The Wisconsin Democracy Campaign announced Monday Governor-elect Scott Walker will hold ""welcome back parties"" for retired Midwest residents to encourage them to return to Wisconsin.
Walker said he would offer tax cuts to attract retired people to Wisconsin from states such as Florida and Arizona. This may be an attempt to expand the number of retired campaign contributors in the state, The Wisconsin Democracy Campaign said in a statement.
Walker was given nearly $600,000 in campaign contributions from retirees between January 2009 and September 2010. Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett received about $220,000 from retirees.
Republican gubernatorial candidates have received more funds than Democrats since the 1994 election, the statement said.
In 2006 and 2009, both Republican and Democratic retirees contributed significantly more than previous years. Before 2006, Republican and Democratic retiree funding was at a similar level, but Republican retirees have since expanded the gap by consistently raising more money than Democrats.
Republican candidates for state legislature also earned more in campaign donations than their Democratic opponents.
Retirees from both parties gave a total of $1.2 million to legislative candidates from January 2009 to September 2010, the statement said. This is more funding than any other special interest or occupational group contributed.
—Beth Pickhard
