According to campaign finance reports filed with the Wisconsin Ethics Commission, Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul has raised $1.1 million and spent $257,084 between Jan. 1, 2021 and Mar. 21, 2022. Kaul is currently ranked fifth in state-level donations in the 2022 election cycle.
Kaul is a member of the Democratic Party and assumed office in 2019. In Wisconsin, the attorney general is an elected position. The primary job of a state attorney general is to serve as chief legal adviser to the agencies and legislative organs that make up his or her state’s government, in addition to the citizens residing within the state. Kaul is running for re-election in 2022.
Kaul’s reported campaign finance activity, by quarter (2017-2021)
Source: Transparency USA
Contributions to Kaul
Of the $1.1 million already reported in the 2022 election cycle, 26.1 percent came from the top 10 donors.
Top Donors to Kaul (1/1/2021 – 3/21/2022)
| Rank | Total Amount | Donor Name | Donor Type |
| 1. | $44,000.00 | Democrat Republican Independent Voter Education DRIVE Federal | ENTITY |
| 2. | $44,000.00 | Operating Engineers 139 PAC | ENTITY |
| 3. | $44,000.00 | Wisconsin Education Association Council | ENTITY |
| 4. | $33,000.00 | WI Laborers District Council | ENTITY |
| 5. | $23,500.00 | IBEW Local 494 PAC | ENTITY |
| 6. | $22,000.00 | WI Pipe Trades Assn PAC | ENTITY |
| 7. | $20,000.00 | Elise Lawson | INDIVIDUAL |
| 8. | $20,000.00 | John C Miller | INDIVIDUAL |
| 9. | $20,000.00 | Ronald Abramson | INDIVIDUAL |
| 10. | $15,000.00 | Plumbers Local 75 PAC | ENTITY |
Expenditures by Kaul
Kaul reported $257,084 in expenditures, with 90.1 percent going to the 10 payees topping this list. “Payees” are entities or individuals listed as the recipients of campaign expenditures, and may include vendors, campaign accounts, and transfers.
Top Expenditures by Kaul (1/1/2021 – 3/21/2022)
| Rank | Total Amount | Payee Name | Payee Type |
| 1. | $88,000.00 | Sondra Milkie | INDIVIDUAL |
| 2. | $28,036.64 | Deepak Jonnalagedda | INDIVIDUAL |
| 3. | $23,636.37 | Ruth Posekany | INDIVIDUAL |
| 4. | $19,197.53 | Wells Print and Digital Services | ENTITY |
| 5. | $17,000.00 | Rising Tide Interactive LLC | ENTITY |
| 6. | $15,600.00 | Ngp Van Inc | ENTITY |
| 7. | $13,413.60 | Actblue Wisconsin | ENTITY |
| 8. | $10,964.69 | US Treasury | ENTITY |
| 9. | $8,841.74 | Paragon Payment Solutions | ENTITY |
| 10. | $6,900.70 | United States Postal Service | ENTITY |
How donations to Kaul compare to the same office in other states
Contributions vary widely among officeholders in the same role. A number of factors, including whether the position is appointed or elected, can influence donor activity. Here is how Kaul’s donations compare to the 10 other attorney generals with campaign finance data available from Transparency USA in 2022:
Across the U.S., 27 attorney generals are members of the Republican Party and 23 are members of the Democratic Party. Voters elect the attorney general in 43 states, while they are chosen by a state government organ in the other seven. In 2022, 30 states are holding elections for the position.
The data above are based on campaign finance reports that active Wisconsin PACs submitted to the Wisconsin Ethics Commission. 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.