Big Insurance, Big Oil, Big Banks Join FOX News in Financing $2 Million in Walker Negative Attacks

MADISON, Wis. — Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker’s long career of supporting big oil, big banks and big insurance has paid off with enormous contributions for the Republican Governors Association, which has raised $27 million in 2010 alone and has already purchased $1 million in attack ads in Wisconsin. Total spending by the Republican Governors Association to support Walker’s anti-middle class priorities will likely top $2 million this year.

“Scott Walker has long supported big oil, big banks and Wall Street and big insurance and they are returning the favor,” said Scot Ross, One Wisconsin Now Executive Director. “Fox News is just the latest to join Scott Walker’s attacks against middle class working families in Wisconsin.”

According to Internal Revenue Service records, the Republican Governors Association has raised just over $27 million in 2010. Among RGA’s top recent givers are oil and gas interests, health insurance and the financial industry, including $1 million from Koch Industries, the nation’s largest privately-held energy company, and $500,000 from Wellpoint, whose subsidiary has proposed a 24 percent hike for Wisconsin customers this year. [IRS.gov; Center for Responsive Politics; Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 3/13/10]

The Republican Governors Association has financed nearly $1 million in Wisconsin ads and has purchased additional time that will push the spending to well beyond $2 million in television ads alone.

Walker has fought on the side of insurance, oil and banks throughout his long political career to the detriment of working Wisconsinites, including:

• Walker opposes prohibiting insurance companies from kicking people off their insurance plans when they get sick or if they have a pre-existing condition, and allowing young adults to access their parents’ insurance plans until age 26.
• Walker opposes job creation through high speed rail and opposed the Clean Energy jobs plan to reduce dependence on oil.
• Walker opposes new accountability measures for the financial industries which helped drive the economic collapse and would open a corporate loophole allowing companies to hide their assets in other states – even though it would mean massive cuts to education, health care and police and fire fighters.

• [“Upfront,” WISN-TV; La Crosse Tribune, 11/24/2009; Wisconsin State Journal, 02/19/2010; Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 03/22/2010, 8/17/10]

“Whenever he has the choice, Scott Walker puts big oil, big insurance and big banks before the people of Wisconsin,” said Ross. “Now comes the payoff – $2-million in vicious, negative ads, paid for by Walker’s special interest cronies.”

More information about Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker’s long record of failure is available at: www.ScottWalkerFailureFiles.com.