helping people make their homes more energy efficient. While the utilities double down on dirty, expensive gas power plants to maximize their profits, his commitment to 100% clean energy in Wisconsin will help protect our health and our pocketbooks. Clean energy like solar and wind are not only better for our health than fossil fuels but are also the cheapest forms of energy, keeping utility rates down for Wisconsinites.

“Congressman Tom Tiffany and Republican legislative candidates are lying to you about data centers,” said Hoffmeister. “They tell you what you want to hear but their record tells a very different story. In Congress, Tom Tiffany voted to gut environmental regulations, fast track data center developments, and give data center developers a $70 million tax break. Wisconsin legislative Republicans refused to pass regulations on data centers and in 2023 gave a $2 billion tax break to data center developers. Tom Tiffany and legislative Republicans are on the side of Big Tech billionaires and can’t be trusted.” 

Congressman Tom Tiffany’s anti-environment, anti-democracy, anti-Wisconsinite record goes far beyond data centers. Voters can see the facts for themselves here.