MADISON, Wis. (AP) - State schools Superintendent Tony Evers raised 2 1/2 times as much money as challenger Lowell Holtz in the final reporting period before the April 4 election, even though Holtz received donations from deep-pocketed conservatives and Republican Party chapters across Wisconsin.
The race is officially nonpartisan, but Holtz has embraced conservatives while Evers has won the backing of Democrats, teachers unions and other liberal-leaning interests. The winner will run the Department of Public Instruction, which oversees education policy and administers the law to all 424 public school districts.
Evers’ campaign said Monday that he had raised nearly $218,000 from Feb. 7 through March 20, compared with $87,000 for Holtz. Evers also had more than twice as much cash on hand with nearly $75,000 to Holtz’s $30,000.
Evers’ financial advantage has allowed him to run television ads in the waning days of the race, while Holtz has yet to run a single TV ad.
Holtz filed his report on Sunday, while Evers’ campaign released top numbers Monday but had yet to file his full report showing who donated and how much. Evers has previously reported donations from county Democratic Party chapters across Wisconsin, the American Federation of Teachers, the Wisconsin Education Association Council and former Democratic U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl, who gave $5,000.
Holtz’s latest report shows he has received $25,000 combined this year from mega GOP donors Richard and Liz Uihlein, who founded Uline Corp. in Pleasant Prairie in 1980.
Holtz also got donations from 14 county Republican Party chapters as well as a $1,000 donation from the campaign committee of former Republican state Senate President Mary Lazich. Those donations totaled just over $13,000.
Holtz also received $2,500 from Terrence Wall, a Madison real estate developer and Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2010. The campaign returned the donation less than three weeks later. Neither Wall nor Holtz campaign spokesman Chuck Sanger immediately responded to messages asking why the money was returned.
Evers and Holtz will meet for a prime-time debate Friday night to be broadcast statewide by Wisconsin Public Television. They are also slated to appear together Tuesday at Marquette University and Wednesday at a meeting of the Madison Rotary Club.
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