Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce (WMC) traces its roots back to the founding of the Wisconsin Manufactures Association in 1911. WMC’s current form emerged in 1975 through the merger of the Wisconsin Manufacturers Association, the State Chamber of Commerce (incorporated in 1929) and the Wisconsin Council of Safety (founded in 1923). WMC is the only state business association with the Chamber, Manufacturers Association and Safety Council in a single merged association.
In 1996, WMC came under fire for running campaign ads disguised as “issue ads” targeting State Senate Democrats. WMC's smear campaign broke the limits of campaign finance regulations in regards to independent expenditures and the definition of “express advocacy,” and the State Elections Board initially ordered the ads to be pulled from the air. WMC sued in response citing free speech infringement, and three years later, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled in WMC’s favor, while leaving open the option for future legislation to regulate issue ads. Subsequent court rulings over the McCain-Feingold Act and the Wisconsin Right to Life case have further defined constitutional regulations of independent expenditures, primarily concerning bills that would force full disclosure of funding sources for issue ads.
In recent election cycles, WMC has stepped up their funding of issue ads, with unprecedented expenditures focusing on the Wisconsin Supreme Court races. In 2007, WMC spent more than $2 million in support of Annette Ziegler at the same time attacking Ziegler’s opponent, Linda Clifford. Annette Ziegler went on to win the election. In 2008, WMC ran over $2 million in ads smearing the opponent of successful Supreme Court candidate Mike Gableman. Both have joined pro-corporate conservative majority to ignore precedent, deploy judicial activism and ignore glaring conflicts of interests to rule in favor of the WMC agenda.
Today, WMC claims to represent nearly 4,000 Wisconsin businesses employing more than 500,000 Wisconsin workers. Within the organization, WMC employs approximately 40 staff members and has a 48-member Board of Directors representing many different businesses around the state.
