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Democrats Trying to Overturn Citizens United
Democrats and advocates at the Wisconsin Capitol are trying to overturn Citizens United in the state.
On Thursday they introduced a constitutional amendment that would say:
“Wisconsin's recent Supreme Court race has definitely shined a light on the need of getting money out of campaigns as much as possible,” Sen. Jeff Smith, D-Eau Claire, said. “And we could do that, other than the fact that our US Supreme Court took us down this path 15 years ago.”
The Citizens United decision ended bans on “corporate independent expenditures and electioneering communications,” and essentially declared that money is speech.
Since the Citizen United Decision in 2010, campaign spending by groups not tied to a particular candidate has exploded.
In Wisconsin that has meant back-to-back ultra-expensive races for State Supreme Court.
“Outside groups [spent] an estimated $57 million in this US Supreme Court race, over $100 million total being spent in this Supreme Court race,” Smith added. “Imagine what that money could do for the greater good?”
The Brennan Center reported last week that liberal judge Susan Crawford’s campaign almost out-spent conservative judge Brad Schimel two-to-one. Her campaign spent just over $28 million, while Schimel spent just over $15 million.
But outside groups supporting Schimel spent about $8 million more than the outside groups supporting Crawford.
Smith blamed Elon Musk, who he called a carpetbagger, but didn’t mention liberal billionaire George Soros support for Crawford, or the $1.5 million that Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, another billionaire, poured into the race.
The proposed amendment is almost certainly dead.
Republicans control the legislature, and the plan would have to pass twice before voters would ever see it.
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