Democrat Wisconsin Assemblywoman Robyn Vining, now the party’s nominee for a competitive state Senate seat, accepted two $100 contributions from licensed lobbyists when Wisconsin law barred such gifts, campaign finance records and the state lobbyist registry show.
Vining, of Wauwatosa, represents the 13th Assembly District and was first elected in 2018. She is running this fall for the 5th Senate District in the Nov. 3 general election.
State law allows lobbyists to give personal contributions to legislative candidates only during a limited window each cycle — roughly mid-April through Election Day, and only after the Legislature has finished its regular session.
Friends of Robyn Vining reported receiving $100 on July 18, 2025, from Melissa M. Baldauff, a self-employed lobbyist in Shorewood licensed since Feb. 3, 2025, who represents the World Wildlife Fund. It reported another $100 on Nov. 18, 2025, from Joanne T. Alig of the Wisconsin Hospital Association, licensed since Jan. 2, 2025.
Both donations fell between the 2024 and 2026 cycles; after Nov. 6, 2024, and before the 2026 window opened May 14, 2026.
Violations of the lobbyist-contribution rule are civil matters enforced by the Wisconsin Ethics Commission. Under Wisconsin Statute § 13.69, a lobbyist may be required to forfeit up to $1,000, a lobbying principal up to $5,000, and a candidate or candidate committee that accepts a prohibited gift up to $1,000. The commission can also order the campaign to return the money. A lobbyist’s license may be revoked for up to three years after a conviction under the lobbying chapter.
In practice, the commission’s settlement schedule is smaller for modest gifts: 1.5 times the contribution for the lobbyist, capped at $1,000 plus return of the funds. There is no violation if the money is returned within 15 days after the campaign-finance report covering that period is due.
