Wisconsin Dems Rely on Front Group To Attack Republican Incumbent While Decrying Dark Money

A "Coalition of Wisconsin residents" that has been running TV attack ads against Sen. Ron Johnson is a front for a massive dark money group based in Washington, D.C., according to corporate registration records.

On its website, Opportunity Wisconsin bills itself as a "Coalition of Wisconsin residents fighting for an economy that works for all Wisconsinites, not just the wealthy few" and touts a steering committee composed of state-level progressive activists.

The North Fund's prominence in the competitive Wisconsin race shows the Democratic Party's increasing reliance on dark money groups, even as Democratic candidates claim those groups invite corruption and give the wealthy and corporations outsized influence over elections.

President Joe Biden vowed to crack down on dark money spending during his campaign, while raking in more than five times as much anonymous funding as President Donald Trump in 2020.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi claimed that dark money TV spending amounted to "Voter suppression" and argued that "Dark money has been an obstacle to progress for America's working families" in a speech last year.

Johnson's campaign spokesman Jake Wilkins slammed the group as a "Poorly built front for dark, liberal Democrat money" and claimed it has been "Running ads misleading Wisconsin voters about Ron Johnson's personal finances and his successful record on tax reform."

Wisconsin lieutenant governor Mandela Barnes, the frontrunner in the state's Democratic Senate primary, has repeatedly decried anonymous political spending, saying in February that "Dark money has no place in democracy."

https://freebeacon.com/democrats/wisconsin-dems-rely-on-front-group-to-attack-republican-incumbent-while-decrying-dark-money/