Romney Campaign Touted Support of Foundation Head Behind Voter Suppression Effort

MADISON, Wis. — The Romney for President campaign has touted the endorsement of Michael Grebe, saying in a press release that the head of the Milwaukee based Bradley Foundation, recently revealed as a funder of voter suppression billboards, is a “great supporter of conservative causes”.

One Wisconsin Now Executive Director Scot Ross commented, “Apparently the Romney campaign believes underwriting intimidating billboards, depicting people of color behind bars with the phrase ‘We voted illegally’, placed in minority communities qualifies one as a ‘great supporter of conservative causes’.”

A joint investigation by theGrio news service and One Wisconsin Now uncovered Milwaukee’s Einhorn Family Foundation was the “private family foundation” that anonymously funded voter suppression billboards in Wisconsin in September 2010 and again this year. A review of IRS documents also showed Milwaukee’s Bradley Foundation, headed by Michael Grebe, who was also serving as Scott Walker’s gubernatorial campaign co-chair, gave the Einhorn Family Foundation a $10,000 grant in fall 2010.

In subsequent reporting, Grebe admitted that the Bradley funds were used by the Einhorn Family Foundation to fund the voter suppression billboards.

Ross concluded, “Grebe’s support for these voter suppression efforts was reprehensible and Romney’s campaign will be no better if it fails to denounce them immediately.”