Republican Michels puts $5 million more of own cash into governor’s race

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Republican Tim Michels has put in another $5 million of his own money in the race for governor against Democratic incumbent Gov. Tony Evers, bringing the total he’s spent on the race to nearly $16 million.

Evers raised $4.6 million over the same 37-day reporting period that ran from late July through the end of August, reports filed Tuesday with the state Ethics Commission showed. Evers has raised more than $26 million since last year, and about $15.7 million in 2022, on the race.

Michels co-owns Michels Corporation, the state’s largest construction company. He’s almost entirely self-financed his run for governor, raising only about $490,000 in donations.

Of the $4.6 million Evers reported raising, about $1.6 million came from the Wisconsin Democratic Party and more than $2.9 million came from individual donors.

Evers had nearly $6.2 million cash on hand entering September while Michels had almost $1.2 million.

The election is Nov. 8 and polls have shown it to be a tight contest.