SEOBLOGREEN - The money trail suddenly got messy. It is a story about big checks and a thin political group. The group is the Wisconsin Federation of College Republicans. They used to be quiet. They raised almost nothing for years. Then came the shock. A massive cash injection. More than a million dollars, total. Two wealthy donors wrote the checks. Richard Uihlein. His wife, Elizabeth Uihlein. Each gave a half-million dollars. One million dollars total, just like that. This happened late last year. December, to be exact. It was a massive haul, completely unlike their past fundraising efforts.
The timing is the issue. Not just the amount.
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The College Republicans' Sudden Wealth and the Tiffany Connection
The College Republicans quickly became a financial powerhouse. The Uihleins, owners of Uline, are known as two of the state's biggest GOP megadonors. Their money makes up more than 83 percent of everything the College Republicans have raised since 2009. This sudden, enormous wealth had an immediate destination. U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany's campaign.
Tiffany is running for governor of Wisconsin. He is a strong supporter of Donald Trump. The College Republicans endorsed him early. The very day he announced his candidacy. Then came the big transfer.
On December 30, the College Republicans sent a check. The amount was $83,000. It went straight to Tom Tiffany's campaign. This is where the smell starts.
An End-Run Around Campaign Prohibitions?
The College Republican group is a student organization. But in Wisconsin politics, they are now a funnel. A very large funnel. Critics say this maneuver is a clear way to sidestep campaign finance laws. It is a trick to get massive, billionaire money into a candidate's account.
How does it work?
A 2015 law opened a loophole. Republicans in Wisconsin pushed for it. It allows donors to give unlimited amounts to political parties. Those parties can then pass the money on to candidates. The initial goal was to benefit the GOP, who expected a financial advantage. But Democrats, with people like former Wisconsin Democratic Party chair Ben Wikler, also learned to use the loophole.
The state law has two prohibitions. One limits how much candidates can get from individuals. Another limits how much they can get from political committees. The College Republicans found a path. They became the conduit. They took the Uihleins' giant checks. Then they cut a smaller, yet substantial, check to Tiffany. This looks like an end-run around both limits. It smells of political maneuvering. The system is being gamed.
Young Democrats Raise the Alarm
The opposition is angry. The Young Democrats of Wisconsin issued a strong statement. They see this as an operation. A billionaire-funded political operation. They called it engineered from outside the state. Richard Uihlein's company is based in Illinois, though they are major Wisconsin figures. The message is clear: Wisconsin elections are being flooded. Flooded with "out-of-state billionaire money."
Jake Williams, the Wisconsin Young Democrats Chair, condemned it. "Let's be clear about what this is," he said. "It pushes an extremist agenda that benefits the wealthy few at the expense of everyone else."
It is a familiar fight. Money in politics. But the scale here is different. A student group raising a million dollars. That is not a bake sale. That is high-level political finance. The College Republicans raised a massive amount. The immediate result was an $83,000 boost to their chosen candidate. It shows the power of a single, giant check. The power of a deliberate financial pathway.
Tom Tiffany has his own massive war chest. He has raised more than $2 million since he started campaigning in September. The $83,000 from the College Republicans is a slice. But it is a slice that highlights a larger problem. The system is designed for loopholes. The system allows billionaires to shape the race. The candidates talk about being against big money. But they still take the checks. This cycle of complaining and accepting continues.
The smell is not from the money itself. It is from the way it moves. It is the odor of a system being exploited. The College Republicans now have a million reasons to be powerful. Their endorsement means cash. Their committee becomes a pipeline. The next election is only months away. This $83,000 transfer is a warning sign. It is a sign that the biggest players are already deep into the game. And they are playing to win, regardless of the smell.
Source: urbanmilwaukee.com
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