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Richard Uihlein
| Richard Uihlein | |
 | |
| Basic facts | |
| Organization: | Uline Corporation |
| Role: | Co-founder, Chairman on the Board, Director and CEO |
| Location: | Chicago, Ill. |
| Education: | •B.A., Stanford University |
Richard Uihlein is the co-founder, director, chairman of the board and CEO of Uline Corporation, which was launched in 1980.[1] Prior to founding Uline, Uihlein worked at General Bindings Corporation from 1967 to 1980, which was co-founded by his father, Edgar Uihlein. Crain's Chicago Business named Uihlein, a self-described "conservative Republican," as "Illinois' largest GOP donor nationwide."[2]
Career
Uihlein has had a career in packaging and binding materials. In 1967, Uihlein joined General Bindings Corporation, the company his father, Edgar, co-founded.[3] Uihlein worked in international sales until 1980, when he and his wife co-founded Uline Corporation, a shipping company.[2]
Political activity
Uihlein and his wife Elizabeth "are the biggest Republican donors of the 2018 midterm elections, having given $21 million to candidates for federal office and super PACs that will support them", according to a March 19, 2018, article published in Politico. Citing campaign operatives who have worked with Uihlein in the past, the article states that "over the past year, they’ve shifted into a higher gear."[4] According to Crain's Chicago Business, prior to the 2010 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, Uihlein, "was considered a modest but reliable donor to Republican candidates."[2] Since 2010, Uihlein has donated more than $47.9 million to organizations that engage in satellite spending, according to records with the FEC.[5] Additionally, Uihlein has donated more than $650,000 to individual campaigns and political action committees at the federal level.
Uihlein is a frequent donor to the Club for Growth Action, a super PAC that endorses candidates that support lower taxes, reduced government spending, and pro-economic growth policies.
2018 elections
Restoration PAC
During the 2018 campaign cycle, Uihlein contributed $4.73 million to Restoration PAC, a political action committee founded by former U.S. Senate candidate Doug Truax (R) in 2015.[6] The group supports candidates who uphold the Blueprint for the Restoration of America.[7] Uihlein contributed $3.75 million to the PAC during the 2016 election cycle.[8]
Illinois gubernatorial primary
During the 2018 Republican primary campaign for governor of Illinois, Uihlein supported state Rep. Jeanne Ives' (R) challenge to sitting Gov. Bruce Rauner (R). Uihlein had contributed $2.63 million to Rauner's campaign during the 2014 election cycle.[9] During the 2018 primary, Uihlein contributed $2.5 million to Ives' campaign, accounting for more than half of her total fundraising, which stood at $3.9 million as of March 19, 2018.[10][11]
Involvement in national elections
A March 19, 2018, article published in Politico identified several elections that Uihlein had been involved with in the 2018 cycle. In addition to supporting candidates for governor of Illinois and the U.S. Senate in Wisconsin, Uihlein has committed funds to Senate races in Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, Texas, and West Virginia. Uihlein has also contributed to a super PAC located in Tennessee.[10][12]
Overall super PAC contributions
Fredreka Schouten and Christopher Schnaars of USA Today reported on February 23, 2018, that Uihlein had given nearly $19.5 million to super PACs between January 2017 and February 2018, including $7.25 million to the Club for Growth and other groups involved in the U.S. Senate races in Missouri and Ohio. According to Schouten and Schnaars' analysis, that made Uihlein the largest overall super PAC donor for the cycle to date.[13]
Kevin Nicholson super PAC
During the 2018 election cycle, Uihlein supported the primary campaign of Kevin Nicholson (R) in his effort to secure the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Wisconsin. Uihlein donated an initial $3,500,000 to Solutions for Wisconsin, a super PAC supporting Nicholson, in 2017.[14][15]
2017 elections
Roy Moore super PAC
Beginning in September 2017, Uihlein donated a total of $100,000 to Proven Conservative PAC, a super PAC that supported former Alabama Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore (R) in his U.S. Senate campaign.[16] One donation, which was given on November 22, 2017, came more than a week after the first allegations of sexual misconduct against Moore surfaced. In November 2017, The Daily Beast reported that the organization had "spent more than $120,000 on about 15 television spots for ads boosting Moore and casting [Moore's opponent Luther] Strange as a D.C. insider and [Democratic candidate Doug] Jones as a liberal extremist."[17]
2016 elections
Presidential election
During the 2016 presidential election, Uihlein made donations to organizations supporting Carly Fiorina (R), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Scott Walker (R-Wis.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), and Donald Trump (R).[3]
USA Today reported that he spent a total of $19.6 million at the federal level in 2016.[18] His giving included the following noteworthy donations in the 2016 presidential election:
| Noteworthy Richard Uihlein donations to presidential super PACs, 2015-2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Organization | Supporting | Donation | Date | FEC document |
| Conservative, Authentic, Responsive Leadership for you and for America | Carly Fiorina | $100,000 | September 8, 2015 | Filing |
| Unintimidated PAC | Scott Walker | $1,000,000 | June 30, 2015 | Filing |
| $750,000 | May 14, 2015 | Filing | ||
| RAND PAC | Rand Paul | $5,000 | November 25, 2015 | Filing |
| Keep the Promise PAC | Ted Cruz | $1,000,000 | January 6, 2016 | Filing |
| Great America PAC | Donald Trump | $100,000 | October 5, 2016 | Filing |
Ron Johnson super PAC
In addition to supporting presidential super PACs, Uihlein donated a total of $3,450,000 during the 2016 cycle to Restoration PAC, a super PAC that supported Sen. Ron Johnson's (R-Wis.) re-election campaign. The following table shows Uihlein's donations to the super PAC during the 2016 elections.
| Richard Uihlein donations to Restoration PAC, 2015-2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Date | FEC document | Donation |
| July 16, 2015 | Filing | $700,000 |
| September 9, 2015 | Filing | $300,000 |
| December 16, 2015 | Filing | $500,000 |
| July 8, 2016 | Filing | $1,050,000 |
| September 15, 2016 | Filing | $500,000 |
| November 2, 2016 | Filing | $400,000 |
| Total | $3,450,000 | |
2014 elections
Bruce Rauner gubernatorial campaign
Uihlein donated $2.6 million dollars to Gov. Bruce Rauner's campaign in 2014.[3] The Illinois State Board of Elections lists Uihlein's total state-based donations at over $7.7 million dollars.[19]
Club for Growth Action donations
Since 2010, Uihlein has been a major donor to Club for Growth Action, a super PAC that endorses and makes independent expenditures in federal elections that concern government spending and economic policy. The following table shows Uihlein's donations to the organization from 2010, when it was founded, to November 2017.
| Richard Uihlein donations to Club for Growth Action, 2010-November 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Date | FEC document | Donation |
| May 24, 2017 | Filing | $1,500,000 |
| October 13, 2016 | Filing | $250,000 |
| October 6, 2016 | Filing | $250,000 |
| September 2, 2016 | Filing | $500,000 |
| April 12, 2016 | Filing | $1,000,000 |
| April 12, 2016 | Filing | $250,000 |
| February 2, 2016 | Filing | $500,000 |
| January 13, 2016 | Filing | $500,000 |
| September 16, 2015 | Filing | $500,000 |
| May 19, 2015 | Filing | $500,000 |
| October 8, 2014 | Filing | $200,000 |
| December 30, 2013 | Filing | $250,000 |
| May 7, 2013 | Filing | $50,000 |
| January 29, 2013 | Filing | $200,000 |
| October 31, 2012 | Filing | $100,000 |
| October 2, 2012 | Filing | $200,000 |
| July 26, 2012 | Filing | $100,000 |
| June 27, 2012 | Filing | $200,000 |
| May 2, 2012 | Filing | $10,000 |
| January 11, 2012 | Filing | $100,000 |
| June 17, 2011 | Filing | $100,000 |
| October 19, 2010 | Filing | $100,000 |
| October 5, 2010 | Filing | $10,000 |
| August 27, 2010 | Filing | $50,000 |
| August 11, 2010 | Filing | $50,000 |
| Total | $7,470,000 | |
Recognition
Uihlein was named one of Politico's top 12 donors of 2014, and he was named to the Crain's Chicago Business "Top 20 most powerful political insiders" list in September 2015.[20][21]
Top influencers by state
Influencers in American politics are power players who help get candidates elected, put through policy proposals, cause ideological changes, and affect popular perceptions. They can take on many forms: politicians, lobbyists, advisors, donors, corporations, industry groups, labor unions, single-issue organizations, nonprofits, to name a few.
In 2015, Ballotpedia identified Richard Uihlein as a top influencer by state. We identified top influencers across the country through several means, including the following:
- Local knowledge of our professional staff
- Surveys of activists, thought leaders and journalists from across the country and political spectrum
- Outreach to political journalists in each state who helped refine our lists
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Richard Uihlein. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Bloomberg Business, "Profile of Richard E. Uihlein," accessed October 28, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Crain's Chicago Business, "The Koch of conservative politics in Illinois: Uihlein," September 28, 2013
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Chicago Sun-Times, "Mega donor Richard Uihlein ramps up donations to conservative causes," September 7, 2015
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedpoliticoMar18 - ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Transaction Query By Individual Contributor," accessed March 19, 2018
- ↑ OpenSecrets, "Restoration PAC, Contributors, 2018 cycle," accessed August 23, 2018
- ↑ FOX Business, "This GOP millionaire is ramping up donations," February 14, 2018
- ↑ OpenSecrets, "Restoration PAC - Contributors, 2016 cycle," accessed August 23, 2018
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Contributions List," accessed March 19, 2018
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Politico, "The biggest Republican megadonor you’ve never heard of," March 19, 2018
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Contributions List," accessed March 19, 2018
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Meet the little-known ‘big fish’ megadonor setting the tone for GOP primary races," April 30, 2018
- ↑ USA Today, "10 super-rich people dominate giving to super PACs active in midterm elections for Congress," February 23, 2018
- ↑ FEC, "Solutions for Wisconsin Form 3X," accessed November 30, 2017
- ↑ FEC, "Solutions for Wisconsin Form 3X," accessed November 30, 2017
- ↑ FEC, "Proven Conservative PAC form 3X," accessed November 30, 2017
- ↑ The Daily Beast, "Roy Moore Super PAC Financier Finally Revealed," November 27, 2017
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedusatoday - ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Richard Uihlein," accessed October 28, 2015
- ↑ Politico, "Big money breaks out," December 29, 2014
- ↑ Crain’s Chicago Business, "The 20 most powerful political insiders," September 7, 2015
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