Campaign finance requirements govern how much money candidates may receive from individuals and organizations, how often they must report those contributions, and how much individuals, organizations, and political entities may contribute to campaigns.
While campaign finance is not the only factor in electoral outcomes, successful fundraising can provide a candidate with advantages during a campaign. Fundraising can also indicate party momentum.
This article lists top fundraisers in the Wisconsin State Senate, overall and by party. It is based on campaign finance reports that officeholders in and candidates for the State Senate submitted to the Wisconsin Ethics Commission. It includes activity between Jan. 1, 2022, and June 30, 2022.
Top fundraisers in the Wisconsin State Senate by party
The top fundraisers in Wisconsin State Senate elections are shown below. Individuals are presented with the office that they are on the ballot for in 2022, if applicable.
In the Democratic Party, the top fundraisers in the most recent semiannual reporting period were:
- Jeff Smith (District 31) – $131,774
- Kelly Westlund (District 25) – $87,849
- Kristin Alfheim (District 19) – $51,958
- Mark Spreitzer (District 15) – $51,763
- Dianne Hesselbein (District 27) – $46,389
In the Republican Party, the top fundraisers in the most recent semiannual reporting period were:
- Roger Roth – $253,294
- Brian Westrate (District 23) – $144,057
- Patrick Testin – $135,668
- Rachael Cabral-Guevara (District 19) – $125,802
- Devin LeMahieu (District 9) – $73,804
Fundraising totals
Overall, Democratic officeholders and candidates raised $485,289 in this period. Republican officeholders and candidates raised $1.4 million. Combined, all State Senate fundraisers in the Jan. 1, 2022, through June 30, 2022, filing period raised $1.9 million.
The five largest Democratic fundraisers were responsible for 76 percent of all Democratic State Senate fundraising. The five largest Republican fundraisers were responsible for 53 percent of all Republican State Senate fundraising.
The table below provides additional data from the campaign finance reports from the top 10 fundraisers during this period.
| TOP 10 FUNDRAISERS – WISCONSIN STATE SENATE (Jan. 1, 2022, through June 30, 2022) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Party Affiliation | Raised | Spent |
| Roger Roth | Republican Party | $253,294 | $99,242 |
| Brian Westrate | Republican Party | $144,057 | $20,068 |
| Patrick Testin | Republican Party | $135,668 | $165,280 |
| Jeff Smith | Democratic Party | $131,774 | $29,175 |
| Rachael Cabral-Guevara | Republican Party | $125,802 | $33,466 |
| Kelly Westlund | Democratic Party | $87,849 | $18,187 |
| Devin LeMahieu | Republican Party | $73,804 | $117,258 |
| Howard Marklein | Republican Party | $71,641 | $22,624 |
| Brent Jacobson | Republican Party | $65,654 | $60,158 |
| Romaine Quinn | Republican Party | $59,657 | $17,752 |
Campaign finance reporting periods
The data above are based on campaign finance reports that candidate PACs submitted to the Wisconsin Ethics Commission. Candidate PACs represent individuals who have run for state or local office at any point, including past and present officeholders. This article does not include non-candidate PACs. Transparency USA publishes campaign finance data following major reporting deadlines. State or federal law may require filers to submit additional reports.
| Report Name | Report Due Date |
| 2022 Jan Semiannual | 1/18/2022 |
| 2022 Spring Pre-Primary | 2/7/2022 |
| 2022 Spring Pre-Election | 3/28/2022 |
| 2022 Jul Semiannual | 7/15/2022 |
| 2022 Fall Pre-Primary | 8/1/2022 |
| 2022 Sept Data | 9/27/2022 |
| 2022 Fall Pre-General | 10/31/2022 |
| 2023 Jan Semiannual | 1/7/2023 |
This article is a joint publication from Ballotpedia and Transparency USA, who are working together to provide campaign finance information for state-level elections. Learn more about our work here.