Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Typical fundraising consultants take an 8% to 15% commission on every dollar raised by the campaign. Did Rally Together LLC take a commission on the money raised for the campaign?

No. Rally Together LLC took a 0% commission on every dollar raised for the campaign.

Q: Typical media placement vendors take anywhere from 3% to 15% of media dollars spent. Did Rally Together LLC take any fees on media placement?

No. Rally Together LLC took a 0% fee on every dollar spent in media placement.

Q: What does this spending breakdown represent?

This chart shows all campaign disbursements made by Friends of Maria Lazar during the 2025–2026 reporting period, as filed with the Wisconsin Ethics Commission. It covers 112 transactions totaling $645,615.44 from January 2025 through March 23, 2026.

Q: Where does this data come from?

All data is sourced directly from campaign finance reports filed with the Wisconsin Ethics Commission (WEC) and is publicly available at ethics.wi.gov. The figures shown reflect the amended Spring Pre-Primary and Spring Pre-Election reports filed in April 2026.

Q: What was the largest spending category?

Media — TV, Broadcast, and CTV accounted for $392,326 or 60.8% of all spending. This covered television advertising, connected TV (streaming), and digital broadcast placements running in the final weeks of the campaign.

Q: What are the Consulting Fees?

Consulting Fees totaling $114,566 represent strategic media consulting, campaign management, and compliance services paid to vendors, including Rally Together and Aspect Consulting, throughout the campaign cycle.

Q: What is Rally Together?

Rally Together is a Milwaukee-based political media and advertising firm that served as the campaign's primary vendor for media buying, video production, digital advertising, fundraiser coordination, and printing.

Q: Why does the chart include a "Returned Contributions" category?

Campaigns are sometimes required to return contributions that exceed legal limits or are otherwise ineligible. The $10,680 in returned contributions reflects those refunds as reported to the WEC.

Q: Does this include outside spending?

No. This chart reflects only direct campaign disbursements from Friends of Maria Lazar. It does not include independent expenditures made by outside groups on behalf of or against the campaign.

Q: What reporting period does this cover?

The data covers the 2026 January Continuing report (activity from late 2025) and the 2026 Spring Pre-Primary and Spring Pre-Election reports, covering all activity through March 23, 2026.