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Almost as if it were a holiday present to us, the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board updated the campaign finance database with receipts from anti-Walker forces late last month. So as promised, I made a new interactive graphic to pair with my Dec. 20 visualization of Gov. Scott Walker’s support in 2011. The link is below.

A few things to note:

  • The Democrats and United Wisconsin (the two biggest groups in favor of recalling Walker) took in much less money overall than the governor. As a reminder, Walker can take unlimited donations for recall-related expenses, while the Dems need a candidate to start doing that.
  • Their biggest donors are much smaller than Walker’s biggest donors. That guy in Texas donating $250,000? So far, there’s no Dem equivalent.
  • They seem to have a much bigger proportion of small donors. It’s hard to say how many, because they’re unitemized (legally) in campaign finance filings.
  • Anti-Walkerites got a big chunk from out of state, just like Walker. (However, we’d caution that comparing Democratic party contributions to Walker’s receipts isn’t apples-to-apples. Below, we excluded contributions to the party from other political committees — such as county Democratic parties — so we could look at the individual dollars.)

You can view the graphics of pro-Walker and anti-Walker contributions here:

Click to explore contributions for and against Scott Walker by zip code and state.” credit=” 

And here’s a link to our story by Bill Lueders that sparked these graphics.
Out-of-state donors play growing role in supporting — and opposing — Walker Dec. 16, 2011

The nonprofit Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism (www.WisconsinWatch.org) collaborates with Wisconsin Public Radio, Wisconsin Public Television, other news media and the UW-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication. All works created, published, posted or disseminated by the Center do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of UW-Madison or any of its affiliates.

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Kate Golden, multimedia director and reporter, specializes in environmental stories and data visualizations.

4 replies on “Mapping Walker’s opposition, in and out of Wisconsin”

  1. On your individual blue/red maps, you note that 51% of total $ raised for the Dems was from out of WI. Why is there no similar graphic for the Rep totals?

    1. Hi Roxann: Mostly because I did the second one after the Walker map — so it has a few improvements. 🙂 As you can see in the headline on the Walker state map (and Bill’s related story), Walker raised nearly half of his funds from out of state. -Kate

  2. If Wisconsin US attorney was a honest honorable person not a Protection Rackeet for his fellow republicans. Walker would be in a federal penn. A federal judge in Milwaukee in 1/2001 ordered Milwaukee county to rehired all the people Walker fired. The judge stated Walker mislead the county board on everything. The judge basicily stated Walker commit a few dozens of crimes and without any doubt abused his power. The judge stated Walker created a FALSE emergency. The judge detailed Walkers crimes. This has cost the state how many millions? Why is US attorney John Vaudruel protecting Walker and allowing him to continue his reign of terror on the seniors, poor, and or future our children. Is Vaudruels agenda protecting his GOP pals more important than our children? John stop your protection rackeet.

  3. Oh so proud to be a Wisconsin private-sector union member…whose UNION BOSS GOOCH McGOWAN SUPPORTS WI GOV WALKER!!! And when I say I’m proud…NOT. When I say local 139 (all of Wisconsin), International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) union boss Gooch McGowan supports Walker…TRUE!!!

    Union members, need proof that the union top 1%ers do a great job of representing …their own self interests, look no further than this “leader”. While the rank-and-file bottom 99% of local 139 (of which I am one) are losing their homes, vehicles and families, boss McGowan and the six figure paid union staff that he alone chooses and are completely beholden to him (see 139 bylaws via the Dept of Labor) enjoy fulltime work (in a seasonal business), six figure a yr salaries(McGowan’s comp about $250,000 yr), 2 pensions, assigned free union vehicles, union credit card, full platinum medical benefits, free or virtually free medical retirement benefits etc, etc, etc. all paid for from my union member taxes (union dues).

    So, this guy, this WI union boss Gooch McGowan, supported Republican anti-union Walker for Governor and continues to support Walker despite some barely perceptable anti-union actions by Gov Walker.

    Well, sure there have been those anti-union speeches and actions Walker made for at least 15 years as a WI legislator and Milwaukee County Executive. And OK, there’s all that anti-union money supporting Walker from the Koch brothers. Yes, I haven’t forgotten Walker and his fellow Republican legislators are following the Koch controlled ALEC anti-union agenda. And, I guess you might have to look at Gov Walker promoting, and signing public-union Right to Work for Less legislation. But when deciding whether to support and or continue to support Walker, I’m not sure you should include Walker’s closest aides illegal activities rarely mentioned local, state or national media reporting. And there is absolutely no truth to… well, OK it is true that boss McGowan was appointed by Gov Walker to the WI Unemployment Board of the Dept of Workforce Dev. But McGowan’s appointment couldn’t have been a quid pro quo, could it? BTW, a McGowan lacky trying to correct me, insisted that Walker didn’t appt McGowan, Walker’s paid staff member did. I see the distiction, don’t you? ‘Cause you know, this staff member who works for Walker, doesn’t, well, work for Walker.

    After carefully considering the last paragraph, how can you possibly condemn a union boss like Gooch McGowan who carefully examined the record, thoughtfully defies the rule of union solidarity. No need to even ponder, that this commentor has 13 outstanding, unanswered requests to the head of the AFL-CIO, Richard Trumpka, requesting info on why MY UNION DUES ARE BEING USED TO BOTH SUPPORT and ATTACK WI Gov WALKER.

    I suppose I should sleep good at night knowing that my union dues are being spent wisely, but I just can’t seem to detach myself from reality long enough to nod out.
    tellfred
    tellfred.com

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