A glance at who's donating to Wisconsin Senate recall campaigns

[PeaceNikki]

Republican candidates

Among significant individual donors, only one pair of power players shared the wealth equally among candidates. Louis and Michele Gentine, owners of Plymouth-based Sargento Cheese, each donated $1,000 apiece to Republican recall candidates Sen. Robert Cowles (R-Allouez), Sen. Luther Olsen (R-Ripon), Sen. Dan Kapanke (R-La Crosse), Sen. Alberta Darling (R-River Hills), Sen. Randy Hopper (R-Fond du Lac) and Sen. Sheila Harsdorf (R-River Falls) over a six-day period in June. Within that time period, recall challengers Rep. John Nygren (R-Marinette) — who fell two signatures short of the ballot — and Kim Simac also each received $2,000 from the Gentines.

Out-of-state donors William and Patricia Hume (an executive with Basic American Foods and a travel agent, identified as California residents) donated to all but three Republican candidates. The Humes donated $500 apiece in April to Cowles, Harsdorf and Kapanke, but they doubled that amount in their donations to Darling and Olsen. Hopper, Nygren and Simac, however, received no money from the California couple.

Hopper fared better with Ralph Stayer, president of Johnsonville Sausage, based in Sheboygan Falls, who donated $15,000 to Hopper's campaign in March. Hopper also received a sizable donation from Jere Fabick, president of Milwaukee-based Fabco Equipment, Inc., to the tune of $20,000. Stayer also gave $2,000 to Darling's campaign, and his sister, Launa, also with Johnsonville, made a $5,000 contribution to the Darling campaign. Fabick contributed $15,000 to both Darling's and Kapanke's campaigns.

Darling was, it seems, a darling of many donors' pocketbooks. Among donors who made significant contributions to several Republican candidates, Darling received much more than other candidates did in several cases. Ted Kellner, executive chairman of Fiduciary Management, Inc. in Milwaukee, gave $22,500 to Darling in March before following up with $2,500 contributions to Harsdorf and Kapanke in April.

Dan McKeithan, president of the Milwaukee-based Tamarack Petroleum Company, gave Darling $20,000 — a donation 16 times larger than his $1,250 contributions to Kapanke's and Olsen's campaigns. Michael Grebe, president and CEO of the right-wing Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, started his recall contributions by giving $5,000 to Darling in March. He followed that contribution with $500 to Olsen and $1,000 to both Cowles and Harsdorf in June.

More at link: http://www.thedailypage.com/daily/article.php?article=34206

[Yon_Yonson]

1. Wisconsin is FOR SALE and open for corrupt business

[HelenWheels]

2. Darling needs a new picture

She hardly bears any resemblance to the picture she puts up. It must have been taken 20 years ago.

[CatholicEdHead]

3. Outside of Milwaukee, the donors are close geographically

Between Plymouth and Sheboygan Falls.