A government watchdog group is raising serious questions about student donations to Wisconsin political campaigns. The review by the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign found several donors, who identified themselves as students, gave a total of over $86,000 to statewide political campaigns over a five-year period.
Executive director Mike McCabe says many college students often tell stories about how they're struggling to get by. However, they found several college kids who had donated between $500 and $5,000 to campaigns for state office.
McCabe says several of the students are the children of big campaign contributors. He says their donations often came right after the parents had reached the limit of what they were able to donate to a candidate.
It's illegal in Wisconsin to have someone donate money to a political campaign on your behalf or to reimburse them for making a contribution.
The situation is similar to the one brought up in indictments against Kenosha businessman Dennis Troha , who was accused of funneling campaign donations through family members. Troha eventually pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges.
The Wisconsin Democracy Campaign is calling on state officials to investigate their findings.
