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| Campaign for Real Change | |
|---|---|
| Name | Campaign for Real Change |
| Founded | 2016 |
| Founder | Diane Hendricks |
| Headquarters | Wisconsin |
| Ideology | Populism; Fiscal Conservatism |
| Position | Right-wing |
Campaign for Real Change
Campaign for Real Change is an American political organization founded in 2016 associated with conservative activism and electoral intervention. The group has engaged in issue advocacy, candidate support, and ballot initiative activity across several Midwestern states, attracting attention from national media outlets, think tanks, and political parties. Its operations have connected with business leaders, trade associations, legal firms, and polling firms in shaping state and federal contests.
The organization emerged after the 2016 United States presidential election amid realignments involving the Republican National Committee, the Tea Party movement, and activists linked to the GOP congressional leadership. Early backers included entrepreneurs with ties to Wisconsin industry and civic groups that had previously collaborated with Americans for Prosperity and the Club for Growth. Campaign for Real Change participated in post-2016 networks alongside groups referenced by the Federal Election Commission and monitored by the Center for Responsive Politics. Its activities intersected with advocacy campaigns against policies enacted by the Obama administration and in support of initiatives promoted during the Trump administration. Legal challenges and reporting connected the group to litigation involving the Supreme Court of the United States and state election laws in jurisdictions such as Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Ohio.
Campaign for Real Change articulates positions on taxation, regulatory reform, and labor policy, aligning with platforms promoted by groups such as the Heritage Foundation, the Cato Institute, and the American Legislative Exchange Council. It has campaigned for lower corporate taxation in line with legislation like the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 and supported deregulation efforts reminiscent of rule changes from the Environmental Protection Agency and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The organization opposed expansion proposals tied to the Affordable Care Act and advocated for alternatives discussed by legislators in the House of Representatives and the Senate. On judicial policy, it backed nominees to the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and engaged with groups that supported confirmations to the Supreme Court of the United States.
Leadership has included business executives, political operatives, and former staffers from offices such as the Governor of Wisconsin and members of Congressional leadership. The board reportedly comprised figures with affiliations to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Rifle Association, and state-level Republican committees. Campaign for Real Change contracted firms that previously worked for campaigns connected to personalities like Mitch McConnell, Kevin McCarthy, and Paul Ryan, and coordinated with consulting firms that served clients including the National Republican Senatorial Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee. Legal counsel included attorneys with experience at the Federal Election Commission and in litigation before the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
Tactics employed featured targeted advertising on platforms used by groups like Facebook, Twitter, and cable networks such as Fox News Channel and MSNBC, alongside direct mail campaigns in battlegrounds like Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Arizona. The organization used microtargeting techniques developed by political consultancies connected to the RNC Data Trust and polling firms that have advised campaigns for figures like Donald Trump and Ted Cruz. It funded get-out-the-vote operations, voter registration drives coordinated with state election officials, and ballot measure campaigns similar to efforts by Citizens United and Common Cause. Field operations included collaboration with county party committees, state legislative candidates, and issue coalitions modeled on those run by FreedomWorks and Americans for Prosperity.
While not itself a candidate, the organization's spending and endorsements influenced races from state legislative contests to federal campaigns, paralleling the impact attributed to groups such as America First Policies and the Crossroads GPS network. Analysts from think tanks like the Brookings Institution and the Hoover Institution have assessed its contributions to shifts in legislative majorities in statehouses including the Wisconsin State Assembly and the Michigan Legislature. Independent watchdogs including OpenSecrets and journalists from outlets such as the New York Times and the Washington Post have documented its role in close elections and recounts, noting correlations with outcomes in senatorial and gubernatorial contests.
Critics compared its tactics to those used by political action committees like Super PACs and cited concerns raised by advocacy groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union and Public Citizen regarding transparency and donor disclosure under the Federal Election Campaign Act. Investigations by state attorneys general in jurisdictions including Wisconsin and Michigan examined alleged violations related to campaign finance reporting and coordination with campaigns affiliated with figures like Scott Walker and Rick Snyder. Media investigations by outlets such as ProPublica and reporting in the Wall Street Journal scrutinized relationships between its funders and corporate boards, prompting debates in state legislatures and hearings before committees in the United States House Committee on Oversight and Reform.