More than half the money poured into the Wisconsin recall elections in 2011 and 2012 came from undisclosed donors, according to a new report by the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign.
Nine Wisconsin state senators faced recall elections in the summer of 2011. This spring, the governor, lieutenant governor and four state Senate seats were also challenged in recall races.
Combined, 65 outside groups raised at least $90.4 million for campaign advertising and other electioneering activities, according to the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign's findings. An estimated $42.9 million was from undisclosed donors, and another $40.1 "was raised from donors difficult to track."
The groups ended up spending about $75.8 million on the recalls.
Chart by the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign:
The Wisconsin recall in June, which included the contest to get Gov. Scott Walker (R) out of office, was the most expensive in the state's history. Walker pulled in about $30.5 million -- two-thirds of which came from outside the state, while Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett (D) raised $4 million -- about 26 percent of that from outside of Wisconsin.
The Government Accountability Board, which oversees elections in Wisconsin, recently estimated that the recalls cost taxpayers more than $13 million.
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