MADISON, Wis. (WTAQ) - A 105-year-old state law against corporate spending for elections could fall by the wayside, now that the U.S. Supreme Court has struck down a similar law at the national level. Thursday’s ruling leaves the state law on the books. But Madison attorney Mike Wittenwyler says it probably cannot be enforced. And the Legislature or a lawsuit could strike it down for good. Experts say you’ll see a lot more spending as corporations buy ads for and against candidates – even though they still cannot give directly to their campaigns.
Jay Heck of the watchdog group Common Cause says the total spending for this year’s governor’s race could double to around $80 million. State Republican Party chairman Reince Priebus says campaign spending is going up even without Thursday’s ruling. And with certain limits gone, he says we might find out more about who’s really spending the money.
A bill passed by the State Senate on Tuesday requires special interest groups to tell who’s putting up the money for their issue ads within 60 days of an election. Wittenwyler says the bill could probably still be adopted – but it would have to be re-written to survive a court challenge.
