June 4, 2012

Gov. Walker Boosted By 11th Hour Donation From Joe Ricketts’s Son

Gov. Walker Boosted By 11th Hour Donation From Joe Ricketts's Son
Joe Ricketts pictured above. The Ricketts family is donating big to keep Scott Walker in office.

The Wisconsin gubernatorial recall election is coming down to the wire as embattled incumbent Republican Governor Scott Walker’s campaign is outspending Democratic challenger Tom Barrett’s campaign 10-to-1.

62 percent of Walker’s campaign funds are coming from out of state, much of it from corporate executives that likely want to see labor unions dealt a punishing blow.

One of the largest last-minute donations to Walker comes from Todd M. Ricketts, an investment manager at Ram Investments in Illinois. Ricketts donated a whopping $25,000 on May 31st.

Todd is the son of Joe Ricketts, the multi-millionaire owner of the Chicago Cubs who reportedly considered launching a $10 million smear campaign against President Obama focusing on Obama’s ties to the Reverend Jeremiah Wright.

A further review of campaign donations shows that several members of the multimillionaire family donated to Walker’s re-election, chipping in $140,000 between January and March:

Gov. Walker Boosted By 11th Hour Donation From Joe Ricketts's Son

If Walker wins tomorrow, it may largely be because of the immense amount of cash he spent, much of it from out of state multimillionaires like the Ricketts family and other special interests.