Wisconsin Dem Takes Thousands from Pelosi while Claiming Party Needs ‘New’ Leadership

Democrat Wisconsin state Sen. Brad Pfaff, running against Republican Derrick Van Orden in the state’s Third Congressional District, has taken thousands of campaign cash from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), despite committing to not back her for leadership.

Pfaff, according to an audio recording from Daily Caller, told a group of college students that he would not support Pelosi further her rein in leadership before he took thousands of dollars from her to help his campaign to fill the open seat left by embattled retiring Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI).

On the campaign trail, Pfaff has tried to make himself look more moderate by using his voting record as a state legislator to compare himself to Van Orden, on issues such as taxes and funding for police. However, Pfaff, in March, during an appearance at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, said that his party needs new leaders to move forward.

“While I appreciate the effort and the work that Speaker Pelosi, Rep. Pelosi, has done throughout the years, I do think it is time for new leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives,” Pfaff said, according to audio from the Daily Caller. “And once Democrats are reelected in the majority in the next Congress, I’ll have time to be in Washington, and I’ll be looking to see which other Democrats step forward.”

Despite what he said in March, recent campaign finance data from the Federal Election Commission showed that Pfaff accepted $2,000 in campaign contributions from Pelosi and the maximum of $5,000 from the speaker’s leadership PAC.

In 2018, before Pelosi regained her speakership when the Democrats secured the majority after the midterms, the Democrats agreed to only serve two more terms in the position before her party would allow her to take the top spot.

However, the 82-year-old has remained a prolific fundraiser for her party’s candidates.

In fact, the $7,000 from Pelosi and her PAC is just a drop in the bucket compared to what she has been able to raise. The Daily Caller noted that Pelosi had given $595,000 to 73 congressional candidates from her PAC while she’s given out another $884,000 to 62 congressional candidates from her own personal campaign account.

Jacob Bliss is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at jbliss@breitbart.com or follow him on Twitter @JacobMBliss.