Report: Foreign-Funded Dark Money Group Shelled Out $1 Million To Elect Wisconsin Leftist Susan Crawford
A left-wing dark money group bankrolled by foreign cash donated $1 million to an organization seeking to elect leftist Susan Crawford to Wisconsin’s supreme court, a new report reveals.
Campaign finance records first unearthed by Americans for Public Trust (APT) show that the Sixteen Thirty Fund gave $1 million to A Better Wisconsin Together Political Fund (ABWT) in early March. As noted by InfluenceWatch, ABWT is a “communications hub for left-of-center issues and advocacy in the state of Wisconsin.”
The organization’s political fund has spent $9.1 million backing efforts to elect Crawford, who is running against conservative Brad Schimel in Tuesday’s Wisconsin Supreme Court election, according to a March 27 Open Secrets report. The winner of the contest will determine the ideological make-up of the Badger State’s highest court, which is expected to consider several prominent issues in the years to come (congressional maps, abortion, election laws, and so forth).
A prominent dark money group central to Democrats’ election machine, the Sixteen Thirty Fund operates as a source of financing for leftist organizations involved in elections, ballot campaigns, and other causes. What makes the organization most notable, however, is that it’s received millions of dollars from a group bankrolled by a foreign national.
As noted in a 2024 APT report, the Sixteen Thirty Fund has received “hundreds of millions of dollars” from the Berger Action Fund, a 501(c)(4) organization funded by left-wing Swiss national Hansjörg Wyss. The analysis noted how the Sixteen Thirty Fund has used its funds (including those from Wyss) to “support massive get-out-the-vote drives, issue advocacy campaigns bolstering [then-]President Biden’s agenda, liberal pet projects from abortion to immigration, and attack ads against Republican lawmakers.”
In a statement provided to The Federalist, APT Executive Director Caitlin Sutherland said that Wisconsin voters “should be shocked and disturbed to learn that foreign-backed dark money is flowing into this hotly contested election.” She also called on lawmakers to close existing loopholes that allow foreign entities to exert financial influence in U.S. elections.
“With the latest reports revealing that the Sixteen Thirty Fund funneled at least one million dollars to support liberal Susan Crawford in her Wisconsin Supreme Court campaign, it has never been more crucial for lawmakers across the country to take action to stop foreign funds from influencing our politics,” Sutherland said.
As previously noted, the Sixteen Thirty Fund has gained prominent attention for dumping money into state ballot campaigns to back leftist causes. As The Federalist previously reported, “While federal law bans the acceptance and use of foreign money in candidate elections, such safeguards are not in place in many states when it comes to ballot initiative campaigns.”
In response to the Sixteen Thirty Fund’s ballot campaign activism, Republican lawmakers in numerous states have advanced legislation prohibiting foreign funds in such elections. Within the past few weeks, for example, Kentucky and Wyoming have adopted laws prohibiting foreign monies in state ballot campaigns.
Other states considering similar measures include Missouri, Kansas, and Indiana.
Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood
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