Former Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson is set to announce his Senate bid today, though his choice of venue for the big reveal may raise eyebrows.
That’s because Thompson will be announcing his run at a company owned by one of 29 campaign donors who have been cited for allegedly exceeding the annual $10,000 limit on campaign contributions in 2010.
Earlier this month, the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign produced a report targeting donors to both Democrats and Republicans. The organization alleges Weldall Manufacturing President David Bahl of Waukesha donated $11,580 to various campaigns. And guess where Thompson will be announcing his bid?
Since mid-November, when WDC released their report, ten of the donors mentioned have paid fines, a further 13 filed sworn affidavits stating campaign committees overstated their contributions, yet another four, including Thompson’s pal Bahl, have yet to see their cases resolved.
The report alleged that the bulk of Bahl’s contributions went to Republicans, though a $500 contribution was reportedly granted to Democrat Jeff Plale, who lost his re-election bid to the State Senate in 2010 for being “too conservative”.
In the current climate , deflecting attention on the corporate money-in-politics issue doesn’t seem that wise.
Doors for the Thompson announcement open at 5 p.m. He’ll be challenged for the Republican nominee by State Senator Frank Lasee, Mark Neumann, John Schiess, and State Representative Jeff Fitzgerald. At the time of writing, Tammy Baldwin is the only announced candidate for the Democratic ticket.
