Out-of-State Republican Voucher Money Supports Democrats Plale, Sanchez and Findley

What do school vouchers and mining equipment manufacturer Bucyrus International have in common?

Not much, unless you’re receiving campaign fliers from the pro-school-voucher group American Federation for Children (AFC) promoting state Sen. Jeff Plale as the alleged savior of 300 jobs at Bucyrus.

AFC is also sending out mailers and robo-calling residents in Plale’s district to smear his opponent in the Sept. 14 Democratic primary, Milwaukee County Supervisor Chris Larson.

Why should voters care? After all, other independent third-party groups have been sending out multiple pro-Larson or anti-Plale campaign materials for weeks on end. And Plale has been on the receiving end of thousands of out-of-state voucher dollars over the years, mostly from the ultraconservative Walton family, founders of Wal-Mart. (Plale has returned the favor by consistently supporting the voucher program and co-authoring the bill that would have allowed the Milwaukee mayor to take over the Milwaukee Public Schools.)

Voters should care about this out-of-state intervention because the Washington, D.C.-based American Federation for Children and its partner organization, Alliance for School Choice, are a “spinoff” of All Children Matter, the Michigan-based pro-voucher outfit that has sent out misleading mailers in legislative races all over Wisconsin since 2004. In 2006 alone, All Children Matter spent $1 million on phony issue ads, according to the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign.

At Least $57,000 Spent So Far

Nationally, AFC is headed by Betsy DeVos, the former Republican Party chair of Michigan. DeVos has lots of powerful connections. Her billionaire husband, Dick DeVos, headed Amway. Her brother, Erik Prince, founded Blackwater USA, the private military contractor. She has claimed that her family is the largest contributor of “soft money” to the Republican Party.

“I have decided, however, to stop taking offense at the suggestion that we are buying influence,” DeVos was quoted as saying. “Now, I simply concede the point. … We expect a return on our investment.”

While Plale’s race may be the most visible sign of AFC’s work in Milwaukee, the organization is also supporting Stephanie Findley, running for Rep. Annette “Polly” Williams’ former seat, and Angel Sanchez, running in the district that had been represented by Rep. Pedro Colon. Plale, Findley and Sanchez are all running as Democrats.

But you won’t find that information in a press release or on the websites for AFC or the three candidates.

You will find details about AFC’s local involvement, however, on records submitted to the state Government Accountability Board (GAB). According to the documents, AFC Action Fund has already spent $57,000 on independent expenditures for the three races. According to this document, AFC has spent $26,000 in support of Plale, $21,000 for Sanchez, and $9,000 to support Findley.

The money didn’t go directly to the candidates’ campaigns, though. More than $12,000 of that money has been paid to Chartwell Strategic Advisors for “consulting fees.” That company is headed by controversial former Republican Assembly Speaker Scott Jensen.

Jensen also is a senior adviser to AFC.

Jensen told the Shepherd he would not comment on AFC’s involvement in this fall’s campaigns.

In addition to the money for Jensen’s Chartwell Strategic Advisors, $15,000 was paid to the Valkyrie Group in Whitefish Bay, which is run by “self-described political hit man” Todd Rongstad, for canvassing. Rongstad has a long history of dirty campaigning. In 2006, the state Supreme Court affirmed a lower court decision against Rongstad for his work against state Sen. Julie Lassa. Rongstad was fined $65,000.

But the DeVos family isn’t limiting its intervention in these races to AFC. According to documents filed with the GAB on Tuesday, the Fund for Parent Choice, a pro-voucher outfit based in Milwaukee, has contributed $17,000 to various campaigns. Plale received $6,000, Findley got $3,600 and Sanchez netted $3,500.

Major contributors to this fund are Betsy and Dick DeVos, members of the Walton family, Alliance for School Choice board member William Oberndorf of San Francisco, and local voucher promoters George and Susan Mitchell, Howard Fuller and Deborah McGriff.

If history repeats itself, look for more voucher money to be spent during this final week of the campaign—after the Sept. 7 campaign finance report filing deadline.

Did Plale Save Jobs at Bucyrus?

While AFC is devoted to one single issue—boosting school voucher programs throughout the country—you won’t find that on the pro-Plale mailers. Instead, you’ll find testimonials about Plale’s effort to expand BadgerCare and his alleged work to save 300 jobs at Bucyrus.

The fliers point to a Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce study showing that a deal between the South Milwaukee-based Bucyrus and Reliance Power Ltd. would directly and indirectly support 300 workers in the region. The agreement had almost been killed when the U.S. Export-Import Bank decided not to provide loan guarantees for the deal. After intervention from Wisconsin elected officials, the deal was saved.

But did Plale really save these jobs?

While Plale and Republican South Milwaukee Rep. Mark Honadel did send out a press release demanding that the Ex-Im Bank move ahead with the deal, Bucyrus CEO Tim Sullivan singled out Sen. Herb Kohl, Gov. Jim Doyle and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett for their work on saving the deal. Sullivan never mentioned Plale’s efforts. That makes sense, too, because it’s a federal matter, far beyond Plale’s control as state senator. Even the AFC fliers don’t include any documentation of Plale’s work on behalf of Bucyrus, except for quotes from workers.