A record amount of political contributions in the state this year are going to outside interest groups that use the money on smear tactics and attack ads, according to a new report from the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign.
Mike McCabe, director of the government watchdog group, says contributors gave a record $1.3 million during the first half of the year to special interest groups. He says that will likely be used to fund smear campaigns and negative campaign ads that will run up to the November election.
The contributions are nearly 130-percent more than from the same period during the previous non-presidential election. McCabe says it’s likely the result of a Supreme Court decision earlier this year, which lets unions, corporations, and other interests spend unlimited amounts on elections.