Could we see an election more costly than the $100 million spent on the Wisconsin Supreme Court race last spring? Depending on how a United States Supreme Court case is ruled next fall, it could be possible.
Earlier this week, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear a case brought to it by Vice President JD Vance that could reverse a 2001 decision limiting how much political parties could spend on advertising and messages in coordination with a candidate running for federal office. The decision came nine years before the Citizens United ruling that granted corporations, unions, and other organizations the same First Amendment rights as individuals. Republicans say too much money is going toward political action committees (PACs) that have benefited candidates on both sides of the aisle, but have put the influence in different places. According to OpenSecrets.org, the conservative-leaning Make American Great Again Inc. and the liberal-leaning WinSenate PACs raised a combined $723.6 million for the last election. Democrats argue that the U.S. Supreme Court should honor the 2001 precedent.
Common Cause Wisconsin Executive Director Jay Heck believes that a decision favoring Republicans would pump even more money into politics as a whole, which he says could erode trust in the candidates at the federal and state levels.
Heck adds that the ideal situation occurred for about two years in 2009 when state judicial candidates agreed to a $400,000 spending cap in exchange for full public financing of their campaign, eliminating the need for the candidates to fundraise. He already expects another record amount of money to be spent on the 2026 Wisconsin State Supreme Court race.
