The Republican Assembly Campaign Committee closed the September period with $11.2 million on hand. The Assembly Democratic Campaign Committee finished with $5.2 million. In the Senate, the Committee to Elect a Republican Senate held $5 million. The State Senate Democratic Committee held $1.3 million.
Wisconsin Republicans are heading into a contested fall with a harder political map than the one they have held for years. An open governor’s race and a more competitive set of legislative districts have put both chambers in play. The September campaign finance filings show a money advantage large enough to potentially blunt the national environment.
The four legislative campaign committees filed reports with the Wisconsin Ethics Commission with the reports covering July 1 through September 23, the window when caucus committees start moving money into the races that will decide control of the Assembly and Senate.
Combined, the two Republican committees closed with $16.1 million on hand. The two Democratic committees closed with $6.5 million. The Republican cash lead is $9.6 million.
The spending gap is wider than the fundraising gap. Republican committees reported $12.2 million in cash disbursements this period. Democratic committees reported $5.1 million. The Assembly Republican committee alone spent $9.5 million, more than both Democratic committees combined, and still finished with $11.2 million cash on hand.
The Senate Republican committee reported $2.7 million in cash disbursements and sent $1.1 million to Jim Croft for Wisconsin and $375,000 to Friends of Michele Skinner.
Democrats raised almost as much in the period, $7.3 million against $8.5 million for the Republican committees. However, they are not spending at the same pace, and they are not holding the same reserves. Assembly Democrats closed at $5.2 million after raising $6 million and spending $3.1 million. Senate Democrats spent down, falling from $2.1 million to $1.3 million. Of their $1.6 million in transfers out, $780,000 went to Friends of Jenna S Jacobson and $725,000 went to Friends of Trevor Jung.
Year to date, Republican legislative committees have taken in staggering $24.1 million while Democratic committees have taken in $13.8 million. The reports do not settle November. They show Republicans already putting more money on the field, and have more to be sent, in a year when the map gives Democrats their best opening in years.
