Wis. Dem Rakes In Money From Corporate-Funded PACS While Raging Against Corporate Money

Wisconsin Democratic Senate candidate Mandela Barnes this year has raked in thousands from corporation-funded political action committees, according to election finance records, even though he pledged to forgo campaign donations from registered corporate PACs.

Barnes, the state's lieutenant governor, said on April 12 that he hasn't taken "One dime in Corporate PAC $$." But he has accepted at least $15,000 in donations from leadership PACs funded by the Boeing Company PAC, Pfizer Inc. PAC, the Lockheed Martin Corporation Employees' PAC, and other corporate-connected committees-a campaign finance loophole that allows him to benefit from industry cash while still claiming to reject it.

In the first three months of 2022, Barnes accepted donations from at least five leadership PACs that receive corporate funding, including the Nutmeg PAC, the BRIDGE PAC, and the Congressional Black Caucus.

During the same time, these groups took in money from corporate PACs linked to Raytheon, Novo Nordisk, Exxon Mobil, and Capital One, among others.

The funding came after Barnes was reported to have taken corporate PAC money during his previous campaigns for state office, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Leadership PACs-which are connected to individual politicians-often accept money from these groups and steer it to other candidates, including ones who have promised to eschew corporate money.

"We're going to prove you can't buy a Senate seat and that you don't need corporate PAC money to win."

https://freebeacon.com/democrats/wisconsin-dem-rakes-in-money-from-corporate-funded-pacs-while-raging-against-corporate-money/