Right-wing malice for teachers, compounded with Act 10, are convincing teachers to leave the profession or leave the state.

MILWAUKEE, WI – Democratic gubernatorial candidate Matt Flynn today made the following statement attacking Scott Walker for creating Wisconsin’s growing teacher shortage.

“Scott Walker signed Act 10 into law nearly seven years ago. We know the results. Just as expected, Wisconsin's public education system is falling apart. The state is facing a major teacher shortage.

“The teacher shortage was easily predictable when Walker announced his legislation. From 2010 to 2015, enrollment in teacher licensing programs dropped almost 30 percent. More than 20 percent of those in school to become teachers don't finish the program. This means fewer qualified teachers and larger class sizes.

“Walker and his right-wing radio allies have a long history of disrespecting teachers. By passing Act 10, we have cut their pay and benefits, worsened their working conditions, and discouraged young people from joining the profession in our state. Scott Walker is the reason why qualified people stop wanting to be teachers in Wisconsin.

“Teachers are vital to Wisconsin’s economy and life. Children need qualified and dedicated classroom teachers. We should want the best people educating our kids. We can’t get them if we don’t let them bargain for pay, benefits, and school conditions.

“As governor I will restore the rights of public employees to collectively bargain and start a major push for teacher recruitment. Our goal will be to entice the best and brightest to look at teaching as the rewarding profession it really is. It is time to end Walker’s insulting disrespect of teachers.”

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Matt Flynn is a Navy veteran, attorney, and former Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. He attended law school at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

For additional information, visit www.ForwardWithFlynn.com.

MADISON - Democratic gubernatorial candidate Matt Flynn today earned the endorsement of former Wisconsin Governor Tony Earl.

"I have known Matt Flynn for 40 years. He will be a strong and effective governor," said Earl. "I am very happy to endorse him and I look forward to voting for him this year."

Earl served as governor from 1983 to 1987. A former prosecutor, he had previously served as Secretary of the Department of Administration and Secretary of the Department of Natural Resources under Governor Patrick Lucey. Before that he served as a member of the State Assembly for northern Wisconsin.

"I am very proud to have Governor Earl’s support today," said Flynn. "Wisconsin has a tradition of clean, honest government going back to Robert La Follette. Tony Earl was a stalwart against corruption during his term. Scott Walker has soiled our record. As governor, I will restore clean, honest government in Wisconsin."

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Matt Flynn is a Navy veteran, attorney, and former Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. He attended law school at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

For additional information, visit www.ForwardWithFlynn.com.

Walker's speech was nothing more than a transparent election-year attempt to rewrite history, says Evers.

MADISON, WI - State Superintendent of Schools and Candidate for Governor Tony Evers released the following statement after Gov. Scott Walker's State of the State speech on Wednesday.

“Scott Walker can’t hide from his record. His State of the State speech was nothing more than a transparent election-year attempt to rewrite history.

“We cannot forget the years of cuts to public education that have forced a million Wisconsinites to raise their own taxes to pay for their schools. We cannot forget the 6 years Walker knew about Lincoln Hills, refused to even visit the facility and did absolutely nothing about it. Dozens of kids and staff were assaulted and abused because of his failure to lead. We cannot forget the fact that Walker refused to expand Medicaid, has cut preventive health care for thousands of Wisconsin women, and strongly supported eliminating the Affordable Care Act, which would kick thousands of Wisconsinites off their insurance, eliminate crucial protections for those with pre-existing conditions and increase health care costs for Wisconsin families. After 9 years of attacks on the Affordable Care Act, Republicans cannot be trusted to provide real protections to those with pre-existing conditions.

“Walker also has clearly not gotten the message about Foxconn. He is still trying to convince us that this $4 billion-dollar giveaway to a foreign corporation is a good deal. But everywhere I go in Wisconsin, I continue to be asked by our fellow Wisconsinites, “What about us?” This boondoggle will take billions of dollars away from our schools and roads to hire out-of-state workers, creating an enormous hole in our state budget. Yet once again, Walker is trying to rewrite history. Every week, we learn something new about this deal, and Wisconsin voters will not forget.

“Walker cannot paper over the damage he’s done to Wisconsin and the stark divisions he’s created in one speech. Enough is enough. I will bring our state together and take Wisconsin in a new direction.”

Walker’s out there speaking with carefully crafting statistics, but families don’t eat statistics, they eat food – food they have to pay for at grocery stores.

MILWAUKEE - The following is the statement of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andy Gronik with regards to Gov. Scott Walker’s record on job creation and the economy under his tutelage:

“Our economy is broken and Scott Walker broke it. Bottom line, if Walker were held to the same standards executives are held to in the private sector, he would be fired and he'd find it hard to land another job.

“While Walker’s out there speaking with carefully crafting statistics about Wisconsin’s economy, it’s clear to me that he’s oblivious to the fact that families don’t eat statistics, they eat food – food they have to pay for at grocery stores.  The reality is that in Walker’s economy, families are working two, three, or four jobs and still struggling to pay their rent. Parents are not seeing their kids, and these families can’t even dream about taking a vacation in our beautiful state. Well, that’s not a high quality of life and it's definitely not my Wisconsin!

“I spent 35 years in the real world helping struggling companies who often couldn’t go to a regular bank and borrow money. I helped them solve complex problems so they could access the money they needed to grow and create good-paying jobs. I did this by bringing people together, not dividing them like Walker. I’m interested in finding the very best ideas for solving the issues dividing our state and I don’t care where these ideas come from as long as they put the interests of people of our state, and the quality of their lives, first.

“My vision for the state builds on Wisconsin’s strengths and creates good-paying, family-sustaining jobs in science, technology, manufacturing, and agriculture. They open the door to opportunity for people living in poverty and empower them to live their lives independent of government assistance while energizing Wisconsin businesses with the skilled labor needed to grow their companies. Wisconsin has the infrastructure to claim world leadership in the industries supporting food production, packaging and distribution, freshwater and clean air technologies, and in renewable energy. We can bring families back to rural communities that Walker has left to die on the vine just by being who were are in Wisconsin, not by buying our way out by shoveling taxpayer money off to Foxconn.”

A closer look at Gov. Scott Walker's failures on the economy and job creation:

- 34th in the nation in private-sector job growth since 2010 [1]

- Missed out on more than 100,000 jobs due to private-sector job growth lagging behind the national average. [2]​

- Lagged behind the national pace of job growth at 7.9% from 2010 compared to 13.2% nationally over same period.[3]​

- Dead last in business start-up activity over the past three years. [4]​

- 10th most moved from state in the country. [5]​

- Created fewer jobs than neighboring Minnesota despite having a larger population. [6]​

- 11% unemployment rate for African-Americans in 2016. [7]​

- Stagnant wage growth. The median worker earns less than one dollar per hour more than the median worker earned nearly 40 years ago. [8]​

- True cost of Walker’s Foxconn Hail Mary is now around $4.5 billion. [9]​

- Even in the hypothetical projections offered by Foxconn, taxpayers don’t get paid back for this highly speculative investment until 2043. [10]

A closer look at Andy Gronik's vision for the economy and job creation in Wisconsin:

- Focus economic development initiatives with clearly defined goals and tactics;
- Reward cooperative economic development;
- Create regional jobs training programs that pay people a living wage to acquire the job skills needed to help grow Wisconsin businesses throughout our state;
- Invest in all forms of transportation infrastructure and in high-speed Internet and cellular technologies so Wisconsin communities are connected to business opportunities worldwide;
- Abolish WEDC that’s been squandering taxpayer money and the DWD that’s been ineffective at connecting Wisconsin businesses to the trained workers needed to grow and create one department without silos that energize our economy and maximizes the potential of every Wisconsinite to contribute to our new 21st-century economy;
- Expand access all layers of capital needed to support entrepreneurial success; 
- Reform corporate tax laws to promote the growth of small, medium and large businesses throughout our state;
- Establish regional governor’s boards of local entrepreneurs, bankers, attorneys, accountants and consultants to help incubate and grow successful new businesses;
- Bring Wisconsin businesses and Wisconsin’s systems of education together to enter into new ventures that leverage their collective brainpower, lower the cost of innovation and create opportunities to share in the success of profitable ventures 
- Establish 24/7 job concierge service to accelerate placement of qualified applicants with good-paying jobs
- Accelerate the skills training needed in Wisconsin by creating funnels with private-public partnerships with businesses hosting training facilities; union’s leveraging training facilities and apprenticeship programs; partnerships with Wisconsin technical schools; and expanding the capabilities and focus of Wisconsin’s two-year colleges
- Recruit young graduates back to our state by helping them pay back student debt;
- Make Wisconsin the place for Millennials by making them stakeholders in our future and creating the kinds of living and work environments young people want throughout our state.

Background:

[1] Wisconsin’s private sector job growth remains well behind the national pace of growth. Since December 2010, Wisconsin’s private-sector job base has grown 7.9 percent. Nationally, the private sector job base grew by 13.2 percent over the same period. Wisconsin private sector job growth over that period ranks 34th. This means two-thirds of the states in the nation posted stronger growth over the same period.” The State of Working Wisconsin 2017: Facts & Figures, Center on Wisconsin Strategy, Laura Dresser and Joel Rogers, 8/31/17

[2]“The state is currently 120,000 jobs short of where we would be if we just grew at the national rate.” The State of Working Wisconsin 2017: Facts & Figures, Center on Wisconsin Strategy, Laura Dresser and Joel Rogers, 8/31/17

[3] “Wisconsin’s private sector job growth remains well behind the national pace of growth. Since December 2010, Wisconsin’s private-sector job base has grown 7.9 percent. Nationally, the private sector job base grew by 13.2 percent over the same period.” The State of Working Wisconsin 2017: Facts & Figures, Center on Wisconsin Strategy, Laura Dresser and Joel Rogers, 8/31/17

[4] “For the third year running, Wisconsin has placed 50th among the 50 states in startup activity as measured by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, one of the country’s leading entrepreneurship advocacy and research organizations. Not only was Wisconsin last; the gap between Wisconsin and the next-lowest states widened significantly from 2016 and 2015. While other states are clustered with relatively small differences from one state to the next, Wisconsin stands as an outlier – on the low end.”For third straight year, Wisconsin ranks last in business startup activity, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 5/18/17/

[5]  “Wisconsin has been named one of the most moved from states in 2017, according to a new study. The 2017 National Movers Study by United Van Lines says more people moved out of Wisconsin than into it in the last year — with 55 percent of moves being outbound.” Study: Wisconsin is 10th most moved-from state in 2017, Fox 6 Milwaukee, Megan Pospychala, 1/2/18

[6]  “In the 1990s, Wisconsin had nearly 200,000 more jobs than Minnesota. Minnesota has been closing the gap. In late 2016, for the first time, the number of jobs in the state of Minnesota exceeded Wisconsin.” The State of Working Wisconsin 2017: Facts & Figures, Center on Wisconsin Strategy, Laura Dresser and Joel Rogers, 8/31/17

[7] “In 2016, Wisconsin’s African American unemployment rate was 11 percent – a rate higher than the state’s overall rate in the worse months of the Great Recession. The opportunities implied by the lower unemployment rates are not available to everyone.” The State of Working Wisconsin 2017: Facts & Figures, Center on Wisconsin Strategy, Laura Dresser and Joel Rogers, 8/31/17

[8] “Compared to 1979, Wisconsin’s median worker today has more education and is working with more productive technology. Even with their higher education and productivity, however, that worker earns not even $1 per hour more than the median earned nearly 40 years ago.” The State of Working Wisconsin 2017: Facts & Figures, Center on Wisconsin Strategy, Laura Dresser and Joel Rogers, 8/31/17

[9] “A newly released memo projects the public cost for a planned Foxconn manufacturing project near Racine could near $4.5 billion — nearly 50 percent more than the $3 billion cost initially cited by the project’s chief proponent at the state Capitol, Gov. Scott Walker.” Memo: Foxconn cost to public nearing $4.5 billion, Wisconsin State Journal, Mark Sommerhauser, 1/17/18

[10] ‘The state of Wisconsin wouldn't break even on its $3 billion incentive package for tech manufacturer Foxconn until the year 2043, according to an estimate released Tuesday by the Legislature's nonpartisan budget office.” Wisconsin Wouldn’t Break Even On Foxconn Deal Until 2043, Wisconsin Public Radio, Laurel White, 8/8/17

BROOKFIELD, WI - Former White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus on Monday endorsed Leah Vukmir for her run against Sen. Tammy Baldwin for U.S. Senate.

“Thanks to Leah and so many other Republican leaders in Wisconsin, taxes are lower and more Wisconsinites are working than ever before. Leah is a proven leader who will stand with President Trump to help enact his bold, conservative agenda in Congress, and work to achieve security and prosperity for every American,” Priebus said. “It is imperative that Wisconsin elects the right Republican to beat Tammy Baldwin this year. Leah consistently demonstrates a willingness to fight for bold change for the middle-class, and she has what it takes to win in November. I am proud to stand with Leah because of her strong record as a conservative leader in Wisconsin.”

Priebus served as Chairman of the Republican National Committee from 2011-2017, the longest tenure in modern history. Prior to that, he served as the General Counsel of the RNC and Chairman of the Republican Party of Wisconsin.

“Reince’s great work and leadership helped elect President Trump in 2016, and send Wisconsin’s electoral votes to a Republican for the first time since 1984 with President Ronald Reagan,” Leah said. “As state chairman, he also led Republicans to monumental victories – winning the Governor’s mansion, and taking back both the state Assembly and state Senate – allowing us to implement historic conservative reforms. Reince knows exactly what it takes to win in Wisconsin, and I am honored to have his support for my Senate campaign.”

In addition to Priebus, Leah has a growing list of endorsements from Wisconsin leaders. She recently announced the support of more than 200 grassroots activists, business leaders and state and local elected officials who are backing her run.

****

Leah Vukmir is a nurse, military mom and conservative with a proven record of reform who is running to bring the Wisconsin Way to Washington. She currently serves as a state senator from Brookfield.

Candidate for Governor Mike McCabe wants full disclosure of donations, update of conflict of interest laws, to take redistricting out of the hands of elected officials, restore independent oversight, bring back civil service protections for government hiring, and end discriminatory voter suppression.

ALTOONA, WI - On Thursday, Wisconsin governor candidate Mike McCabe put forward a comprehensive plan for freeing state government from the clutches of cronyism, corruption and what amounts to legal bribery of state officials.

“Wisconsin was once known from coast to coast as a beacon of clean, open and honest government. Our state no longer deserves that reputation. I want a Wisconsin that is worthy of it again,” McCabe said.

Once elected, McCabe will seek approval of a package of reforms to:

* Create full disclosure of political donations and election spending, and set tighter limits on campaign contributions that are a quarter of what current state law allows.

* Update Wisconsin’s conflict of interest law to prevent state public officials from taking actions benefiting donors who have contributed more than $1,000 to their campaign committees or spent more than $5,000 on election advertising favoring the officials.

* Take redistricting out of the hands of elected officials who stand to benefit from the legislative district boundaries they draw and assign the task to an independent, nonpartisan legislative service agency in a process modeled after Iowa’s system.

MADISON - In case you missed it, a recent report from The Daily Beast spotlights the millions in out-of-state spending that Illinois billionaire Dick Uihlein has poured into Wisconsin -- which has "drawn by far the most outside spending of any 2018 midterm election contest" -- to try to buy Kevin Nicholson a U.S. Senate seat. Already, Uihlein has "given more than $16 million" to 8 groups supporting Nicholson.

The Daily Beast: Meet the Illinoisan Trying to Buy a Wisconsin Senate Seat

By Lachlan Markay, 1/16/18

Richard Uihlein’s super PAC and dark money donations have made the Wisconsin Senate race the nation’s most expensive—by far.

When Wisconsin airwaves begin drowning in political ads this year, voters in the Badger State will have an Illinoisan to thank.

The U.S. Senate race in Wisconsin has drawn by far the most outside spending of any 2018 midterm election contest. And the vast majority of it has come from a single donor: Lake Forest, Illinois, businessman Richard Uihlein. The founder and CEO of shipping product giant Uline has vaulted himself to the upper echelon of Republican megadonors. And the Wisconsin senate race is his number one target.

Uihlein has poured millions directly into the contest by way of a pair of super PACs that he funds almost single handedly. But those donations only scratch the surface of the money he’s injected into the race. Uihlein has also provided major cash infusions of late to more established conservative groups that have endorsed his preferred Wisconsin senate candidate, Delafield businessman and Marine Corps veteran Kevin Nicholson. Meanwhile, Uihlein’s family foundation has written large checks to nonprofit groups that, though officially nonpartisan, have quietly boosted Nicholson’s candidacy with ostensibly apolitical activities targeting a Republican primary rival and Nicholson’s would-be general election opponent.

[...]

The bulk of Uihlein’s financial heft has gone to two super PACs backing Nicholson’s primary bid against State Senator Leah Vukmir, and taking potshots at incumbent Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin. Democrats are expected to hold the seat, but Uihlein has nonetheless plowed $3.5 million into the group Solutions for Wisconsin—he is the group’s only publicly disclosed contributor—which has run ads backing Nicholson’s candidacy. Solutions has passed along $750,000 to another super PAC, Restoration PAC, which has spent the bulk of its funds attacking Baldwin, though the group has also gone after vulnerable West Virginia Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin.

Other Uihlein-backed groups have also jumped in on Nicholson’s behalf.

The John Bolton Super PAC—the former UN Ambassador’s political group, to which Uihlein has donated $450,000—announced a $1 million ad buy for Nicholson last month. Great America PAC, a pro-Trump political group to which Uihlein has donated $100,000, endorsed Nicholson in October. Uihlien has given more than $400,000 to the Madison Project, which backs insurgent conservative Senate candidates. That group officially endorsed Nicholson in August.

Also in August, Nicholson picked up a key endorsement from the conservative Club for Growth, to which Uihlein has donated more than $5.7 million since 2015. The Club has drawn fire from other conservative movement leaders, such as Grover Norquist’s Americans for Tax Reform, for its broadsides against Vukmir.

Like many GOP Senate primaries around the country, the contest between Vukmir and Nicholson has involved a degree of jostling over who can claim the mantle of Trump Republican. And as a result, like similar races, it went through some tumult in the wake of the high-profile split between the president and his former chief strategist, Steve Bannon, until recently a de facto leader of the Trumpian brand of nationalist politics that many Republican candidates hope to capture.

Bannon’s political operation got behind Nicholson’s candidacy early, and when the recently ousted Breitbart News chairman’s allegations of “treason” against members of the president’s political team became public, Nicholson declined to distance Bannon from his campaign.

Vukmir’s campaign quickly the “vicious attacks by Steve Bannon against the President and his family” and called on Nicholson to “disavow his endorsement.” Nicholson declined to do so. “Leah spent a great deal of time and energy seeking Steve Bannon’s endorsement and was unsuccessful. It’s easy to see why she is frustrated,” his campaign said.

Bannon’s involvement in the race may have been deeper than just a sought-after endorsement. According to a source close to Bannon, he had been in talks with Uihlein about coordinating the latter’s political spending. With GOP megadonors Robert and Rebekah Mercer publicly separating from Bannon, Uihlein could provide an alternate means of financing for Bannon’s political projects. But it’s not clear if any relationship came to fruition, or if the controversy that resulted in Bannon’s resignation from Breitbart last week ended discussions between the two.

Bannon is expected to announce a new “dark money” nonprofit group in the coming weeks, and the organization’s sources of financing are not yet known. Uihlein, for his part, funds a host of such conservative nonprofit groups that, while officially barred from taking sides in political contests, have boosted Nicholson’s candidacy behind the scenes.

In April, a conservative group called American Majority, which has received $250,000 from Uihlein’s family foundation since 2015, helped prevent another potential Republican candidate in the Wisconsin primary. The group circulated an opposition research memo highlighting a series of tweets sent by Nicole Schneider, a trucking heiress who was then considering a senate bid. The tweets included messages critical of prominent Republicans, including Trump, and praising Democrats such as Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA). Schneider opted against a senate run.

Uihlein’s foundation has given another $250,000 since 2015 to the Americans for Prosperity Foundation, the 501(c)(3) “educational” arm of libertarian billionaires Charles and David Koch’s political activist organization. In October, AFP’s Wisconsin arm announced a “seven figure” ad campaign targeting Baldwin.

[...]

Outside spenders in the Wisconsin senate race have already dropped ten times the sum of the next most expensive midterm contest. But even that total—more than $6.5 million, according to CRP—doesn’t tell the full story. Activities by dark money groups such as AFP and American Majority swell expenditures in the race, though those activities can be hard to trace.

Read more from The Daily Beast.

Money comes in the wake of multiple high-profile endorsements of Mitchell’s candidacy for Governor.

MADISON, WI - Mahlon Mitchell’s campaign for governor announced Tuesday that it has raised nearly $310,000 in just 7 weeks. Additionally, his campaign reported having $242,000 in cash on hand.

The news comes in the wake of multiple high-profile endorsements of Mitchell’s candidacy- from Congresswoman Gwen Moore, Dane County Sheriff Dave Mahoney, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 998, International Association of Firefighters, Professional Firefighters of Wisconsin, and Operating Engineers Local 139, who had previously supported Scott Walker’s candidacy.

“I’m honored by the support we have been able to generate in such a short time,” Mitchell said. “I plan to have the resources to take on and defeat Scott Walker in November. As I meet with voters all across this great state, one thing is clear: they are ready for change. Scott Walker has had eight long years to lead- and he has failed to do so. I’m running for governor because it’s time for new leadership- leadership that turns the page on Walker’s divisiveness and brings Wisconsinites together to build a better future for our state.”

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About Mahlon Mitchell:

Mahlon Mitchell was born in Milwaukee and grew up in Delavan, Wisconsin. He now lives with his wife, April and two children, Sie’anna and Karson, in Fitchburg.

Mahlon followed in his older brother’s footsteps when he became a fire fighter in Madison twenty years ago. His two brothers are fire fighters in Atlanta and St. Paul. These careers came out of a family that instilled values of service and working for others.

This sense of service is also exemplified in Mahlon’s other activities. He was a counselor at the Wisconsin Alliance for Fire Safety’s Burn Camp, which he also directed for five years. This summer camp worked with burn-injured youth to help them cope with their unique situation and build a network of support.

Mahlon also worked as a street outreach coordinator with Briarpatch and Youth Services of Southern Wisconsin, where he linked at-risk youth with services from their community.

Recently, Mahlon was instrumental to passing two pieces of legislation that were a huge victory for fire fighters across the state. The Infectious Disease Presumption fought to make sure fire fighters are covered if they contract a disease or disability on the job. Additionally, the legislature passed a bill that ensures families and spouses of fire fighters who die in the line of duty will have their health insurance premiums covered.

When the fight over collective bargaining began in 2011, Mahlon led the fire fighters in a monumental stand of solidarity with other public servants. Despite being exempted from the bill, Mahlon and his fellow fire fighters marched on the Capitol with fellow working families that were threatened by the Budget Repair Bill.

Mahlon took the opportunity to travel the state as a fire fighter spreading the words about Scott Walker’s divisive policies.

In addition to his service in the community, Mahlon was a real estate agent for six years at First Weber in Madison. He currently serves as President of the Professional Fire Fighters of Wisconsin, being the youngest and first African American to serve in the post.

MADISON, WI - Lt. Governor Barbara Lawton has endorsed Tim Burns for the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Elected in 2002, Lawton was the first woman to serve as Wisconsin’s Lieutenant Governor.

The following is a statement from Lt. Governor Barbara Lawton:

“Tim Burns brings his intellectual muscle and deep experience as an attorney, his clearly articulated progressive values, and his deep respect for the law to this campaign to bring change to our tragically broken Wisconsin Supreme Court. He has a vision for justice and a powerful drive to serve; what luck for Wisconsin!”

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Tim Burns is a partner at a law firm in Madison. Burns is running for the seat now held by Justice Michael Gableman, who has announced his retirement from the court. The primary will be held on February 20th, 2018 and will narrow the field to 2 candidates who will advance to the April 3rd general election.

Tim is a former co-chair of the Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee of the American Bar Association. A graduate of University of Missouri-Columbia Law School, Tim is licensed in Wisconsin, Illinois and Missouri. Tim's national practice focuses on making insurance companies live up to their obligations to their policyholders. Tim also serves on the national board of the American Constitution Society and he chaired the Fair and Impartial Courts Committee of the Civil Rights and Social Justice Section of the American Bar Association.

Tim and his wife Pam, have chosen Middleton to raise their family. Married for over 20 years, they have three children.

Candidate for Governor Mike McCabe is not accepting any single donation over $200 from supporters. Policy mirrors the values McCabe promoted for decades as an independent watchdog and reform advocate.

ALTOONA, WI - Mike McCabe’s Principle Over Party campaign for governor launched on September 12 and reported Tuesday bringing in over $104,000 by the end of 2017 even though McCabe is not accepting any single donation over $200 from supporters while state law allows candidates for governor in Wisconsin to take as much as $20,000 from individuals and $86,000 from political action committees.

“We have a plan to win and we will have the resources we need to carry out that plan,” McCabe said.

The Commoners for Mike McCabe committee’s year-end report to state election authorities lists 1102 contributions from 719 individuals. Supporters are allowed to give more than once but not more than $200 at a time and no more than a total of $1,000 for the entire campaign.

“We’re grateful for the outpouring of support we’ve received from all across the state, but a campaign finance report does not reflect or measure the greatest strength of our campaign – the extensive grassroots volunteer activity, neighbor-to-neighbor contact and direct voter outreach by the campaign,” McCabe said.

By the year’s end, the Principle Over Party campaign had already logged more than 37,000 miles just since McCabe made his candidacy official on September 12, traversing Wisconsin many times reaching out to voters in every part of the state. More than 130 stops were made along the way, including over 80 events that were open to the public and media. The campaign also held close to 60 neighborhood organizing meetings and volunteer trainings in communities across the state, and have dozens more lined up in coming weeks.

“These days candidates for office are told they have no choice but to spend four or five hours a day every single day raising money. We’re spending 10, 12, 14 hours a day raising a citizen army,” McCabe said. “Our campaign is a 21st Century version of how Bill Proxmire won statewide elections in Wisconsin for 30 years. Barnstorming the state. Pounding the pavement. Neighbors talking to neighbors.”

The way the Principle Over Party campaign is funded mirrors the values McCabe promoted for decades as an independent watchdog and reform advocate. In the mid-1990s, he helped start the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, a nonpartisan group that focuses on exposing the influence of big money in state government and works to make people matter more than money in politics. He led the group for 15 years as its director. He left the Democracy Campaign at the end of 2014 to start Blue Jean Nation, a grassroots citizens group working to organize people locally to challenge the political establishment to change its ways.

“The governor won’t be beaten with money. He’ll have way more than anyone,” McCabe said, noting that Democrats spent $33 million in 2014, $22 million in 2012 and $12 million in 2010 in hopes of defeating Scott Walker only to see Republican forces vastly outspend them and Walker win by virtually identical margins in the three elections. “What he’s never faced is a genuinely people-powered grassroots crusade that creates a vivid contrast between the governor’s campaign bankrolled by billionaire tycoons and one that is truly of, by and for the people. For three elections now, Democrats have looked for a Goliath, but their Goliath has been beaten to a pulp by the far-larger Republican Goliath. Remember, it was David who defeated Goliath. It was David who brought down the giant.”

McCabe added: “For Wisconsin to become what it has the potential to be, the death grip of big money influence has to be broken and our state government must be freed from the clutches of cronyism, corruption and what amounts to legal bribery of state officials.”

In its report of campaign activity through the end of 2017, Commoners for Mike McCabe reported fundraising totaling $104,493.91 and expenses totaling $83,336.64 with an ending balance of $21,157.27. Loans from the candidate and his wife totaling $25,000 to provided the campaign with start-up funding. The rest of the money raised came from individual contributions averaging $72.