National Money, Local Vote: A New Twist in Eau Claire Politics

The latest buzz in Eau Claire’s city council race shows that two big national groups have poured money into a local, nonpartisan election. One is the State & Local Election Alliance, and the other is the Working Families Party PAC. Together they have spent about $64, 545 on mailers, phone calls and online ads in the last month before the Tuesday vote. The money was aimed at supporting Jeremy Gragert, who is running against Scott Rogers for city council president. Neither candidate knew about the mailings until they were already in voters’ hands, and both have said there was no coordination with the outside groups. Under state law, independent committees can spend money for or against a candidate so long as they don’t share strategy. Rogers, however, expressed concern that national money is entering a local race. He said the issues in Washington and Madison are very different from what matters in Eau Claire, like zoning or school policy. He also noted that a negative ad about him came from the Working Families Party PAC, which tried to paint him as partisan.SLEA is a Washington‑D. C. based committee that has helped other Wisconsin city races this year, from Wausau to Green Bay. Their public mission is to support “democratic institutions” in under‑invested local races, but their own filings show they spent $62, 000 on Gragert alone. The group also uses a compliance firm in D. C. , a common practice for national campaigns that handles paperwork and record‑keeping. The Working Families Party PAC, based in Brooklyn, spent a smaller amount—just over $2, 500—on local mailers and Facebook ads. Their focus is on left‑leaning Democratic candidates, but they too are allowed to spend in nonpartisan contests as long as they keep their work separate from the candidates’ campaigns. Both groups are legal under Wisconsin and federal law, but voters can see exactly how much they spend and what messages they push. The public disclosure rules mean that while the committees can’t coordinate with candidates, the spending is still open for scrutiny. This mix of national money and local politics highlights how state races can become arenas for broader political battles.