Spending on 2022 Wisconsin governor's race smashes previous records

Wisconsin's 2022 governor's race set a spending record of $164.3 million, breaking the previous record set in 2018 by 77%, according to a new analysis by the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign.

Incumbent Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and his running mate, Sara Rodriguez, led candidate spending with $41.9 million. Republican candidate for governor Tim Michels, who faced Evers on the November ballot, and his running mate, Roger Roth, spent $28.5 million.

Michels largely self-funded his primary campaign, spending nearly $12 million of his own money to defeat former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, and pledging he would not take donations of more than $500.

After winning the primary, Michels announced he would accept the maximum donation of $20,000.

The analysis by the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign found more outside special interests groups supported Evers, spending an estimated $87.8 million.

Five Republican candidates and the outside groups that supported them during the primary and general elections spent $75.8 million. The independent candidate for governor and a group that supported her spent $720,173.

The top-spending groups in the governor's race were:

• Democratic Governors Association and its advertising group, the Alliance for Common Sense, spent $26.6 million.
• Republican Governors Association spent an estimated $15.3 million using three entities — Right Direction Wisconsin PAC, ACC Wisconsin 2022 PAC, and State Solutions — mostly on television ads that accused Evers of being soft on crime because of offenders who were released by the state parole commission after he was first elected in 2018.
• A Better Wisconsin Together spent an estimated $5.8 million using an express advocacy group and an issue ad group with nearly the same name, making it particularly difficult to track spending by the issue ad group because it can keep its spending secret. A Better Wisconsin Together sponsored television and digital advertising that attacked Michels for his positions on abortion and gun control and praised Evers for his health care, education, and environmental policies and funding.
• Americans for Prosperity spent $5.4 million on a host of electioneering activities, including canvassing, mailings, door hangers, and digital and radio ads to support Michels.
• Fighting for Wisconsin spent $4.4 million on mostly television advertising to support GOP candidate for governor Kevin Nicholson, who withdrew from the race about a month before the August primary.
• Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (WMC) spent an estimated $4 million using an issue ad group and an express advocacy group. WMC’s ads attacked Evers on education, crime, and tax issues and blamed the incumbent for inflation.

The previous spending record of $93.1 million was set in 2018 in the race between Evers and incumbent Gov. Scott Walker. The 2022 record is also more than 100% higher than the $81.8 million spent by candidates and groups in the 2014 race for governor and more than four times higher than the $37.4 million spent in the 2010 governor’s race.