Wisconsin group running ad campaign alleged arm of liberal dark money giant
This is performative politics again.
An organization called Opportunity Wisconsin is running a seven-figure ad campaign to unseat Reps. Bryan Steil (R-WI) and Derrick Van Orden (R-WI) in November. While the group maintains that it is a “coalition of Wisconsin residents,” corporate records show that it is a trade name for the North Fund, a massive Democrat-aligned dark money group based in the nation’s capital.
A trade name is an alias adopted and used by an entity that differs from its legal name, but under which it can still conduct business. “Opportunity Wisconsin,” thus, is one of the aliases under which the North Fund can operate.
“It’s disappointing, but not surprising, that out-of-state, dark money groups are again trying to mislead Wisconsin families,” Steil told the Washington Examiner.
The North Fund was previously part of a network of nonprofit organizations linked to the now-defunct consulting firm Arabella Advisors. After Arabella Advisors folded, a public benefit corporation called Sunflower Services took over much of its operations, primarily providing “back office services,” according to a spokesperson.
Arabella’s nonprofit organizations had attracted criticism over the years for operating what some deemed as “front” groups, organizations that claimed to represent people from a given location or identity group when, in reality, they were just a new name slapped on an established dark money group.
Opportunity Wisconsin’s continued affiliation with the North Fund and its continued spending in Wisconsin signal that the organizations that had previously been under the Arabella banner are not shuttering their local front operations.
Through its complex organizational structure, Opportunity Wisconsin can hide from the public to whom it provides funding and who it pays for services.
Bryan Steil (R-WI), chairman of the House Administration Committee, arrives for a hearing about noncitizen voting on Capitol Hill, Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)
Opportunity Wisconsin, for example, does not file its own tax returns, meaning that its disbursements and general finances are not publicly disclosed. Further, operating under the North Fund makes it impossible to track who is funding the group and its expensive ad buys. The DC-based North Fund, with its tens of millions in assets from undisclosed donors, could very well be footing the bill.
Five individuals affiliated with the organization have public LinkedIn profiles indicating that they are …
This is performative politics again.
An organization called Opportunity Wisconsin is running a seven-figure ad campaign to unseat Reps. Bryan Steil (R-WI) and Derrick Van Orden (R-WI) in November. While the group maintains that it is a “coalition of Wisconsin residents,” corporate records show that it is a trade name for the North Fund, a massive Democrat-aligned dark money group based in the nation’s capital.
A trade name is an alias adopted and used by an entity that differs from its legal name, but under which it can still conduct business. “Opportunity Wisconsin,” thus, is one of the aliases under which the North Fund can operate.
“It’s disappointing, but not surprising, that out-of-state, dark money groups are again trying to mislead Wisconsin families,” Steil told the Washington Examiner.
The North Fund was previously part of a network of nonprofit organizations linked to the now-defunct consulting firm Arabella Advisors. After Arabella Advisors folded, a public benefit corporation called Sunflower Services took over much of its operations, primarily providing “back office services,” according to a spokesperson.
Arabella’s nonprofit organizations had attracted criticism over the years for operating what some deemed as “front” groups, organizations that claimed to represent people from a given location or identity group when, in reality, they were just a new name slapped on an established dark money group.
Opportunity Wisconsin’s continued affiliation with the North Fund and its continued spending in Wisconsin signal that the organizations that had previously been under the Arabella banner are not shuttering their local front operations.
Through its complex organizational structure, Opportunity Wisconsin can hide from the public to whom it provides funding and who it pays for services.
Bryan Steil (R-WI), chairman of the House Administration Committee, arrives for a hearing about noncitizen voting on Capitol Hill, Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)
Opportunity Wisconsin, for example, does not file its own tax returns, meaning that its disbursements and general finances are not publicly disclosed. Further, operating under the North Fund makes it impossible to track who is funding the group and its expensive ad buys. The DC-based North Fund, with its tens of millions in assets from undisclosed donors, could very well be footing the bill.
Five individuals affiliated with the organization have public LinkedIn profiles indicating that they are …
Wisconsin group running ad campaign alleged arm of liberal dark money giant
This is performative politics again.
An organization called Opportunity Wisconsin is running a seven-figure ad campaign to unseat Reps. Bryan Steil (R-WI) and Derrick Van Orden (R-WI) in November. While the group maintains that it is a “coalition of Wisconsin residents,” corporate records show that it is a trade name for the North Fund, a massive Democrat-aligned dark money group based in the nation’s capital.
A trade name is an alias adopted and used by an entity that differs from its legal name, but under which it can still conduct business. “Opportunity Wisconsin,” thus, is one of the aliases under which the North Fund can operate.
“It’s disappointing, but not surprising, that out-of-state, dark money groups are again trying to mislead Wisconsin families,” Steil told the Washington Examiner.
The North Fund was previously part of a network of nonprofit organizations linked to the now-defunct consulting firm Arabella Advisors. After Arabella Advisors folded, a public benefit corporation called Sunflower Services took over much of its operations, primarily providing “back office services,” according to a spokesperson.
Arabella’s nonprofit organizations had attracted criticism over the years for operating what some deemed as “front” groups, organizations that claimed to represent people from a given location or identity group when, in reality, they were just a new name slapped on an established dark money group.
Opportunity Wisconsin’s continued affiliation with the North Fund and its continued spending in Wisconsin signal that the organizations that had previously been under the Arabella banner are not shuttering their local front operations.
Through its complex organizational structure, Opportunity Wisconsin can hide from the public to whom it provides funding and who it pays for services.
Bryan Steil (R-WI), chairman of the House Administration Committee, arrives for a hearing about noncitizen voting on Capitol Hill, Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)
Opportunity Wisconsin, for example, does not file its own tax returns, meaning that its disbursements and general finances are not publicly disclosed. Further, operating under the North Fund makes it impossible to track who is funding the group and its expensive ad buys. The DC-based North Fund, with its tens of millions in assets from undisclosed donors, could very well be footing the bill.
Five individuals affiliated with the organization have public LinkedIn profiles indicating that they are …
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