An empty high school classroom. (Dan Forer | Getty Images)
State superintendent candidate Brittany Kinser outraised her opponents — incumbent state Superintendent Jill Underly and Sauk Prairie Superintendent Jeff Wright — almost three times over with major contributions coming from conservatives and school choice proponents, according to recent campaign finance filings.
The primary for the state superintendent election is Feb. 18., and the top two vote getters will advance to the general election on April 1.
Kinser brought in a total of $301,316 during the pre-election period.
Republican mega-donors Elizabeth and Richard Uihlein, the billionaire owners of the Uline shipping supply company, Beloit billionaire Diane Hendricks and Bill Berrien, a potential GOP gubernatorial candidate and CEO of New Berlin-based Pindel Global Precision each contributed $20,000 to the campaign.
J.C. Huizenga, a Michigan businessman who founded National Heritage Academies, a for-profit education management organization that operates more than 100 charter schools in nine states, including Wisconsin, also contributed $20,000.
There were 11 donors total who gave the maximum contribution of $20,000.
Kinser also received $10,000 from Agustin Ramirez, founder of St. Augustine Preparatory Academy, a private K4-12 school that participates in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program.
The campaign received $5,000 each from Fred Young Jr., a conservative donor who once successfully sued to get rid of limits on how much people can donate in total to multiple candidates running for office, and Scott Mayer, a Republican businessman who considered running for the U.S. Senate in 2024.
Peter Bernegger, one of Wisconsin’s most prominent election conspiracy theorists, gave about $1,042 to the campaign.
The Milwaukee Republican Party contributed $2,500, Cory Nettles, former Secretary for the Wisconsin Department of Commerce under Gov. Jim Doyle gave $2,500 and former Assembly Speaker Scott Jensen gave $1,000.
Kinser reported spending $163,545, leaving her with $152,770.
According to Kinser’s late contribution report, her campaign has received $207,000 since Feb. 3. This includes $200,000 from the Republican Party of Wisconsin.
Meanwhile, Underly reported raising $81,773 in the pre-primary period.
The majority of that came from the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, which endorsed Underly in November. The party contributed a total of $50,000. The Washburn County Democratic Party also contributed $400 to the campaign.
The AFT-Wisconsin Committee on Political Education, which has also endorsed Underly, contributed $5,000 in the pre-primary period.
Underly has spent $37,974, and according to the report, has $79,124 left.
According to her late contributions report, the Democratic Party of Wisconsin has since contributed another $50,000 to the campaign.
Wright reported raising $38,269 during the pre-primary period and has spent about $16,233. He has $101,918 left according to the report.
His largest contribution during the period came from Dan Gavinsky, a general manager of Lake Delton business Original Wisconsin Ducks and Dells Boat Tours. He gave $2,000 to the campaign.
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