After conservatives saw their fourth straight state Supreme Court loss on April 7, former candidate Brad Schimel pointed to disparities in party fundraising and called the decades-long campaign finance rules passed by Republicans a “horrible law.”
“I think it was a terrible decision and I hope someone cancels it,” Schimel said on WISN-TV’s “Upfront” April 12.
Schimel was referencing a 2015 law authored by Republicans and signed by former Gov. Scott Walker that allowed donors to make unlimited contributions to state political parties, then funnel the money to their preferred candidates. Similarly, individual donations to a state Supreme Court candidate are limited to $20,000.
“I used it [the law]last year, of course, because I had to,” said Schimel, who now heads the Milwaukee-based U.S. Attorney’s Office. “Today, a meet and greet in Eau Claire, Superior and Green Bay is not enough … you have to do mass communication.”
Campaign finance totals show libertarian Chris Taylor raised about $6.2 million, compared to $1.2 million for conservative challenger Maria Lazar. The Republican Party of Wisconsin donated about $163,500 in monetary and in-kind donations to Lazar’s campaign, while the Democratic Party of Wisconsin contributed about $863,500 to Taylor.
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Republicans, including Walker, said their party needs to reinvigorate fundraising efforts after Lazar’s loss and ahead of U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany’s run for governor in the fall, where he faces multiple Democratic primary candidates.
When asked at an election night watch party about the state party’s support for her campaign, Lazar said she was satisfied with the financial support she received and had “no accusations” against anyone.
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A 2024 WPR analysis found that, despite being passed by Republicans more than 10 years ago, Democrats are now the fundraising powerhouse and using the law to their advantage.
From 2019 to 2025, when Ben Wikler led the state’s Democratic Party, the party raised $262 million for its federal and state accounts, compared with $97 million for the Republican Party.
Devin Remiker, who replaced Wikler as Democratic chairman, said Schimel “can’t seem to find [the law] It was terrible when he got down on his knees and asked for money last year.”
That referred to comments Schimel made about fundraising for his 2025 campaign for the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Elon Musk spent about $20 million supporting Schimel, who lost to liberal Justice Susan Crawford by 10 points.
Schimel, a former state attorney general, now leads the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. The district’s judges declined to make his interim post permanent, but now-ousted U.S. Attorney Pam Bondi appointed him to a new title.
Schimel admitted on “Upfront” that he could be fired at any time and has not felt any pressure from the Trump administration in his job.
He said he was “excited” about a new initiative by acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to crack down on fraud in taxpayer-funded programs.
“I saw things that made my head spin in terms of the amount of fraud that was going on,” Schimel said. “We’re going after big things and there’s going to be plenty to pick from.”
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Hope Karnopp can be reached at HKarnopp@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: GOP law allowing unlimited party donations is ‘terrible,’ Schimel says