Big donors fuel state Dem Party raising $6.3 million, state GOP pulling in $3.5 million – WisPolitics

The state Dem Party raised $6.3 million over the past month, spurred by $4.25 million in donations from LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

Meanwhile, the state GOP reported raising $3.5 million over eight weeks, thanks in part to $1.1 million in donations from Beloit businesswoman Diane Hendricks and $900,000 in transfers from the Republican Assembly Campaign Committee.

Both parties filed their September fundraising reports by yesterday’s deadline, though they covered different periods. The state Dem Party had earlier filed a report after the special election for the 4th SD, where Dem Rep. Dora Drake, of Milwaukee, was unopposed on the ballot. The new Dem Party report, which covered Aug. 22-Sept. 23, showed the party spent $4.3 million for the period and ended it with $5.6 million in the bank.

The state GOP’s report covered July 30-Sept. 23. The party spent $2.1 million over that period and ended it with $1.8 million in the bank.

Big donations drove the fundraising numbers for both parties.

Hoffman gave the Dem Party $2 million on Aug. 27 and $250,000 on Sept. 19, while Pritzker donated $2 million on Sept. 4. 

Hoffman has now given the party $12.1 million since mid-2019, while Pritzker has donated $6.3 million since mid-2020.

The Dem Party also reported donations of $250,000 each from Gwendolyn Sontheim of Minnetonka, Minnesota, and Nina Singh, of San Francisco.

Meanwhile, Laura Seidensticker of Lake Forest, Illinois, gave the state GOP $400,000, and Illinois businesswoman Liz Uihlein contributed $100,000.

For the year to date, the Dem Party has raised $19.9 million, while the state GOP has pulled in $4.8 million.