As the Wisconsin state Senate recalls heat up, big money is flowing into the races.
A recent development comes from the Washington Post’s Greg Sargent, who reports that the Wisconsin chapter of Club for Growth has spent at least $1.5 million so far.
Specifically, the conservative group has spent $400,000 on the recall battle against incumbent GOP state Sen. Albert Darling, according to the report. Earlier this month, Dem state Rep. Sandy Pasch slammed Darling’s support of Gov. Scott Walker’s anti-union legislation and Rep. Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) Medicare privatizing budget. Club for Growth Wisconsin did not immediately respond to TPM’s requests for comment.
The next recall elections in Wisconsin will be held on August 9 for six Republican state Senators and August 16 for two Democrats. Republicans currently control the state Senate by a majority of 19-14, and Democrats are hoping to pick up three seats in the recalls and win control of the chamber.
As the Post points out, Democratic groups have spent plenty in Wisconsin, too.
But labor has been involved in this fight since the beginning, and the sudden influx of outside conservative money suggests that national right wing activists understand that if Dems take back the state senate, it would represent a massive blow to their broader agenda.
Read the rest here.
David Taintor
David Taintor is the Front Page Editor at TPM, where he contributes to TPM's Livewire coverage, among other areas. David is from Chanhassen, Minnesota, where, yes, it gets very cold. Reach him at taintor [at] talkingpointsmemo.com
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