The Racine County GOP, in an emergency meeting, suspended the membership of Republican write-in candidate Adam Steen, the day before the Assembly election.
The state Party’s chair Paul Farrow previously told WRN the party would investigate county parties’ funding of Steen’s write-in campaign against Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos.
“The Racine GOP has suspended Adam Steen’s membership pending a full investigation of possible campaign finance violations,” the Racine County GOP said in a statement on Nov. 7, 2022.
The action comes after an exclusive Wisconsin Right Now report about the behavior of three northern Wisconsin county parties. The Racine Journal-Times then write a story that cited WRN’s reporting.
The chair of the Langlade County GOP in northern Wisconsin is on audio saying he wants to “wash” money through a county party from Donald Trump’s Save America PAC to Steen. The chair told Wisconsin Right Now he should have used another word and denies that Save America and other out-of-state donors, including MyPillow’s Mike Lindell, earmarked donations for Steen, which is illegal under Wisconsin law. Thousands of dollars from such out-of-state donors have flowed into rural Langlade County’s GOP. Langlade has funneled thousands of dollars to Steen’s campaign, and Chippewa County gave him an in-kind donation.
In lengthy conversations, Steen and the chairs of the Langlade and Chippewa Co. GOP spoke about Save America and Steen’s funding. State Rep. Janel Brandtjen is also heavily involved in Steen’s campaign, according to the recorded phone calls.
Save America, in late August, gave three county parties $5,000 each: Langlade, Chippewa, and Florence Counties. Florence County, which has not filed a campaign finance report, gave the same amount a short time later to Langlade County.
Chippewa County sent the Save America money back after some members, including Paul Farrow’s brother Peter and former AG candidate Karen Mueller, raised concerns about the legality of it.
Steen lost to Assembly Speaker Robin Vos in the Republican primary, but he is running as a write-in candidate today in the local Assembly race.
You can read the full report and listen to the audio here.
