New Reports Reveal Huge Donations Before Recall

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Newly filed reports with the IRS show huge donations were flowing to groups active in the recall in the run-up to the June 5th election.

Just as Texas homebuilder Bob Perry gave $500,000 directly to Gov. Scott Walker’s campaign, he also gave another $500,000 to the Republican Governors Association. The RGA was one of the big players in the recall, running TV ads attacking Democrat Tom Barrett. It’s active in other states, too, but overall the group raised $16 million between the beginning of April and the end of June.

George Rapier of the Texas-based Wellmed Medical Management also gave a $500,000 to the group. Koch Industries gave $50,000 on top of the $1 million David Koch gave the RGA earlier this year. And Exxon-Mobil gave $400,000.

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The Republican Governors Association got its share of Wisconsin donations, too. The Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce gave the group nearly $440,000. Pewaukee-based American Transmission Company gave $100,000. And the Forest County Potawatomi gave $50,000.

The Democratic Governors Association was also active in the recall, receiving a mix of six-figure donations from corporations and labor unions. The DGA and the labor-funded group We Are Wisconsin transferred millions of their money to the Greater Wisconsin Committee, which spent roughly $6.5 million attacking Walker.