Tammy Baldwin campaign hits Leah Vukmir on ties to business-backed group ALEC

Bill Glauber | Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

In politics, the rush is always on to define your opponent.

So, there was little surprise Monday as Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin launched her first TV ad of the general election and sought to portray Republican rival Leah Vukmir as a captive of corporate interests.

The ad focused on Vukmir's ties to the American Legislative Exchange Council, where she is chairman emeritus of the board of directors.

The American Legislative Exchange Council works with corporations and conservatives to write model legislation that can be introduced in state legislatures throughout the country.

The ad hits Vukmir for accepting nearly $70,000 from ALEC members and claimed she "pushed their agenda in Wisconsin." The ad zeroed in on her sponsorship or co-sponsorship of several pieces of ALEC-inspired legislation on phone rates, nursing homes and paid family leave.

The ad ends with an announcer saying, "Leah Vukmir: She's not for us."

The Vukmir campaign immediately responded to the ad, hitting Baldwin hard for her campaign's reliance on out-of-state donations. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, 58% of contributions to Baldwin's campaign have come from out of state, while 31% of out-of-state contributions have funded Vukmir's campaign.

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Vukmir campaign manager Jess Ward said Baldwin, "can’t run on her own record, which explains why her first general election ad is negative and falsely tears down Wisconsin’s Leah Vukmir. On campaign donations: the vast majority of Two-Faced Tammy’s funds come from out-of-state, while Leah is supported by Wisconsinites who know Leah will fight for them."

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For her part, Vukmir does not shy away from her connections to ALEC.

"People who know me know how independent I am," she told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel last week. "My special interests are the people of the state of Wisconsin. If they're going to hit me for being a part of an organization that supports free markets, limited government and federalism, returning power back to the states, well that for me is the essence of what it means to be a conservative."

"These arguments will get old, they already are, they have been. The left is trying to bring that organization down and it hasn't worked. And I am certainly proud to have been a part of that organization because it embraces our conservative principles."

Vukmir added, "I stand for my beliefs and I can't be swayed just because somebody makes a contribution to me. I make it pretty clear that we won't always agree on issues. But one thing is certain. I will always be honest, I will tell you where I stand."