Advertisement According to the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, in the first six months of 2008 Johnson raised $67,381 while Kapanke raised $37,415. Kapanke, who lives on French Island has more in his war chest: $113,645 in his checking account compared with Johnson’s $55,753.
During the period January 2005 to June 2008, Johnson raised $67,381 and spent $12,938 and Kapanke raised $171,909 and spent $61,903.
Despite the lopsided 2008 numbers, Kapanke is comfortable with where he is. “I hope this race is more about issues and philosophy instead of how much money is being thrown at an election race,” Kapanke said.
He has only had two fundraisers in the past two years because of needs in the district. “Starting in August of last year with the flooding and in June of this year with more flooding, taking care of those issues has taken up a lot of my time,” Kapanke said. “For me to go out fundraising when there’s work to do doesn’t seem appropriate.”
“I’m very glad he’s out there doing that work,” Johnson said. “I’d be very disappointed in him if he wasn’t. I still think it’s very fair to enjoy my numbers. I think it’s pretty amazing the (amount of) money raised in contrast to the incumbent.
“The response as I go door to door has been great,” Johnson added. “And there’s lots of people helping out on the campaign.”
Assembly race
On the Assembly side, Rep. Mike Huebsch, a Republican from West Salem, has raised $50,246, 186 percent more than Democratic challenger Cheryl Hancock’s $17,553 in the first six months of 2008.
However, Huebsch seems to be spending his cash faster. From January 2007 to June 2008, Huebsch spent more than he raised. During that period, he raised a total of $150,693 and spent $154,419. Hancock raised $17,553 and spent $867. Huebsch’s checking account balance June 30 was $28,614, $11,928 more than Hancock’s $16,686.
Hancock said her campaign is almost halfway towards achieving its goal of fundraising.
“When I first started, I said, ‘We’re not raising money, we’re raising people.’ I’m talking to as many people as I can, raising their interests, their efforts and their willingness to step forward,” Hancock said. I have been very pleased by how people have received me on their doorsteps, at parades and out and about, and I am pleased by their comments. I feel like it’s anyone’s race.”
Hancock interprets the spending numbers to mean Huebsch, the speaker of the Assembly, is spending his time and money campaigning for other candidates outside his district. “We never anticipated raising as much money as Mike raises. It’s obvious he’s raising money, but he’s using it for candidates for other parts of the state. It’s very much the same as his activities this past year,” Hancock said. “He has paid a lot more attention to other areas of the state and traveled instead of being in his home district very much.”
Hancock said Huebsch’s statewide focus is one of the key issues in her challenge. “It’s up to the voters to decide if that’s how they want their representative to be using his or her time,” she said. “I want to spend my time representing the people of the 94th District.”
Huebsch, who said he thinks his fundraising is going very well, countered that is the argument held by other challengers he has faced as he has ascended in the Assembly GOP leadership.
“That is the traditional argument, but it never sticks,” he said. “Paying attention to your district for campaigns doesn’t typically happen in the first six months of a campaign. They can’t judge whether or not I’m attending to or neglecting my district.”
The truth, he said, is that he has been paying attention the whole time. “I have been out there. I can’t emphasize enough that whether or not I attend a certain event is not going to determine if I get re-elected. It’s whether or not you did the job between the elections that determines success,” Huebsch said. “You can’t neglect your district and get re-elected. Not by the margins I’ve had. The record I have is what people will vote on. I’ve been doing the job and talking to the people about what I see for the future and that’s what will get me re-elected.”
The Democratic challengers to the state Legislature are almost neck and neck with the incumbents in raising campaign contributions. According to the WDC, in the first six months of 2008, the two Republican incumbents, Huebsch and Kapanke, raised a combined $87,661. Democratic challengers raised a combined $84,934.
Political analyst Joe Heim said Huebsch is playing a risky game. “Speaker Huebsch has raised a lot of money, but he’s not spending it locally,” Heim said. “He’s playing a risky game; he’s gambling he can take time in the rest of state. If his district thinks he is not paying attention to them, it could backfire on him.”
Heim also noted Hancock is new at campaigning and might not have had enough time to get her name out there and build a base of financial support.
All the candidates said their campaigns will heat up in September.
“Right now people are making sure the family priorities are in order: the kids getting ready for school, getting signed up for community and sports. That’s what people are focusing on right now,” Huebsch said. “By late September and early October, it’ll be a different race.”
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