Dark Money in Wisconsin GOP Primary Divides Republicans

Dark money spent in the Aug. 13 GOP primary election has further divided grassroots from establishment Republicans in Wisconsin. A group of conservative Republican candidates are complaining that their political futures and reputations were harmed by a last-minute infusion of independent expenditures—known as dark money—into their primary election contests. An independent expenditure is money spent by an independent entity to advocate for or against the election of a candidate, without disclosing the names and addresses of the original donors. Collaboration with a campaign is against the law. Defenders of independent expenditures say the TV, radio, online, and direct mail advertising is voter education....