Outside spending begins in Supreme Court race

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Outside groups have started pumping money into Wisconsin’s Supreme Court race.

According to a study by Justice at Stake and the Brennan Center for Justice released Tuesday, the conservative-leaning Wisconsin Alliance for Reform has spent at least $234,660 on a statewide ad buy supporting Justice Rebecca Bradley.

Justice at Stake and the Brennan Center for Justice calculated the spending using files television broadcasters have uploaded to the Federal Communications Commission. The researchers didn’t find any groups spending on behalf of Bradley’s opponents, Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Joe Donald and 4th District Court of Appeals Judge JoAnne Kloppenburg. The researchers did not look into how much Wisconsin Alliance for Reform may be spending on cable ads.

Outside groups have spent millions on the last three state Supreme Court races.