Series 3 Scope and Content

The records in the first five sub-series (3.1 to 3.5) arrived directly from Governor Thompson in 2001, under the rubric of campaign materials. They have been arranged by election, with all of the pre-gubernatorial records grouped together in Series 3.1. The records in Series 3.6 arrived in 2007 from Philip Prange.

Series 3.1, Pre-gubernatorial Elections, 1966-1984, contains records from Thompson's ten consecutive campaigns for the Wisconsin State Assembly. Among the records are advertisements, correspondence, financial statements, and newspaper clippings. Also included are records from his unsuccessful 1979 bid for U.S. Congress.

Series 3.2, 1986 Gubernatorial Election, documents Thompson's victory over incumbent Governor Tony Earl. The series is arranged alphabetically by type of document. Among the records are correspondence and memoranda, press clippings, press releases, and subject files maintained by unidentified campaign workers. The series also includes index cards from 1985 and 1986 showing the names of financial contributors and the amounts contributed to the campaign.

Series 3.3, 1990 Gubernatorial Election, contains campaign records from Thompson’s successful defense against Democratic challenger Tom Loftus. The series is arranged alphabetically by type of document and then alphabetically again by subject. Of particular interest are memoranda prepared by advisor Chris Mohrman concerning a range of campaign issues and events. The series also contains an extensive press clippings library, some clippings having been maintained in general chronological order with others grouped by subject. The series also contains various subject files from unidentified campaign workers. These files hold an assortment of documents pertaining to the topics in question.

Series 3.4, 1994 Gubernatorial Election, contains campaign records from Thompson’s successful bid for a historic third term as governor. The series is arranged alphabetically by type of document and then alphabetically again by subject. The extensive press clippings library represents an exception to this rule in that staff maintained some of these files chronologically instead of by subject. Other materials include press releases, various subject files found in the possession of campaign staff, and memoranda from campaign advisors Chris Mohrman and Rod Hise. The speech library consists of fact sheets and lists of relevant quotations to be used in public addresses.

Series 3.5, 1998 Gubernatorial Election, contains records from Thompson's fourth consecutive campaign for the governorship. Materials include press clippings, reports, and a variety of subject files maintained by unidentified campaign staff. The series is arranged alphabetically by type of document and then alphabetically again by subject. An exception are three general files clearly originating with campaign worker Tony Langenohl. His files appear together at the beginning of the series. Langenohl's files include memoranda, notes, press clippings, and print outs of electronic mail correspondence.

A few of the subject files in series 3.3, 3.4, and 3.5 pertain to Thompson's efforts to assist other Republican candidates. Any mention of the contested 2000 presidential election will be found in series 3.5.

Series 3.6, Philip Prange Governor's Club Records, 1986-2001, consists of files donated by Philip Prange, who served as Thompson's campaign finance director and chief fundraiser. This series documents the Thompson For Wisconsin Committee's ongoing efforts to raise money for its candidate. Records pertain primarily to the Governor's Club organization, in which Prange played a key role. The club was established in 1986 and consisted of repeat donors to Thompson's gubernatorial election campaigns. Files in this series are arranged alphabetically by subject. Materials include campaign finance plans, memoranda, meeting notes, donor lists, and event schedules. The fundraising event files contain information about specific Governor's Club events, often hosted at the home or business of a prominent club member. These event files are not comprehensive, but provide information on a large sample of Thompson's fundraising gatherings. Photocopies of any personal checks were removed from the collection during processing. The series contains one folder of material concerning Prange's work for the Bush 2004 presidential campaign in Wisconsin.