Donors to Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's presidential campaign got little return on their investment, but his family and top aides benefited handsomely.
Walker raised nearly $7.4 million dollars during the third quarter, which is more than many other GOP candidates including Donald Trump, Carly Fiorina, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, and several others. Despite the impressive fundraising haul, the governor dropped out of the race in fewer than three months on the trail, but not before paying his top aides at an alarming rate and setting aside money for his sons.
Walker billed himself as a fiscal conservative who knew how to win elections, but he showered several top staffers with exorbitant salaries and quit the race more than 12 months out from the 2016 presidential election.
Walker's team paid campaign manager Rick Wiley nearly $52,000 during the short-term campaign, while Walker's communications director Kirsten Kukowski raked in more than $58,000 — meaning she would have brought in more than $200,000 if the campaign had lasted a full twelve months.
According to an analysis by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Walker campaign paid 15 staffers at a rate exceeding a $100,000 annual salary, and it paid another 15 staffers at a rate equivalent to $50,000-$90,000 per year.
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