The Democrat and Toney, the district attorney in Fond du Lac County, last faced each other in 2022. Kaul won by about 1.3 percentage points, or roughly 35,000 votes, while raising nearly $4 million that year. Toney raised about $1 million, according to the Wisconsin Ethics Commission.

This year, Kaul reported about $1.6 million in contributions from individuals and political action committees, with the remainder coming from the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. Toney reported about $1.2 million from individuals and PACs, with the rest supplied by the state Republican Party.

Among the prominent donors, billionaire Lynn Schusterman and her daughter, Stacy Schusterman, each gave Kaul the maximum individual contribution in June. Conservative megadonor Elizabeth Uihlein and Kunes Auto & RV Group founder Gregg Kunes each gave the maximum to Toney.

Wisconsin limits an individual’s contribution to a statewide candidate to $20,000 per election cycle. PACs representing groups such as unions, corporations and Native tribes may give up to $44,000 to an attorney general candidate. State law does not cap what political parties can raise from individual donors and then contribute to candidates, allowing party donations to exceed the limits that apply to direct contributions.

The parties have contributed less to this contest than they have to some other statewide races. The Republican Party of Wisconsin has given Toney about $180,000, while the Democratic Party of Wisconsin has given Kaul approximately $144,000. The state GOP has received about $60 million this election cycle from three wealthy donors: Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein, who are associated with ULINE, and Diane Hendricks of ABC Supply.

Campaign fundraising can continue through the election. The candidates’ final campaign-finance reports were due Oct. 26.

Kaul, who has served as attorney general since 2019, points to endorsements from environmental advocacy groups including Clean Wisconsin Action Fund and Wisconsin Conservation Voters. His office has joined other states in legal challenges involving federal efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, reduce federal funding and end birthright citizenship. Kaul has also argued his office played a role in the state Supreme Court’s decision not to apply a 19th-century abortion ban.

Toney, Fond du Lac County’s district attorney since 2013, emphasizes public safety and support for law enforcement. He says he helped establish the county’s first drug court and worked to prevent sex offenders from being placed in communities without adequate oversight. The Wisconsin District Attorneys Association named him District Attorney of the Year in 2024.

The attorney general leads the Wisconsin Department of Justice, which has about 750 full-time employees. The department represents the state in court, trains and assists law enforcement officers and prosecutors, and investigates crimes with statewide reach. The attorney general earns about $179,000 annually, making the office Wisconsin’s second-highest-paid elected position after the governor.

A September Marquette University poll found that many voters were unfamiliar with both candidates. Twenty-two percent viewed Kaul favorably and 18% unfavorably, while 59% said they had not heard enough about him. Seventy-six percent said they had not heard enough about Toney.

Early voting may begin Oct. 20 and continue through the Sunday before Election Day, though availability varies by location. Voters will decide Nov. 3 who will lead the state Department of Justice.