by Benjamin Yount, The Center Square, May 5, 2022
(The Center Square) – The Democratic Governors Association on Wednesday pledged $75 million for ad buys on behalf of reelection efforts for seven Democrat incumbent governors.
Tony Evers’ reelection campaign gained $21 million in Wisconsin. The group is also promising to spend $2.5 million to reelect New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham; $4.5 million to reelect Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz; $5 million to reelect Colorado Gov. Jared Polis; $5 million to reelect Maine Gov. Janet Mills; $10 million to reelect Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak; and $23 million to reelect Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
“The DGA is all-in to protect our incumbents. As the fight to defend our democracy and fundamental rights shifts to the states, ensuring Democratic governors are in office is more vital than ever,” DGA Executive Director Noam Lee said.
The DGA is a private fundraising group dedicated to providing money just for Democratic governors across the country. It is not made up of any actual, sitting Democratic governors.
Wisconsin is one of the seven races that DGA is watching and funding.
The $21 million from the DGA is on top of the $10 million Gov. Evers already has on hand in his reelection war chest.
In January, Evers bragged that his $10 million is “twice as much as what Scott Walker had on-hand at this point in both 2014 and 2018 ahead of his re-election campaigns.”
It is also more than the $3.3 million that former Republican Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch reported raising back in January. Candidate Kevin Nicholson hasn’t said how much money he’s raised, but mega-donor Richard Uihlein has promised to spend what it takes for Nicholson in the Republican primary.
The newest Republican candidate, Tim Michels, is a multi-millionaire construction magnate and has promised to self fund his campaign. He jumped into the race last week with a $1.5 million ad buy.
The Republican Governors Association has promised to spend $6.2 million in Wisconsin this fall.
RGA spokeswoman Maddie Anderson said in a statement that “no amount of cash will distract Wisconsin voters from Tony Evers’ disastrous record.”