Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Tiffany is calling on every Democratic candidate for governor to publicly reject financial support from the Democratic Party of Wisconsin unless the party returns a recent $750,000 donation from billionaire, Reid Hoffman.
In a statement released Thursday, Tiffany challenged Democratic candidates including Francesca Hong and Mandela Barnes to distance themselves from Hoffman, the LinkedIn co-founder who has donated more than $15 million to the Democratic Party of Wisconsin since 2019, according to state campaign finance records. The party accepted another $750,000 contribution from Hoffman in April, making him its largest individual donor.
The renewed scrutiny comes after the release of additional Jeffrey Epstein documents that Tiffany, as a member of Congress, voted to make public. According to reporting cited by Tiffany’s campaign, the newly released records include emails discussing Hoffman’s visits to Jeffrey Epstein’s private island, his New Mexico ranch, and his New York residence.
The documents also reportedly show Hoffman, who visited Epstein’s island in 2014 after Epstein’s conviction as a sex offender, sending Epstein a statue with a note saying it was “something that may strike your funny bone for the island.” Another email referenced Hoffman arranging to send Epstein ice cream “for the girls.”
Tiffany argued that Wisconsin Democrats can no longer ignore Hoffman’s relationship with Epstein and said Democratic candidates should refuse to benefit from party resources funded by his contributions.
“In February, I called on the Wisconsin Democratic Party leaders to return the money they received from Epstein Island visitor Reid Hoffman. Instead, they doubled down by accepting another $750,000 from him,” Tiffany said. “Will Francesca Hong, Mandela Barnes, and the other Democrat candidates pledge not to benefit from this Epstein-tainted money, or will they continue standing with a party that keeps accepting donations from a confirmed Epstein Island visitor who also sent Jeffrey Epstein gifts?”
Tiffany’s campaign framed the issue as a test for the Democratic field, arguing that candidates should publicly denounce the donation and commit to refusing any financial support from the state party until the money is returned and future contributions from Hoffman are rejected.
