Waukesha GOP paid anti-LGBTQ+ preacher for canvassing, campaign finance records show

Campaign finance records show the Republican Party of Waukesha County paid $600 to street preacher Marcus Schroeder for "solicitation expenses" last October.

The Waukesha County GOP said it was to compensate for his canvassing efforts last fall, but some community members are concerned that the party would work with someone known for his anti-LGBTQ+ protests and extremist views.

Schroeder, 20, is a member of Mercy Seat Christian Church in Brookfield, which is linked to the fundamentalist Christian ministry Operation Save America. Both the church and the ministry campaign against abortion and the LGBTQ+ community through public preaching, protests and conferences.

Schroeder organized training sessions that taught young people how to speak out against homosexuality and could be seen protesting multiple Pride events last year.

In September, Schroeder was charged with causing a bomb scare at the Watertown Pride in the Park event in July 2023. According to the criminal complaint, Schroeder had called 911 to falsely report that an unknown person told him a bomb was set to go off.

Local community organizer John Norcross asked the Public Investigator team to look into the Republican Party of Waukesha County's payment after noticing it in the group's filings. He said the payment stood out to him because he was present for Mercy Seat's protest against the Watertown Pride event.

In a statement, Waukesha County GOP Chairman Terry Dittrich said: "RPWC hires dozens of door-knockers, college students and supporters to lit drop, go door to door and welcome new residents. We have no involvement in any of our employees' or 1099 contractors' personal activities."

The campaign finance report, which covers activity from July 2023 to December 2023, lists payments to two other individuals for "solicitation expenses" during that time period.

Schroeder received national attention for arrest at Pride event last year

This isn't the first time Schroeder has been connected to the Waukesha GOP. The group's headquarters were listed as the original location for a training night for Warriors for Christ, an anti-LGBTQ+ coalition of young people organized under Operation Save America.

The event, organized by Schroeder, was described on its website as a chance for young people to learn how to speak out against "the LGBTQ movement with the sword of the Spirit."

Schroeder also led the opening prayer at the Waukesha GOP's Lincoln-Reagan-Trump dinner last year, a YouTube video posted by the group shows. Dittrich, the chairman, introduced Schroeder.

He pleaded not guilty in the bomb scare case, according to court records. He is facing three to six years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000 for the Class I felony.

On the day of the Watertown Pride event, Schroeder was also arrested for playing amplified music without a permit, after he blasted music and preached through loudspeakers. He was released without charges.

His arrest garnered national attention after gaining traction on social media, leading to interviews with Fox News and the president of conservative lobbying organization the Family Research Council.

Schroeder did not respond to requests for comment.

Waukesha LGBTQ+ advocate stunned by payment to Schroeder

Julie Reuss, president of LGBTQ+ advocacy organization PFLAG Waukesha, said she was surprised when she saw the Waukesha GOP's payment to Schroeder.

Reuss said when she complained to her Republican state legislators about the Waukesha GOP headquarters being listed as the location for the Warriors for Christ training night, the lawmakers denied any connection to Schroeder.

"I had not gotten the impression from any of them that they supported anything like this, so for them to give money to Marcus was very, very shocking and surprising," said Reuss.

In the past, PFLAG events have been subject to anti-LGBTQ+ protests involving Schroeder and other members of Mercy Seat, which made the advocacy organization fear for its safety.

Mercy Seat's pastor, Matt Trewhella, is the co-founder of anti-abortion group Missionaries to the Preborn. In the '90s, Trewhella spent 14 months in jail for blockading Milwaukee abortion clinics and 33 days behind bars for blocking the driveway of an abortion doctor.

Planned Parenthood also recorded Trewhella at a Wisconsin Taxpayers Party conference urging parents to train their children how to use guns and encouraging congregations to form militias, the New York Times reported in 1994.

While she's supported some Republican politicians in the past, Reuss said she's increasingly lost hope in the Republican Party as it has introduced a record number of anti-LGBTQ+ bills across the U.S.

"It's just wrong," Reuss said. "(The LGBTQ+ community) is not a scary population. This is not a population that is threatening. This is a population that deserves equal protections under the law and does not deserve to be targeted for political gain."

However, Reuss said Schroeder and Mercy Seat's views don't represent the Waukesha community that's been widely supportive of PFLAG.

"I'm hearing from people that they're so tired of the LGBTQ community being picked upon, and that it is not right," Ruess said, "and this is really not who we are as Waukesha."

Quinn Clark is a Public Investigator reporter. She can be emailed at QClark@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Quinn_A_Clark.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Waukesha GOP paid anti-LGBTQ+ preacher for canvassing, records show