Candidates and outside groups shelled out nearly $36 million during last fall’s races for the state Legislature.
The Wisconsin Democracy Campaign says the total is 27 percent higher than the old record of more than $28 million from 2016.
Executive Director Matt Rothschild found that outside groups spent $12.2 million and that was up 36 percent. He says there should be transparency in the electoral system so people know what forces are behind the ads.
The total for Democratic outside groups was more than $6.7 million. It was almost $5.5 million for Republican ones.
