Communist China Poised to Swing Wisconsin Governor's Race?
Suspected foreign agents burrow into critical swing state
Perhaps the most important swing elections take place this year in Wisconsin—and Communist China could determine the winner. An analysis of financial records by Restoration News warns: Wisconsin's gubernatorial election and its key congressional races this year could be vulnerable to foreign influence.
Political action committees and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) connected to climate activist groups have already made their presence felt in the state—and many of them get their marching orders from Beijing.
If they double down with contributions this fall, pressure groups working to destroy American domestic energy production could prevail.
China Aligned Greens Gain Early Foothold in Wisconsin
The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), the Sierra Club, the League of Conservation Voters (LCV), and the Center for Biological Diversity are among the nonprofit groups politically active in Wisconsin that have come under congressional scrutiny over their close ties to hostile foreign governments. They are sufficiently well-endowed to make a difference in competitive races.
How much money are we talking?
Influence Watch shows that the groups in question typically have hundreds of millions of dollars in assets. But that's only part of the story.
After researching the top 10 environmental activist groups operating in the U.S. and comparing them against the top 10 free market groups on Grok, Craig Rucker, president of CFACT, a free market environmental outfit, found that on an annual basis the green groups had about $4 billion at their disposal to pursue their climate agenda versus only about $200 million for groups pursuing free market environmental policies.
The NRDC Action Fund endorsed Mandela Barnes, the former Democrat lieutenant governor, in his bid for governor. Barnes has since dropped out of the primary, leaving the field wide open to State Rep. Francesca Hong, a proud member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), who will likely win Tuesday's primary.
Hong's campaign website shows she marches in lock-step with the anti-energy agenda of green pressure groups like the NRDC and others. She supports policies that would make Wisconsin "carbon-neutral" by 2050. She also favors the use of "purchase rebates" to spur the purchase of electric vehicles, and the creation of a taxpayer-funded state "green bank" designed to attract investment into green energy. Parroting the extremist talking points will certainly help Hong attract financial support from China's U.S-based allies in the climate movement.
The Sierra Club already has a long history of backing Hong and has supported her previous state legislative campaigns. She received a perfect 100 percent legislative rating from Wisconsin Conservation Voters, an LCV state affiliate. Other notable climate activist groups supporting Hong include Friends of Earth Action, a 501(c)(4) political and lobbying arm of Friends of the Earth, and the Jane Fonda Climate PAC named for the far-left Hollywood actress of "Hanoi Jane" fame. There are all kinds of interlocking connections with the climate movement in Wisconsin and other swing states. The Center for Biological Diversity, for instance, has donated to Jane Fonda's PAC. This is typical of the progressive non-profit world that spreads funds between state and federal "charities," mostly in the dark.
Congressional Investigations Highlight Potential FARA Violations
Members of Congress have launched numerous investigations into nonprofit green advocacy for their close ties to China and Russia. Most recently, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, chair of the Senate Subcommittee on Federal Courts, Oversight, Agency Action, and Federal Rights, held a hearing titled "Enter the Dragon — China and the Left's Lawfare Against American Energy Dominance" in June 2025. The hearing focused attention on the Energy Foundation China, a grantmaking institution previously affiliated with the Energy Foundation, a left of center outfit based in San Francisco. The hearing also exposed the activities and foreign ties of the NRDC, the Sierra Club, the League of Conservation Voters, the Rocky Mountain Institute in Colorado, and the World Resources Institute in Washington D.C.
Previous congressional investigations into the collusion between green groups and America's strategic competitors have raised questions about compliance with the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). In 2017, Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, former chairman of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, began leading investigations into the ties between green advocacy groups and the Russian government.
That was just the beginning. In 2018, Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, former chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, picked up the baton and launched his own investigations focusing on the connections between an ever-expanding list of green advocacy groups and China.
If Hong is elected governor of Wisconsin this November, she will be well positioned to help green pressure groups constrain domestic American energy production. The collusion between green groups like the NRDC and China appears built around a lawfare strategy aimed at targeting American energy companies, according to the congressional hearings and investigations. This lawfare aims to destroy America's energy dominance in favor of our global adversaries—while doing nothing to save the planet.
Hong's anti-energy policy stance would enable China to build up its fossil fuel capacities while America becomes more dependent on unreliable green energy schemes—with supply chains that lead back to China.
Wisconsin Has a Clear Choice to Make
The Democrat Socialist will face off against her Republican opponent, current U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany. The contrast between the two could not be starker. Tiffany is the lead sponsor of the Farm Act, which would end taxpayer subsidies for wind and solar projects built on agricultural land. Tiffany has also consistently supported reliable domestic oil and gas production.
The latest Real Clear Politics average shows Tiffany with a narrow lead over Hong. That's within striking distance of China-backed green pressure groups with buckets of money to spend compliments of Beijing.
The governor's race is not the only close race in Wisconsin.
The first, third, and seventh congressional districts, and control of the state legislature, are all up for grabs. Incumbent Republican Bryan Steil is running for reelection in the first district and incumbent Republican Derrick Van Orden is running for reelection in the third district. Tiffany is giving up his seat in the seventh district where four Republicans are running in primary.
The bad news for American energy is that China knows just where to aim its arrow and which groups to use as willing conduits in the most critical elections. The DSA has aligned its platform with the CCP and has a history of sending activists for training in places like Venezuela and Cuba. Wisconsin voters must decide if that's the future they want, or whether they prefer American dominance in energy production.
MORE COVERAGE FROM RESTORATION NEWS
Intellectual Foundations of Communism: Godless Marxism 101: How Howard Zinn Infiltrated Public Schools
Luxury Beliefs: CHAMPAGNE SOCIALISM: Wisconsin Dem's Campaign Funded by Rich Republican in Gated Florida Community
More Radical Groups: Everyday Wisconsinites Take on Wind and Solar Schemes
Ignoring Wisconsin Farmers: Big Green Steps on Wisconsin Communities to Impose Unwanted Wind and Solar
Wisconsin Democrats: Democrat's Pitch to Voters: You're Too Racist to Elect Anyone But an Old White Guy Like Me for Gov
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Restoration News, a project of Restoration of America, is your trusted investigative news source for the America First movement. As a rapidly growing conservative news site, we focus on delivering accurate and insightful exposés on political news, immigration news, leftist lies, and other pressing issues affecting everyday Americans. Our uncompromising commitment to a hard-hitting, fact-based, America First, and faithful perspective ensures that you receive news that aligns with your values.
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