The Terrible Two

If you’ve ever wondered what I’ve meant when I’ve said “we need to remove big corporate money out of our politics,” this article is for you.

This story has been told to different degrees in the past and on numerous occasions.  With the amount of corruption being politically funded by these two and the serious detriment they’ve brought onto the American people, our democracy, and the solvency of this nation as a whole, it bears telling again, followed by a genuine call to action.

This is a story about Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein.

Husband and wife since 1967, they founded the company Uline in 1980.  What began as a basement company selling one product has now ballooned into a corporation with operations in 14 states, Canada and Mexico,  boasting a 450 page catalog of over 17,000 products and employing 9,800 people.  In 2024, Uline reportedly was projected to have made revenue in the neighborhood of $8.6 billion.  The company made $7 billion in 2023.  I’m calling your attention to all of this today because Dick and Elizabeth Uihlein were the second largest political contributors in the United States in 2024, second only to Elon Musk.

The conservative political influence these two have had on our politics is staggering, and it’s important to also point out the fact that the Uihlein family has been a serious detrimental force on American democracy since at least the 1960’s.  Dick’s father Edgar was an heir to the Schlitz Beer fortune and a notable conservative.  He had sat on the financial committee for the John Birch Society, had been a campaign donor for segregationist governor George Wallace in his bid for the Presidency. This was the same George Wallace who, as Governor of Alabama, caused what became known as The Stand In The Schoolhouse Door.  Wallace stood in the doorway at the University of Alabama on June 11, 1963 to prevent black students from entering.  He was met by the Alabama National Guard (who had been federalized by President John F. Kennedy) under the command of Guard General Henry V. Graham who commanded Wallace to step aside.  This discriminatory level of policy has been promoted by the Uihlein family since at least the 1960’s and continues on to this present day.

It’s not my intention to walk you down a history of the fortune building of Dick and Liz Uihlein; suffice to say, they are very affluent and their main company, Uline, pulls in massive profits every year.  What I do intend to do is shine a bright spotlight on what they use enormous sums of that profit for.  

The Uihleins have continued to use their monies to fund the campaigns of radical right wing politicians across the country, as well as contributing mountains of cash into ultra-conservative right wing PACs and organizations.  The millions and millions they have spent over the years have been used to promote lessening protections for children in the workplace, anti-union and anti-tax agendas, as well as repeatedly bankrolling the campaigns for far right politicians who have been anti transgender, anti gay, and anti abortion advocates.  Politicians who have specifically received campaign contributions from Dick Uihlein include:

Donald Trump ($59 million in 2024 alone)

Ron Desantis (FL)($1.5 million)

Scott Walker (WI)($2.5 million)

Ted Cruz (TX)($3 million)

Ron Johnson (WI)($4 million in 2022 alone) - he ushered in over $200 million in tax cuts for the Uihleins

Robin Vos (WI)($502,000 in 2024)

Hershel Walker(GA)

Adam Laxalt (NV)

Josh Hawley(MO)

Darren Bailey(IL)

Doug Mastriano(PA)

Daniel Kelly (WI)

Rebecca Kleefisch (WI)

Jeanne Ives (IL)

Roy Moore (AL)

Chris McDaniel (MS)

Jody Hice (GA

Jim Marchant (NV)

Chris McDaniel (MS)

Kevin Nicholson (WI)

Brad Schimel (WI)

Eric Hovde (WI)

It’s worth noting that Dick Uihlein contributed over $100,000 to the campaign of Roy Moore, the Alabama Senate candidate who was accused of sexual misconduct by numerous women and underage girls.  Also worth noting here is half of that $100K was donated AFTER the allegations were made.

While Liz Uihlein gave most of her contributions to PACs and committees, it’s also worth noting that she did contribute to some far-right candidates as well.  These included:

Maria Lazar (WI) (in her recent campaign for WI Supreme Court judge which she lost this week)

JD Vance (OH)

Ron Desantis (FL) ($1.5 million on top of her husband’s $1.5 million)

Both Dick and Liz contribute significant amounts to hyper conservative Super PACs and radical right ideological political groups.  These include:

Restoration PAC -                                          $39,035,426

Club For Growth Action -                               $37,580,680

Fair Courts Amercia -                                       $8,000,000

Saving Arizona PAC -                                       $3,000,000

No Better Friend PAC -                                     $1,125,000

34N22 INC       -                                                $1,025,000

Bienvenido Action PAC -                                      $100,000

Protect Our Constitution -                                  $4,000,000     - this is a ballot committee

Republican National Cmte -                               $1,576,200

Wisconsin Republican Party-                             $1,850,000

Republican Party of Kentucky -                               $11,200

National Republican Congressional Cmte -        $1,257,300

Wisconsin Truth PAC                      -                   $3,700,000

Team PAC (Florida)                         -                   $2,500,000

Arkansas Patriots Fund                   -                   $2,150,000

Save Our Constitution PAC             -                   $1,125,000

Black Bear PAC                               -                   $1,050,000

House Freedom Action                    -                      $500,000

American Leadership PAC               -                      $500,000

Conservative Outsider PAC             -                       $225,000

America’s Liberty PAC                     -                       $100,000

Senate Leadership Fund                 -                       $500,000

American Dreams PAC                   -                          $50,000

Vote No On Amendment 1              -                     $2,000,000

Protect MI Voter ID                         -                      $1,900,000

Safe and Secure Communities      -                          $750,000

Republican Assembly Campaign Cmte of WI   -    $1,750,000

Republican Party of Illinois            -                             $40,000

Republican Party of Wisconsin          -                         $20,000

New Hampshire Republican State Cmte          -          $10,000

Republican Party of North Carolina    -                        $10,000

Republican Party of Arizona               -                        $10,000

Republican Party of Georgia              -                        $10,000

Republican Federal Cmte of Pennsylvania                 $10,000

Nevada Republican Central Cmte      -                        $10,000

Colorado Republican Cmte                -                         $10,000

Cmte to Elect a Republican Senate WI            -         $100,000

Illinois Republic Party                        -                          $48,000

Arizona Republican Party                  -                          $25, 000

Congressional Leadership Fund        -                      $1,200,000

Eye of the Tiger PAC                         -                            $30,000

House Freedom Fund                       -                          $260,000

Congressional Leadership Fund       -                       $1,200,000

Strategy PAC                                    -                            $10,000

Abraham Lincoln PAC                      -                             $10,000

Tenacious PAC                                 -                               $5,000

Sconnie PAC                                    -                               $5,000

Reinventing a New Direction            -                               $5,000

Missouri First                                    -                               $5,000

House Conservatives Fund              -                               $5,000 

Family-PAC                                      -                              $10,000

Protect Ohio Values PAC                 -                            $250,000

Delivers PAC                                    -                                   $200

National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors  -          $10,000  

Dose of Reality, Optimism, and Zeal PAC           -            $5,000  

American Grit PAC                           -                                $5,000

1848 PAC                                         -                                $5,000   

The degree to which they wield influence via money is both astounding and condemnable, and given the long history of their family’s track record with regard to promoting discriminatory agendas, exclusionary protocols, oppressive intentions, and systemic manipulation for retention of a position of societal dominance, it’s my opinion they hold rank as the greatest blight on our American democracy while posing possibly the largest threat to the future of our country as a solvent and solid nation.  They have done all this shoving of the hyper conservative narrative while exploiting immigrant workers.  Their main company, Uline has repeatedly brought in workers from Mexico under the provision of H-1B visas, these specifically having been meant to function as training visas, but Uline has used them to employ Mexican immigrants for remedial jobs in their warehouses for periods of up to 6 months, all the while pushing the GOP narrative of “immigrants stealing the jobs of Americans.”  Another story of “rules for thee but not for me” from the radicalized right.

Make no mistake about it; the Uihleins exploit immigrants while simultaneously funding the party of exploitation.  This is entirely done in an effort to keep the American public bought in on the falsity that our jobs are being stolen and we should stay upset and hurtful toward outsiders, all while they take advantage of the very ones they demonize because the labor can be had less expensively and with disregard for job hazard safeguards.  And they continue to dump egregious sums of cash into GOP coffers because the Republican Corruption Party has zero problems with safeguarding their donors with increased tax breaks, guaranteed cheap labor by looking the other way, and keeping the American people fighting amongst one another so they stay too distracted to hardly notice.

If you care even the smallest shred for our country, the Constitution, and the fundamentals this nation has been built on, you need to stop giving them money to continue funding all of this mess and stop buying Uline products immediately.

Miss Katrina deVille