ICYMI: Two out-of-state donors give 373 separate campaign contributions to U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Two out-of-state donors give 373 separate campaign contributions to U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson
By Daniel Bice
November 23, 2021

Key Points:

• Federal records show Taft, 77, made 304 donations to the two-term Republican senator between October 2020 and June 2021.

• Even after Johnson’s campaign had issued 179 refunds to Taft, she gave $6,076 to the Wisconsin senator during that time span — more than twice the legal limit of $2,900 per election. But Taft wasn’t the only profligate GOP donor to Wisconsin’s senior senator.

• Lynne Archer of Sugar Land, Texas, made 69 contributions to Johnson between October 2020 and June 2021, prompting his campaign to refund cash to her nine times. In total, Archer, 74, made donations totaling $16,457 to Johnson in less than a year.

• These donations were among many flagged by the Federal Elections Commission in a letter to Johnson’s campaign on Aug. 31.

• In all, federal regulators identified more than $42,000 in excessive donations from 14 individuals and three groups to Johnson’s campaign in an Aug. 31 letter.

• “Please be reminded that all refunds, redesignations and reattributions must be made within 60 days of receipt of the contribution,” wrote Ryan Furman, a senior campaign finance analyst for the FEC.

• Democrats said Johnson had not moved quickly enough in dealing with the excessive donations. “Ron Johnson is doing what he always does: looking out for himself, no matter the consequences,” said Philip Shulman, spokesman for the state Democratic Party.

###