Where the money goes

Contributing writer Richard Winton digs into campaign spending ledgers in the race for governor. Among his findings: UW-Madison junior Kelli Thompson, daughter of Gov. Tommy Thompson, was paid $2,715 from her father's campaign chest for bookkeeping. And while Michelle Carrier, a consultant for Democratic challenger Tom Loftus, insists no such nepotism is occurring there, Winton finds that Carrier's niece, also a UW-Madison junior, was paid $3,975. "Presumably," he writes, "few contributors to either campaign realized their money would go to friends and relatives of campaign insiders." Most of the spending is for ads and consultant fees. Bill Hauda of Common Cause in Wisconsin blames Thompson for eschewing public financing, forcing other candidates to follow suit. "If we can't impose specific limits," he warns, "we will end up like Washington, D.C." Spending in the current race for Wisconsin governor is expected top $50 million. Winton is now a reporter for the Los Angeles Times.