To the editor,

Why would three billionaires donate $24.2 million to fund Wisconsin’s governor race? Answer: a BIG return on their investment. Do we really want to be the reason three billionaires get even richer while so many of us in Wisconsin are struggling to access and pay for healthcare, groceries, gas, and other vital goods and services? I don’t, and I certainly don’t believe the lie that when billionaires make money, it trickles down to everyday Americans. 

Campaign laws are supposed to prevent special interest donors from monopolizing campaign funding, but they found the loophole. Even though Wisconsin state law says an individual can only give a candidate up to $20,000, donors can still give unlimited sums to state parties, who in turn can pass that money along to individual candidates. 

Those three billionaires: Diane Hendricks, Richard Uihlein, and Elizabeth Uihlein, donated $27.6 million to Wisconsin Republicans in the latest reporting period, and they used the loophole to channel 92% of that ($24.2 million) directly into Tricky Tom Tiffany’s gubernatorial campaign. Billionaires spend their money for one reason: to make more money, and they are hoping their most lucrative investing will grow even bigger on the backs of hard-working Wisconsinites: you and me. The roughly $2 million that came from individual donors will mean little to Tiffany because his campaign is not powered by the people and does not have Wisconsities’ best interests at heart. 

David Crowley, on the other hand, raised $10.2 million over the same time period, with over $6 million coming directly from people like you and me, the working people of Wisconsin. We care about what Wisconsin wants and not what big business and corporate greed will demand. Elections shouldn’t depend upon who has the most money. Instead, they should best represent the people. 

Wisconsin has a choice on Nov. 3. Only one candidate, David Crowley, will watch out for Wisconsin’s interests. Tom Tiffany, however, has three billionaires expecting him to look out for their interests first. Wisconsin’s governor should answer to Wisconsin’s people. Vote like it matters, because it truly does!

Laurie Harmon

Hudson