How Millions From George Soros Fueled Democrats’ Court Victory in Wisconsin
An examination of campaign finance disclosure forms carried out by the Washington Free Beacon has revealed that George Soros, a left-wing billionaire and his network of activist groups, contributed millions of dollars towards Janet Protasiewicz’s bid to win a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. The amount of money that Soros pumped into Protasiewicz’s campaign totaled at least $2.8 million, marking a quarter of all outside spending on what was the most expensive state supreme court race in history. Additionally, Soros donated $1 million personally to the Democratic Party of Wisconsin on Feb. 22, which in turn, facilitated further funding for Protasiewicz’s campaign in the final weeks running up to the election.
Soros has reportedly given away more than $12 billion to various charities and political causes. Over the past decade, both Soros and activist groups that he funds have allegedly spent over $40 million financing the election of left-wing prosecutors nationwide, a move critics say plays a partial role in the country’s increasing crime rate. Soros has been heavily focused on reforming the nation’s legal system for many years, with a recent example being the Open Society Foundation which doubled its funding for Demand Justice earlier this year. Demand justice is a left-wing activist group that seeks to revamp the Supreme Court. Soros’s investment in Wisconsin marks his first major venture into a state supreme court race.
Protasiewicz’s win over conservative jurist Daniel Kelly now gives liberals their first majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court in the last 15 years. Soros’s spending is expected to bring a solid return on investment, with the new majority court expected to weigh in on several controversial issues that include “right to work,” abortion access, the state’s legislature map, and voter ID laws.
A good number of the outside groups that supported Protasiewicz had Soros-funded non-profits as their largest backers. For instance, the Better Wisconsin Together Political Action Fund, which spent $6.2 million on ads supporting Protasiewicz, received $1.6 million from the State Victory Action in early 2023. State Victory Action, in turn, obtained $1.6 million from the Soros-funded Democracy PAC in 2022. Prostasiewicz’s campaign spending was approximately $6 million more significant than her opponent in the $45 million contest, representing the most expensive state supreme court in history.
The Wisconsin Conservation Voters Independent Expenditure Committee, which spent $1 million supporting Protasiewicz, was bankrolled primarily by the Soros-funded nonprofit America Votes. Soros’s Open Society network contributed a combined $40.4 million to America Votes from 2017 through 2021. America Votes routinely channels funds to its associated Action Fund, such as in July 2022 when the group transferred $2 million to its political arm. Subsequently, the America Votes Action Fund allocated $447,500 to the Power to the Polls Action Fund in March, enabling the latter to spend over $540,000 on mailings, canvassing, and ads in support of Protasiewicz.
One group that Soros didn’t finance was the Organizing Empowerment PAC, whose funding source was a topic of controversy. The group spent $532,500 to mobilize voters for Protasiewicz but failed to disclose any donors to the Wisconsin Ethics Commission. In a March 14 complaint to the Wisconsin Ethics Commission, the Republican Party of Wisconsin claimed the PAC’s failure to reveal its supporters was part of an illegal campaign to elect Protasiewicz. Kelly echoed that allegation in his concession speech, calling the campaign “the most deceitful, dishonorable, despicable campaign he had seen to run for courts.”
The majority of individuals who funded Protasiewicz’s campaign did not devote as much money as Soros, who is a continuous target of Republican criticism. Recently, Soros’s role in financing the Democratic Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg has come under scrutiny. Bragg charged former President Donald Trump with 32 felonies over alleged hush money payments to adult-film actress Stormy Daniels. Several legal observers from different political affiliations have criticized Bragg’s case as flimsy and politically motivated.
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