Wisconsin lawmakers who have sought to address child safety online told the Wisconsin Examiner on Thursday that a settlement worth up to $17.1 billion between the owner of Facebook and Instagram and most states in the U.S. is a win, but that it leaves a lot to be done to protect kids.

Wisconsin was one of 47 states involved in a lawsuit, filed in 2023 against Meta, that alleged that the social media giant purposely designed its platforms with addictive features, knew it was exposing children to serious mental harms and intentionally misled the public about the safety of those platforms. 

Wisconsin is set to receive between $219 million and $313 million from the settlement, depending on whether other social media companies agree to the terms. The company in its settlement did not admit to wrongdoing.

For years, concerns about the safety of children online and efforts to protect their mental and physical health have been bubbling up. Wisconsin has adopted laws to ban cellphones during class time and recently expanded its Wisconsin’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

Rep. Lindee Brill (R-Sheboygan Falls) and Rep. Renuka Mayadev (D-Madison) were part of a group of lawmakers tasked with studying ways the state could protect children online during the 2025-26 legislative session. The task force resulted in an array of proposed bills aimed at addressing the issue, though many — including barring addictive features online for young users, age verification requirements, prohibition against chatbots for children without safety features and mental health warning on social media — did not become law.

“It’s unfortunate that it got to the point that we’ve seen children lose their lives, go through mental health situations,” Brill said. “I believe these platforms understood what they were doing was damaging to children, so while it’s a win, it’s unfortunate that we had to reach a settlement to get this taken care of when this wasn’t addressed previously.”

Mayadev said Meta “capitulated” with the settlement and that “it’s about time” something was done.  

“Young people are feeling more than ever lonely, have had increased suicide ideation, have had more anxiety and eating disorders. We’ve just seen the tremendous detrimental effects of social media,” Mayadev said. 

Both lawmakers said that the settlement is just a start.

During a Wednesday press conference, Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul said the settlement is the largest Big Tech settlement in the history of the country and the largest state consumer protection settlement since the settlements with Big Tobacco in the 1990s. 

According to the New York Times, the Meta settlement’s base cost will be $12 billion, but an additional $5 billion will be paid by Meta if other social media companies also agree to pay in $5 billion. The company has also agreed to the two-hour limit on screen time for children, though it could be decreased to a one-hour limit if other companies agree to the same.

Kaul said the next step is to determine where the funding should go. 

“What I’m going to be doing is everything I can to put these funds toward keeping kids safe in Wisconsin,” Kaul said. The funds, he added, could go towards initiatives such as crisis intervention services, after-school programming and digital wellness use and mental health programming.

Brill noted that while the settlement seems like a lot of money, it is only a small portion of what the multi-trillion dollar company brings in each year.

“I don’t think we can put a worth on the number of children and the damage it’s caused, so while we should celebrate it, I think it’s a cautious celebration because there’s so much work to do and so much loss that came in the meantime,” Brill said. 

Brill and Mayadev said they’d both like lawmakers to be involved in conversations over where the funds are allocated.

Kaul said the most important piece of the settlement is the sweeping safety changes Meta has agreed to make to its platforms. 

“I hope they can set a new standard for the entire industry so that kids who are using social media can stay safe and remain healthy as they’re online,” Kaul said. 

Changes include stronger age verification of users between the ages of 13 and 17, mandatory pauses at 15 minutes, 60 minutes and 90 minutes, limiting screen time for teenagers up to 17 for two hours a day, restrictions on access at night and an elimination of push notifications during school hours. 

“We’re gonna see stronger, more friendly, user-friendly parental controls in place as well, so parents are going to be able more easily to play a larger role in limiting their kids’ use of these platforms,” Kaul said. Beauty filters — which distort a user’s face in real time to change its shape or add makeup — will also be limited. 

Brill said she thinks a key part of the settlement is that the company appears to be keeping “parents in the driver’s seat .” She said she will be interested to see whether the other companies agree, however. Some of the work, she said, will be continuing to push for state-level laws that can address the issue, which she described as nonpartisan. Brill does not face a challenger in her bid for reelection this year. 

“I met some of the families who have had things happen with their children, and it’s absolutely devastating, and it doesn’t matter which way your house votes; it affects everybody,” Brill said. “We’re just seeing the mental health of our state and our children, being so affected by this, so my hope is we can make a smart decision with [the settlement funds], and that we can, as a Legislature, continue to move forward and introduce great legislation to a governor’s desk that’s willing to work with us on it.”

Mayadev said she doesn’t think  the settlement’s guardrails are sufficient.

“Why would we trust the company who has put our children in harm’s way to come up with the solution to protect them?” she said. “No parent — and I’m a parent — should feel like ‘OK, well now let me just hand over the phone and the social media apps because Meta and the other big tech CEOs are gonna care for my children.’”

Mayadev said that ideally regulations on companies would be put in place on a federal level. She said legislation would ensure it is the company’s obligation to make sure platforms are safe rather than burdening parents. She said that “children are bright” and can likely find ways around some of the changes that are being discussed. 

“At the federal level, we need our congressional folks to act because then we’d have uniform guardrails, guidelines for everybody in the United States to adhere to and to protect children,” Mayadev said. “If Congress continues not to act, we’re going to have to do it at the state level, and then what the problem with that is, it’s piecemeal. What we do is different than Minnesota, which is different than Michigan or Ohio.” 

The state of Wisconsin collected $23.13 billion in taxes in the 2025-25 fiscal year, a 3.4% increase from the prior year, according to a preliminary report released Thursday by the Department of Revenue.

The amount collected was $450.8 million above the $22.6 billion that the DOR projected the state would collect earlier this year, a 2% gain. 

The state brought in $231.3 million more than expected in income taxes as well as $79.9 million more than expected in the general sales and use tax and $83.9 million more than expected in the corporate income tax. 

The higher than projected revenue could grow the state’s budget surplus to over $3 billion in a critical election year and ahead of the next state budget process. Legislative Fiscal Bureau estimated in January that the state would finish the 2025-27 biennium with a nearly $2.5 billion surplus. 

State Sen. Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green), who co-chairs the Joint Finance Committee, said in a statement that he is “not surprised” by the latest numbers. 

“I have been watching the revenue numbers each month and they were indicating we would have a larger surplus than originally thought,” he said, adding that he is disappointed lawmakers could not pass a bipartisan agreement negotiated by Gov. Tony Evers and Republican lawmakers earlier this year. 

Following the initial projection, Evers and GOP lawmakers negotiated a $1.8 billion school funding and tax cut deal that would have provided additional special education funding to schools, property tax relief through the school tax credit, $600 rebate checks and the elimination of taxes on tips and overtime. The deal failed in the state Senate in May.

“Our families and taxpayers could use the relief now,” Marklein said.

Rep. Mark Born (R-Beaver Dam), co-chair of the Joint Finance Committee, said in a statement that he would be open to returning to session to do something with the surplus soon.

“If  we can reach an agreement that delivers meaningful tax relief for Wisconsin families and can pass both houses, I’m ready to get it done,” he said. 

Without further action, the surplus will be dealt with by the next governor and state Legislature. Control of both are up for grabs in November. 

U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, the Republican gubernatorial candidate, said in a post on social media that the growth in the state’s budget surplus is a sign that Wisconsin residents are being overtaxed. He claimed that his Democratic opponent, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, would keep the surplus in Madison and “make government bigger.” 

“I’ll send every dollar of the surplus back to you and deliver permanent tax relief for working families,” Tiffany said. Tiffany lobbied Republicans in the state Senate to vote against the earlier deal, which contributed to its defeat.

Crowley said in a statement about the surplus that he would “consider the long-term investments we can make and work with the legislature to bring costs down for all Wisconsinites.” 

“What I won’t do is defund our schools, our healthcare system, or the basic services working families rely on like Congressman Tom Tiffany has done his entire political career,” he said.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate David Crowley polled slightly ahead of Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany in the first Marquette Law School poll conducted since the primary earlier this month. The poll results were released Wednesday.

The poll was conducted from Aug. 12, the day after the primary, through Aug. 20. Surveyors interviewed 891 Wisconsin registered voters, with a margin of error of 4 percentage points. The likely voter sample was 738, with a margin of error of 4.5 percentage points.

With less than three months until the midterm election Nov. 3, the candidates have been criss-crossing the state to get their names out to voters and win over support. 

 Crowley pulled in support from 49% of  likely Wisconsin voters, while Tiffany had 44%; another 7% of likely voters said they were undecided. Among registered voters, Crowley and Tiffany were tied at 44%.

The poll found a Democratic advantage among those who are certain that they’ll vote in November, with  84% of Democrats reporting they were certain compared with 82% of Republicans.

“You could either come away with a modest Crowley advantage, by about five points, or a dead tie, depending on whether you’re looking at everybody that’s registered to vote or looking at those absolutely certain to vote,” poll director Charles Franklin said.

The poll showed that 98% of likely voters who were Democrats planned to vote for Crowley, while 91% of likely Republican voters said they planned to vote for Tiffany. 

The biggest percentage of undecided voters were independents: 30% of independents who said they were likely to vote were undecided. Among registered voters, undecided independent voters jumped to 47%.

Among likely voters, Crowley had an advantage with independent voters. About 55% said they supported him, while 16% said they would support Tiffany.

Following the divisive and chaotic primary campaign, Crowley called on Democrats to unify to win in November and campaigned with state Rep. Francesca Hong, who finished a close second in the primary.  

“It’s interesting that the Democrats do appear to be completely unified behind their candidate and Republicans, quite unified, but not quite as much as Democrats,” Franklin said. 

Tiffany and Crowley will be working to win over undecided voters and flip people to support them over the next 10 weeks, especially as Wisconsin’s statewide races are typically decided by close margins. In 2018, Gov. Tony Evers defeated Gov. Scott Walker by about 30,000 votes.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate David Crowley told reporters Tuesday in Madison that he would not vote for a change in the state Constitution to prohibit using the partial veto to create or increase a tax or fee. 

Voters in November will have the final say on the constitutional amendment proposal that could further limit Wisconsin’s uniquely strong executive partial veto power. The proposal was introduced in reaction to Gov. Tony Evers’ 2023 state budget partial veto that extended annual school revenue limit increases for 400 years.

The Milwaukee County executive, who has won the endorsement of Evers, said he would “absolutely not” vote for the amendment. He said that what Republicans in the Legislature are “trying to do is just rig the system.”

The partial veto power has been a recurring issue throughout the Evers’ two terms in office. He often used it in creative ways to shape policy sent to him by Republican lawmakers, who in return worked painstakingly to make their legislation veto-proof. 

In 2023, Republicans were shocked to find that Evers had used the power on the state budget to increase school districts’ ability to raise property taxes. Republicans and their allies have often referred to the governor’s action as implementing a “400-year tax increase,” though the veto did not automatically mean taxes would increase. The increase in revenue limits allows schools the option to bring in additional revenue through property taxes or state revenue, though Republicans have declined to provide funds to backfill the revenue limit increases. School boards still have to opt in to increase property taxes. 

That use of the veto pen was upheld by the state Supreme Court in 2025 as constitutional, which led to Republicans’ decision to put the issue up to voters. Constitutional amendment proposals in Wisconsin must pass two consecutive sessions of the state Legislature before they go to voters for the final say. 

Crowley, who previously served in the state Assembly while Democrats held a minority of seats, noted his time in the state Legislature.

“What I’ve seen from the Republican-controlled legislatures is that, anytime that there’s a stop gap on all the policies, dangerous policies, that they want to push through, they want to eliminate the power of the governor,” Crowley said. 

U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, the Republican candidate for governor, has made repealing the veto alongside freezing property taxes a central promise of his campaign. It was one of the points in his housing plan and one of the points of his affordability plan released on Tuesday. 

Tiffany said in a statement about his plan that “Wisconsin families work hard for every dollar they earn, but government at every level keeps taking more” and that “property taxes are too high, utility bills have soared and everyday purchases cost more.” He criticized Crowley for supporting a sales tax increase in Milwaukee, which was implemented to help address financial challenges in the state’s largest county, and recent property tax increases in the county. 

Tiffany told the Wisconsin Examiner in a statement that he plans to vote for the constitutional amendment and promised not to use the veto pen to increase taxes or fees.

“No governor should have the power to raise your taxes with the stroke of a pen,” Tiffany said in a statement. “David Crowley opposes this referendum because he wants the authority to raise taxes on Wisconsin families statewide, and that should scare every taxpayer who has paid attention to his record in Milwaukee County. Crowley has never met a tax hike he didn’t like, and now he wants a veto pen to make it even easier to take more of your money. We’ve already seen the damage this kind of unchecked power can do. It’s how Wisconsin got stuck with a 400-year property tax increase.”

Crowley said Tiffany has “done absolutely nothing to lower costs here in the state of Wisconsin.” 

“[Tiffany] has not grown a backbone. He has not stood up to this particular president, and he hasn’t authored one particular bill that’s actually helping out Wisconsinites. Unfortunately, he has been carrying the water of Donald Trump,” Crowley said. 

Crowley also said he would use the partial veto power as governor to ensure that “there’s no harm being placed or forced on Wisconsinites.” 

If passed, this would not be the first time the Wisconsin executive veto power has been restricted. During his first term in office, the state Supreme Court limited  the governor’s veto power after a lawsuit challenging his vetoes on the 2019 state budget.

The executive partial veto power has also been previously been restricted through constitutional amendments. In 1990, voters approved prohibiting the “Vanna White” veto, eliminating single letters within words, and in 2008, voters approved eliminating the “Frankenstein veto” — the ability for governors to create new sentences by combining parts of two or more sentences. 

Voters will see the question on their ballots on Nov. 3: “Shall section 10 (1) (c) of article V of the constitution be amended to prohibit the governor, in exercising his or her partial veto authority, from creating or increasing or authorizing the creation or increase of any tax or fee?”

UPDATE: This story has been updated to include comment from U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany. 

Out of the 98 state legislative bodies across the U.S., the Wisconsin Senate has been deemed the “most flippable” by Wisconsin Democrats. Still, Sen. Patrick Testin (R-Stevens Point) told the Wisconsin Examiner that he sees a definite path for Republicans to maintain their majority.

“We have our chessboard fully laid out. I don’t think there’s any question that, you know, this cycle, it seems as though our backs are against the wall,” Testin said. 

Testin is leading the Committee to Elect a Republican Senate (CERS), which is the campaign arm of the Senate Republican caucus, as Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu (R-Oostburg) decided to retire this year. 

Senate Republicans currently have an 18-seat majority, meaning that they only have room to lose one seat this year. Four seats have been identified by Democrats and Republicans as essential to determining control:

• Senate District 5: covering Wauwatosa and other parts of Milwaukee County. State Rep. Robyn Vining (D-Wauwatosa) and Republican Mike Roberts are vying for the seat that is currently represented by Sen. Rob Hutton, who opted not to run for reelection. 
• Senate District 17: A southwest district covering Iowa, Lafayette, Green, Crawford and Grant counties as well as parts of Dane County. Sen. Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green) faces a challenge from Rep. Jenna Jacobson (D-Oregon). 
• Senate District 21: Incumbent Sen. Van Wanggaard (R-Racine) is retiring this year, leaving open the southeast district that includes part of Racine and Milwaukee Counties. Democrat Trevor Jung, the former Racine transit and mobility director, is running against Republican businessman Jim Croft.
• Senate District 31: Sen Jeff Smith (D-Brunswick) is seeking another term in office and faces a challenge from Republican Michele Magadance Skinner, an Eau Claire County board member. The district covers Eau Claire County and parts of Dunn, Trempealeau and Chippewa counties.

Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein (D-Middleton) expressed confidence in her party’s effort to take over the chamber during a press conference after the August primary, saying that Senate Democrats flipped four seats in 2024 and her caucus expects to do the same this year. “I think we’re going to be able to do it with David Crowley leading the way,” she said. 

There are a few factors that have contributed to Democrats’ confidence. 

The midterm election environment is expected to be friendlier to Democrats with a Republican in the White House, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. President Donald Trump’s popularity has steadily declined in Wisconsin since he took office for his second term, according to Marquette Law School polling. 

A recent Marquette poll found that 46% of Wisconsin voters said they would vote for Democrats in legislative races, while 42% said they’d vote for Republicans. The survey did not deliver detailed information on specific districts.

Democrats also got to work early, immediately after the state budget was finished last year, hoping to take advantage of new, more favorable voting maps.

“We had these maps early,” Hesselbein said. As a result, campaigns got started sooner than they had in past years.

Senate Democrats are targeting two districts that went for Trump in 2024. Democrat Charly Ray and Republican Erik Severson are competing in Senate District 25, an open district that encompasses Douglas, Bayfield, Ashland, Washburn, Iron, Sawyer, Polk and Burnett Counties. In Senate District 29, which includes Marathon, Wood, Portage and Waupaca Counties, Sen. Cory Tomczyk (R-Mosinee), who was elected to the seat in 2022, is facing a challenge from Democrat Gillian Battino, a retired radiologist. 

Republicans didn’t know until this year how many of their incumbents would run for reelection — one-third of the caucus ended up deciding to retire including Sen. Van Wanggaard in SD 21, Sen. Rob Hutton in SD 5 and Sen. Jesse James, who had previously planned to challenge Smith. 

Testin said the environment around the races “means we have to work overtime between now and November to help our candidates get across the finish line and do what we can to contrast our candidates versus the Democrats in the key races.”

Testin said this may be the year that not having incumbents in a seat could turn into an advantage, noting that there’s been “sort of an incumbency malaise that we’ve seen in the electorate” and Republican Senate candidates are being encouraged to stay “hyper focused on local and state issues”, including affordability issues and lowering property taxes, and to avoid “getting wrapped into the national narratives of what’s happening out in D.C.”  He said their candidates are relying on a good “ground game” to protect their seats and candidates have strict metrics for doorknocking and are on track to get to 15,000 to 20,000 doors in the key seats. 

“So far our candidates have done exactly that,” Testin said. 

“We have our budget set for our key races,” Testin added, noting that it could be anywhere from $1.5 million to $2.5 million allocated to the competitive seats. “Based on what we’re able to raise, we are going to make adjustments on the fly as needed, and as things sort of evolve on the ground and things change as they always do in campaigns, you have to be nimble and flexible.”

According to July reports, the Committee to Elect a Republican Senate has raised nearly $5 million this year and had $5.3 million on hand. The bulk of that fundraising came from billionaires Diane Hendricks and Elizabeth Uihlein, who each gave $2 million.

Testin said he is proud that the Republicans have been able to outraise Democrats so far and they are running ahead of where they were in 2024 when it comes to fundraising, but he is expecting money to flood into the state now that the primary is over. 

“These races are expensive. It costs a lot of money to get our candidates’ message out there, to get them up on air to do digital ads, radio, direct mail, and that’s just the sad reality,” Testin said. 

When it come to the Uihleins and Hendricks, he said they’ve been strong supporters of the caucus and “despite the criticism leveled against those individuals, what never gets a light shined onto it is the money that comes in from states like Illinois, New York, California, billionaires and multi-and mega-millionaires from the liberal elite who have flooded Democrat coffers for years.”

The Republican Senate committee is also working closely with its Assembly counterpart, which is being led by Assembly Majority Leader Tyler August: “I often joke that — we speak on the phone more often than we speak to anyone else,” Testin said.

“This is what’s sort of unique, as opposed to previous cycles, where we have historically sort of operated in our own silos,” Testin said. “We are working hand in hand to ensure that there is no daylight between us,” he said, including “coordinating as best that we can with their candidates in the key seats that overlap ours.” 

Senate Democrats’ recently filed a lawsuit against  Skinner, who is running in Eau Claire, over questions related to her residency, attempting to get her removed from the ballot in November.

The effort was blocked by a Dane County judge this week. State Senate Democratic Committee Executive Director Andrew Whitley said in a statement that questions still remained, but the issue would be left up to voters. 

Testin said ahead of the hearing that the effort smelled of “desperation.”

“You would think if they would spend more time propping up their own candidate and his record and track record, that they’d be able to highlight that. But they haven’t been able to,” Testin said. “From our standpoint, we are in the driver’s seat between now and Nov. 3.”

The Wisconsin governor’s race is expected to have some influence on downballot races. Testin said Republicans were “salivating” at the prospect of running against State Rep. Francesca Hong, a democratic socialist, who narrowly lost the primary to Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley. Her loss, Testin said, makes the job of Republicans a little bit harder.

Crowley faces Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany in November.

“Full disclosure, I mean, I consider David Crowley a friend of mine,” Testin said, adding that they were freshmen in the state Legislature at the same time. “Obviously, I don’t agree with him politically.” 

Testin said Crowley will have to grapple with controversies during his tenure as Milwaukee county executive, including a lapse in an employee health insurance contract and projected future budget deficits. He also mentioned comments that Crowley made minimizing his differences from Hong. 

“I think that’s going to be a real problem for them because the Democrats in these key seats are going to have to answer for some of those policy positions,” Testin said, citing “some of these radical policies that have been pushed by the DSA.”

Testin said a potential Crowley governorship is part of the reason it’s crucial that Republicans hang onto the state Senate. 

“It’s so crucial and important that, at the very least, if Tom Tiffany were to fall short in his bid for governor — which I don’t think he will — that at the very least, that we have a backstop in the state Senate as well as the state Assembly, to have a counterbalance to any of the proposals that would come out that administration,” Testin said.

A Dane County judge denied Wisconsin Senate Democrats’ request Thursday that Michele Magadance Skinner, a Republican state Senate candidate and Eau Claire County Board member, be tossed off the November ballot.

Skinner, who currently serves as an Eau Claire County Board member, is running against Sen. Jeff Smith (D-Brunswick) for Senate District 31, a key seat that will help determine control of the Senate next year. 

The lawsuit was filed against Skinner this week by the Wisconsin State Senate Democratic Committee (SSDC), the campaign arm of the Senate Democratic caucus, based on questions about her residency. The Wisconsin Elections Commission, which had previously dismissed a complaint about Skinner, was also a defendant in the suit. 

Dane County Circuit Court Judge Jacob Frost said at the close of the hearing he would deny the temporary injunction as the plaintiffs had not provided sufficient evidence that Skinner is not a Wisconsin resident.

“This does appear likely to be her primary residence,” Frost said, “which would mean that… she is eligible to vote here and therefore eligible to run.” 

David Hollander, the attorney for the SSDC, and Matthew Fernholz, Skinner’s attorney, questioned the state Senate candidate on a number of issues, including tax records, homes in Georgia and Florida, and voting records.

Skinner defended her status as a Wisconsin resident, detailing her history in the state from birth through school and throughout her career. She said that she moved around while working as a TV reporter in Georgia and Minnesota before becoming a founder of a recruitment firm after moving back to Wisconsin. 

Skinner said she has lived primarily in Altoona since 2000 with one exception. She described her current residency across the year as “seven months in Wisconsin, in Altoona, and five months elsewhere.” The five months, she said, is split between Florida and Georgia. 

“It goes back and forth and is really dictated by events, weddings, family events, birthdays, holidays,” she said. 

The exception Skinner referred to was when she registered to vote on Nov. 18, 2021 in Georgia and voted on Jan. 5, 2021 in the Georgia U.S. Senate runoff elections. She said that the election was “in the news.”

“I’m a former journalist. People were talking about it,” she said. 

Skinner said she was considering changing her residency due to COVID-19 pandemic: “The home there is bigger, has a larger yard. It’s more rural and Dawson County afforded more ability to be outside and Wisconsin at that time had some pretty stringent COVID restrictions, so we went down to Georgia.”

Skinner said that she didn’t ultimately switch her residence from Wisconsin to Georgia because COVID restrictions were eased in 2022, and she said that she has voted in Wisconsin elections consistently since 2022. She was elected to the Eau Claire County Board in April 2024. She also ran a failed campaign in 2024 challenging state Rep. Jodi Emerson (D-Eau Claire) for her seat in the Wisconsin Assembly.

“Georgia was my COVID home. Wisconsin has always been and will be my other home,” Skinner said.

Skinner also denied that she is the owner of a home in Dawsonville, Georgia or in Florida. She said both are owned by her husband. 

“My name is not on the deed. His name is on the deed only,” Skinner said. “I’m his wife… I have access to it and I keep some of my stuff there. It’s my husband’s home and I do have a key.” 

Skinner was also questioned on tax credit claims. She claimed a Wisconsin lottery and gaming tax credit in 2020, right before registering to vote in Georgia. Her husband claimed a homestead property in Georgia in 2025, which Hollander argued could only be claimed if Georgia was the principal residence for both him and Skinner.

Hollander argued after the close of questioning that Skinner had not shown her Wisconsin residency. 

“There’s nothing before you, your honor, other than ‘I say I’m a Wisconsin resident, and so therefore, I’m a Wisconsin resident. It’s just her word,” Hollander said, adding that if he were defending his own residency he would provide a lease, mortgage, utility bills, public library card or other documents. “We live in this digital world where it’s really easy to find things that have your address on it.” 

Fernholz, Skinner’s attorney, noted that the lawsuit was aimed to “disenfranchise one of the two major political parties after the primary.” He noted that after the Wisconsin Elections Commission’s deadline to finalize the ballots has passed there is no opportunity for Republicans to put another candidate on the ballot. 

The Wisconsin Elections Commission is required to certify the list of candidates to appear on the general election ballot “no later than the 4th Tuesday in August,” which would be Aug. 25. In the lawsuit, the SSDC argued the Court could order Skinner be removed from the ballot as late as Sep. 2. 

Frost cut Fernholz off before he finished his arguments to say he’d be denying the request. 

“Skinner, not unlike many Wisconsin residents in their retirement years, is a multi-state person, meaning that she spends winters outside of the cold and the snow of Wisconsin,” Frost said. 

Frost said the evidence seems to show that “Skinner consistently has elected and has the intent that Wisconsin is her residence. That her husband has consistently said Georgia is his residence doesn’t change that,” Frost said.

“It might make her likely to have questions asked about her property taxes or her husband to have questions asked about his,” he said, adding that that was not the issue at hand. 

When it came to her voting records, Frost said he did “think it’s a little suspicious.”

“Perhaps she faked being a Georgia resident for purposes of voting in a unique election after having just voted in Wisconsin,” Frost said. “But there’s no evidence to contradict what she said, which is it was that period of COVID.”

Andrew Whitley, the executive director of the SSDC, said in a statement that the group disagreed with Frost’s decision and has questions about whether the couple completed their taxes properly,  but he said the decision whether Skinner should serve in the state Senate is now up to voters. 

“Now it’s up to the voters to decide – someone who carelessly maneuvers around the law or a lifelong public servant who has fought his entire career to lower costs, fight corruption, and prioritize working families. The choice is easy,” Whitley said.

Michele Magadance Skinner issued a statement after the ruling: “Today’s ruling in Dane County court was a testament to the important role the justice system plays in our democratic republic. I am thankful that the judge saw through the political games and blatantly false smear campaign conducted by Jeff Smith and his liberal allies. Tactics by Mr. Smith and SSDC have proven this adage to be true: ‘never wrestle with pigs – they have fun and you get dirty.’”

Three Wisconsin legal organizations are advising the Sheboygan County Sheriff’s office to take steps to avoid intimidating voters after the sheriff posted it was dispatching deputies to polling locations on primary Election Day last week. 

The issue arose against a backdrop of increasing worries over potential election interference in a key swing state during President Donald Trump’s second term including voter intimidation and threats to election workers.

Just seven minutes after polls opened in Wisconsin last week, the Sheboygan County Sheriff’s Office posted on Facebook that it planned to send deputies to polling locations “periodically throughout the day to meet with the public, provide a visible law enforcement presence, and help ensure a safe, secure and orderly election.”

The office presented it as an opportunity for members of the community to connect with officers.

“If you see an Officer at one of the sites and have the time, please feel free to stop and chat with them for a bit!” the post stated. “We appreciate the important work of our election clerks and staff, and we encourage everyone to exercise their right to vote and have a safe Election Day.” 

The post immediately got pushback from members of the public, who questioned why law enforcement needed to be at polls.

The Wisconsin Democracy Defense Coalition, an umbrella organization consisting of pro-democracy groups, wrote in a statement posted online that it was “unclear exactly who or what prompted the Sheboygan County Sheriff’s Department announcement…” but it was “apparent that the decision was made without clear communication with, or consent from officials across the county.”

“We do know that what happened was inconsistent with our values in Wisconsin and dangerous to our civil rights at a time when we must be fiercely protective of them,” the coalition stated. 

All In Wisconsin, a member of the coalition, submitted open records requests seeking additional information. Executive Director Cass Bowers told the Wisconsin Examiner in an interview that the coalition wanted to support the community members who opposed the presence of law enforcement. 

“It’s not a normal thing for a sheriff’s department to do that in Wisconsin. It’s not something that we see,” Cass Bowers, executive director of All In Wisconsin, told the Examiner in an interview. “In Wisconsin at least, we don’t need to have a police presence at the polling locations because we have other safeguards in place. There are people there to ensure that things are going the way they should be on both sides.”

The ACLU of Wisconsin, Campaign Legal Center and Law Forward sent a letter to Sheriff Matthew Spence on Wednesday saying that they wanted to raise awareness about the concerns and “to provide you with information and resources to help ensure that all eligible voters feel safe and secure when participating in our elections.”

The Sheboygan County Democratic Party said in a post Tuesday that the law enforcement presence was a waste of resources and also raises ethical concerns, since the sheriff was on the ballot in the primary. Spence is running for reelection this year. While his name appeared on ballots, he faced no opponent in the primary. He was first appointed to the position by Gov. Tony Evers in 2024 due to the retirement of the previous sheriff.

“Municipal clerks, chief election inspectors and poll workers throughout the county have experience in conducting safe and secure elections. They are fully competent to contact law enforcement, if necessary. The integrity of our elections in Sheboygan County is not in question,” the county party said in a statement. “Law enforcement presence is a waste of resources, and it creates an atmosphere of intimidation, distrust and erodes public trust in our election process.” 

Spence said in a statement last week that the practice of sending deputies to polls is not new for the county. He noted in the statement that he did not personally visit any polling sites, though he has in the past.

“Deputies have been stopping at polling locations for many years, and we have historically received positive feedback from municipal clerks and election workers regarding their presence,” Spence said. “Our deputies understand that they are not permitted to engage in political activity while on duty.” He added in the statement that deputies are expected to follow office policies and applicable laws and regulations. 

Election workers in the U.S. have expressed concerns about safety in recent years, including in Wisconsin.

In an April 2026 poll conducted by the Brennan Center 32% of election officials said they had been threatened, harassed, or abused, nearly 25% said they were concerned about being assaulted at home or at work and over 50% said they worried that threats, harassment and intimidation would make it more difficult to retain or recruit election workers in the future.

Spence said that deputies were stopping by polls if they had time available during their regular patrol duties and visits were brief, lasting between five and ten minutes. He said the stops were “intended simply to provide an opportunity for a deputy to check in with the clerk and election workers, ensure there are no public safety concerns” and were not “assigned specifically for the purpose of influencing or monitoring voters.” 

Jon Dolson, the Sheboygan County clerk, has not responded to requests for comment from the Examiner by the time of publication.

Dolson told the Examiner in an email on Wednesday that he was made aware that something was posted on social media, though to the best of his knowledge no deputy was dispatched. He said the brief visits by officers with the sheriff’s department and a handful of police departments around the county predates his 14-year tenure as county clerk.

“Sometimes it fits into an officer’s schedule, sometimes it doesn’t.  And municipal clerks welcome the short visit. Most of the time, officers do not have time on Election Day to make such stops. This is the first time anyone has posted about this traditional activity on social media,” Dolson said. “I suspect no one will repeat that action anytime soon.”

“The purpose of these brief visits is straightforward: to ensure election workers feel safe, to address any public safety concerns that may arise, and to maintain the positive relationship between our Sheriff’s Office and the communities we serve,” Spence said. “We have no interest in interfering with the electoral process, and our deputies’ role at polling locations is not to influence voters or the outcome of an election.”

However, the legal groups and Bowers said the mere presence of officers could be intimidating to voters.

“We understand that law enforcement agencies like the Sheboygan County Sheriff’s Office play a critical role in keeping both voters and election officials and workers safe by responding to genuine emergencies,” the legal groups stated. “However, the visible presence of armed law enforcement at or near polling places (or other locations like drop boxes or in-person absentee voting locations) is likely to intimidate voters, thereby preventing them from casting their ballots. Voter intimidation is prohibited under both Wisconsin and Federal law.”

Wisconsin state law requires that in cities of more than 500,000, the chief of police stations a police officer at any polling place designated by the municipal board of election commissioners. That currently only includes Milwaukee. 

The ACLU’s letter noted that voter intimidation laws apply to law enforcement officers and that patrolling in militarized gear with weapons near a ballot drop box has previously been found intimidating to voters.

The groups noted in the letter that the Wisconsin Elections Commission advises that polling locations near or in police stations or other public buildings could lead to the perception of electioneering or make voters uncomfortable and that should be considered when designating polling places.

“While the presence of law enforcement may be necessary if voting is occurring at or near a public safety building or in the event of an emergency to preserve the voting process, steps can and should be taken to mitigate the intimidating effects of such presence. For instance, officers stationed at voting,” the letter states citing state statutes. 

The groups provide some recommendations for how law enforcement should navigate the issue, citing information from the National Policing Institute, 21st Century Policing Solutions and States United Democracy Center.

“For instance, officers stationed at voting locations at public safety buildings should be dressed in plain clothes, uniformed personnel should remain out of sight of voters whenever possible, and law enforcement should refrain from parking police vehicles in front of polling locations or alternatively, should use unmarked cars. Finally, if a police officer must be stationed within an electioneering perimeter, they should take directions from and follow the lead of the chief inspector, limit their interactions with voters, and respond only to emergency incidents.”

Stationing federal officers at polls is prohibited by law but concerns about federal officials including Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) patrolling polling locations ignited across the country after Trump said in May in response to a question that he would “do anything necessary to make sure we have honest elections; we have to have honest elections.” The Sheboygan County sheriff’s office is one of several law enforcement units across Wisconsin that maintain an active 287(g) agreement with ICE.

Trump administration officials have recently said that law federal agents will not be deployed to the polls for the midterm elections.

“Because of this administration and how they stoke fear in folks…[people] see police presence, they’re not going to go,” Bowers said. “You see a police officer at a polling location… It just gives people a fear that they don’t need to have when they’re going to vote.”

Bowers said that while elections officials should be trusted to carry out elections, transparency is part of the issue that needs to be addressed. 

“Having a Facebook post saying that you’re going to do this on Election Day is kind of what was jarring to the public,” Bowers said. “I think having a plan previously would have helped to say, ‘OK, these folks may feel like they need added protection, how do we do that in a way that doesn’t feel like voter intimidation?’… I think that’s like the biggest thing on Election Day is access to voting, and so I feel like if they were to have those concerns addressed prior to the election, that would have helped in this situation.” 

This message was echoed in the letter from the ACLU and other legal groups. 

“We recognize that the security of our elections and election officials is of paramount importance and believe a balance can be struck to accomplish these security objectives without unintentionally impeding voters,” the groups stated. “Thus, we suggest that your office issue guidance to your officers reflecting these recommendations and to coordinate directly with local election officials regarding ways to simultaneously protect the security of our elections and respond to emergency incidents without deterring voters.”

UPDATE: This story has been updated to include comment from Jon Dolson, the Sheboygan County clerk. 

The University of Wisconsin system says it will freeze tuition for two years and keep potential increases in the following two years capped at the rate of inflation if the state provides $190 million in the next state budget.

“This proposal means four years of predictable tuition with costs that remain well below inflation,” UW Regent President Kyle Weatherly said in a statement, defining the system’s “4-Year Tuition Pledge.” 

“It represents an important commitment to Wisconsin families and helps ensure the Universities of Wisconsin remain the Midwest leader in tuition affordability,” he said. 

The money is just a portion of the system’s $730 million biennial budget request the UW system plans to submit for consideration. 

The proposal comes as complaints mount about a fourth consecutive year of tuition increases and as the state enters a critical election year with control of the governor’s office and the state Legislature up for grabs. 

“To make the 4-Year Tuition Pledge a reality and deliver the quality of education students deserve and parents expect, we need a state partner to fund ongoing operational expenses and help us, as was done for previous generations, fund basic education costs,” Weatherly said.

The UW system and outgoing Gov. Tony Evers have requested significant investments from the Legislature to prevent tuition increases, but Republican lawmakers have opposed the spending increases. The UW Board meeting briefing notes that Wisconsin currently ranks 43 out of 50 states in public funding to support four-year universities.

The last round of budget negotiations led to a $250 million increase for operational costs under the 2025 biennial state budget, well below the $855 million operational budget increase that former UW President Jay Rothman said would be needed to avoid tuition increases.

The UW’s entire proposed funding request, which would allocate $347 million in the first year of the budget and $383 million in the second year, is tied to the advancement of three goals: helping the UW system provide access to affordable, high-quality education; building the state’s workforce; and advancing life-saving discoveries as well as access to healthcare.

If the budget request is fulfilled, the Board of Regents plans to commit to a two-year tuition freeze for undergraduate residents. It says it would also limit potential increases in the 2029-31 biennium to no more than the rate of inflation.

The request also includes $45 million that would go towards developing the UW’s AI capabilities in an “ethical manner”. The investment would cover hardware, software, and networking infrastructure required to run advanced AI systems, as well as staff to manage AI and support faculty and students. 

“Rather than renting computing power from commercial vendors at escalating costs, this infrastructure would be owned and operated by the Universities of Wisconsin, giving Wisconsin universities reliable, affordable access to the computing resources needed to train and develop AI tools,” the briefing states. 

The request also includes $35 million to raise starting salaries to be more competitive and $33 million for the Wisconsin Work & Learn program, which would cover eligible students’ tuition and fees. Students will in turn work while they attend school. 

The system is requesting another $240 million to strengthen economic and workforce competitiveness through investments in technology, research, workforce training, expanded dual enrollment opportunities for high school students as well as academic and career services. 

Another $115 million would be used to grow healthcare education programs. 

The UW Board of Regents will consider the request during its meeting this week.

Republican gubernatorial candidate U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany began his general election campaign against Democratic nominee Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley by seeking to paint his opponent as a fan of data centers. Data centers have become a source of great concern for Wisconsin voters. Crowley’s Democratic primary opponent Francesca Hong made the issue central to her campaign before narrowly losing to Crowley last week. Neither Tiffany nor Crowley supports a moratorium on the construction of new data centers, as Hong did. Both Tiffany and Crowley support new guardrails for data centers. 

Crowley has cited the issue when contrasting himself with the candidacy of Hong, who was the only candidate in the Democratic primary to support a one-year moratorium on the construction of new AI data centers. Crowley says a moratorium would do nothing to regulate the data centers that already exist in Wisconsin, and says that his own strategy includes stringent regulation of both existing and prospective data centers.

In a July Marquette Law School poll, 73% of Wisconsinites said the costs of data centers outweigh the benefits and 27% said the benefits are greater than the costs.

Crowley and Tiffany have expressed support for some of the same policies when it comes to data centers, including prohibiting nondisclosure agreements between the companies that build them and local governments, allowing local communities to have final say on whether a data center is built and protecting consumers’ utility rates. 

“Data centers should pay the full cost of the infrastructure, energy demand and public services they require,” Crowley has said. 

Tiffany has highlighted protecting the state’s farmland and Crowley has highlighted protecting the state’s natural resources, including by encouraging companies that seek to build in the state to “bring your own clean energy,” which Crowley refers to as his “Beyonce” plan. Crowley also proposes that the state require contributions to Wisconsin’s Focus on Energy fund, an energy efficiency and renewable energy program, and that only union labor be allowed for the construction of data centers. 

One area of difference — Tiffany supports repealing a tax credit that was passed by the Republican-led state Legislature and signed into law under Gov. Tony Evers, while Crowley has not committed to doing so. 

“I do not believe Wisconsin should automatically roll back all data center tax incentives, but I do believe we need a more rigorous review of whether taxpayers are receiving sufficient value for the incentives being provided,” Crowley told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in July.

In a recent statewide ad, Tiffany’s campaign introduced the Milwaukee County executive as “Data Center David Crowley.

The ad follows days of his campaign highlighting the issue, including releasing a clip of Crowley being interviewed on NBC news in which he says he does not support a moratorium on data centers and circulating a video of Crowley saying at a forum early in the Democratic primary that Wisconsin had the “opportunity” to become the “AI and data hub not only for the entire country, but for the entire globe.”

“And he wants you to pay for it. Data Center David Crowley won’t roll back tax incentives. Our lakes run dry. Family farms paved over. Why? Because Crowley’s campaign is funded by the people building them. Big Tech wins. Wisconsin pays,” the ad states.

The ad is referring to contributions that Crowley has received from unions including the Wisconsin Pipe Trades Association PAC Fund and the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 139 PAC. 

Tiffany told reporters the day after the primary election that it sounds like David Crowley will give “a blank check to data centers” and that data centers “do not need to be subsidized by us, the taxpayers.”

However, Tiffany has not been a big critic of data centers until recently. He called data centers “exciting new technology” in an interview in January. While in Congress, he voted for a bill that would have banned states from being able to regulate AI developers for 10 years.

Tiffany also recently received a $5,000 contribution from Robert Marchant, the lobbyist for the Wisconsin Data Center Coalition, which lobbied against a bill that would ban data center nondisclosure agreements and lobbied for sales tax exemptions for data centers. 

The Crowley campaign has responded to Tiffany’s attacks by sharing videos of Crowley explaining his positions on data centers, including highlighting his support for allowing local communities to decide whether they want a data center. 

“Communities should be able to make a decision whether or not they want a data center. It shouldn’t be steamrolled; it should be brought to the table. If they don’t want a data center, they shouldn’t be forced to have one. There are no ifs, ands or buts about that,” Crowley said in a video posted to social media over the weekend. “If they decide to make their own decision, they need to be transparent. They need to protect taxpayers. They need to increase the level of renewable energy production and protect our water. They need to do all of that while providing family-sustaining opportunities for Wisconsinites, rather than bringing people into Wisconsin. If they make a decision not to do it, we need to honor that decision. We need to make sure that we are holding these folks accountable because, right now, they’re getting all these tax breaks and steamrolling local communities.” 

Michele Magadance Skinner, a Republican candidate for state Senate and an Eau Claire County board member, is being sued by the state Senate Democratic Campaign Committee which seeks to remove her from the ballot ahead of the November election arguing that she is not a legal resident of Wisconsin.

Skinner is challenging Sen. Jeff Smith (D-Brunswick) to represent the Wisconsin State Senate District 31, a competitive seat that is key to deciding control of the body next year. She launched her campaign for the seat in June after Sen. Jesse James (R-Thorp), who had planned to run for reelection, ended his campaign following the revelation that his daughter was charged with stealing campaign funds. 

In recent weeks, Skinner has come under scrutiny for claiming residence in two states, Wisconsin and Georgia, and for voting in both. The lawsuit was filed by the Wisconsin State Senate Democratic Committee, the campaign arm of the Senate Democratic caucus, in Dane County Circuit Court. It was filed against Skinner and the Wisconsin Elections Commission, which had dismissed a complaint against Skinner.

The lawsuit alleges that Georgia is Skinner’s primary residence and therefore she should be disqualified from running for office in Wisconsin.

David Hollander, the attorney representing the SSDC, stated in the lawsuit that “because Skinner is not a Wisconsin resident and is therefore constitutionally ineligible for office, Plaintiffs seek an order directing WEC not to certify Skinner as a candidate for placement on the November 2026 general election ballot.” 

“Likewise, because she is not a Wisconsin resident, the Court should remove Skinner from seat on the Eau Claire County Board.” 

In order to be eligible to run for the state Legislature, the Wisconsin State Constitution requires candidates to have lived in Wisconsin for one year and to be qualified electors in the district where they are running.

The lawsuit alleges that while Skinner has a home in Altoona, she uses a home in Dawsonville, Georgia as her primary residence. 

The lawsuit notes that Skinner voted in Georgia in 2021 during a runoff election when both of the state’s U.S. Senate seats were closely contested, and notes that Wisconsin state statute says if a person moves to another state and exercises the right to vote then the person loses Wisconsin residency. It also states that Skinner received a Wisconsin Lottery tax credit in 2025 —the same year her husband claimed a Georgia homestead property exemption. 

“Robert Skinner could only do so if the Georgia Home was the principal residence for both him and his spouse — Skinner,” the lawsuit states. 

The lawsuit also points out that her nomination papers include her Georgia address and that Skinner has written on social media in the past about splitting her time between the states.

Skinner’s campaign told the Wisconsin Examiner that it is not able to provide any comment on the litigation and referred back to comments made by Skinner last week. 

Last week, Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein (D-Middleton) called on Skinner to drop her bid for the seat given the concerns about her residency.

“I am a Wisconsin resident. Wisconsin is my home. I was born and raised in Eau Claire and spent much of my career in western Wisconsin. I currently serve as an Eau Claire County Board Supervisor and chair the Lake Altoona Rehabilitation and Protection District,” Skinner said. 

Skinner, a former TV reporter and founder of a recruitment firm, was elected to the Eau Claire County Board in April 2024. She also ran a failed campaign in 2024 challenging state Rep. Jodi Emerson (D-Eau Claire) for her seat in the Wisconsin Assembly. 

Skinner said in a statement that “my husband is a Georgia resident, and a 100% VA disabled veteran — that may be a source of confusion, but is not evidence of any wrongdoing.”

The lawsuit references the statement and cites Wisconsin state statute that says that “when a married person’s family resides at one place and that person’s business is conducted at another place, the former place establishes the residence.”

“Skinner has publicly admitted that her husband is a Georgia resident,” the lawsuit states. “Therefore, the family’s Georgia Home, where her family resides, establishes Skinner’s residence… regardless of any political business Skinner conducts in Wisconsin.”

Skinner said in the same statement that she and her husband asked an independent certified public accountant to review their tax records.

“He found nothing illegal,” Skinner said on Aug. 8. “The accusation that we improperly claimed tax benefits in more than one state is simply false. “The accusation that I ‘cheated taxpayers out of thousands of dollars’ is nothing more than a lie designed to distract voters.”

The lawsuit also argues that her signatures that she gathered for her nomination papers are invalid if she is not a Wisconsin resident. She gathered 470 of the 563 signatures, according to the lawsuit. Wisconsin state law was changed in 2025 to require that signatures be gathered by residents of the state, though that statute is being challenged in court.

The WEC is required to certify the list of candidates to appear on the general election ballot “no later than the 4th Tuesday in August,” which would be Aug. 25. In the lawsuit, the SSDC argues the Court could order Skinner be removed from the ballot as late as Sep. 2.

In a show of unity following a divisive and chaotic primary, Democratic gubernatorial nominee David Crowley met for breakfast with the losing candidates in the primary along with lieutenant governor nominee Sarah Godlewski and top Wisconsin Democrats.

Democrats are competing to hold onto the governor’s office against Republicans U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany and David Varnam and hope to flip control of the state Senate and Assembly in November.

U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Devin Remiker, Joel Brennan, state Sen. Kelda Roys and state Rep. Francesca Hong gathered with the nominees at a cafe in Middleton. Crowley sat at the head of the table next to Godlewski and Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein (D-Middleton).

The elected officials and losing primary candidates departed the breakfast while Crowley and Godlewski addressed reporters. 

Crowley, who in July restarted his campaign 10 days after he dropped out, said Gov. Tony Evers, who endorsed him, was his campaign’s “secret weapon.”

“He has a lot of trust and he’s done a lot of work. He’s one of the very few governors that we know has continued to deliver year after year,” Crowley said, adding that Evers’ message and experience helped as well. “We’re not going to win this race focusing on ideology alone. It’s about focusing on Wisconsin values. We cannot allow Washington politics to creep up into our own backyard.”

Godlewski, who won the nomination in an uncontested primary and introduced Crowley, said national politics are a “clear distinction from that guy, Tom Tiffany, who is an election denier, career politician who only cares about the wealthy and corporations.”

“That’s not who Wisconsin is, and that’s not who we are going to elect this November,” Godlewski said

Hong did not speak to reporters, but released a statement congratulating Crowley around the time of the breakfast.

“This campaign was not about getting one person into office. It is about building a movement for permanent affordability and a government that puts working people first. Our movement is strong, and the work isn’t done,” Hong said. “I fully support [Crowley] and look forward to working with him to defeat Congressman Tiffany in November.” 

Crowley also criticized Tiffany and promised to ensure that northern communities, many of which are represented by Tiffany, are not forgotten.

“We’re going to make sure they’re a part of this process and we can lend their voices to the solutions. We know no one has been listening to them across this state,” Crowley said, adding that Tiffany has not been hearing the concerns of his constituents and is only loyal to President Donald Trump. 

Tom Tiffany in Deforest

Tiffany, who has Trump’s endorsement, met with supporters in the afternoon at a bar in Deforest alongside lieutenant governor nominee David Varnam and attorney general nominee Eric Toney.

“Well, it appears that Thanksgiving may be safe this year,” Tiffany said, referring to the late-in-the-race controversy over a post made by Hong about canceling the holiday. The joke got  laughs in the bar. 

Ahead of the election, Republicans spent millions on ads to help boost Hong’s campaign, hoping she would become the Democratic nominee. 

In his remarks Wednesday, Tiffany tried to tie Crowley to Hong.

“There is not a dime’s worth of difference between the candidates that ran for the Democrat,” he said. “David Crowley will do the same stuff that Francesca Hong would have. He just didn’t say it.”

Tiffany also criticized Crowley for his leadership of the state’s largest county, including a lapse in health insurance coverage for Milwaukee County employees and the projected future budget deficits that the county faces, despite  Crowley’s talking point that he has only signed balanced budgets as county executive. 

Tiffany was also asked whether Crowley’s nomination changes his approach to the race. 

“It’ll be the same stuff, the same socialism, whether it’s David Crowley or anyone else,” Tiffany said. “You know, he was in the race, then he was out of the race, and then he was asked to get back in the race. He didn’t know whether he wanted to be governor or not. I want to be the governor of the state of Wisconsin, and we’ve had a plan from the very beginning that we’ve been sharing.” 

The Republican ticket will include Jay Schroeder, who won the GOP primary for secretary of state. Schroeder wants to eliminate the Wisconsin Elections Commission and put it back under the control of the secretary of state. 

Tiffany did not disavow the idea of eliminating the Wisconsin Elections Commission, which was created under former Gov. Scott Walker. 

“We’ll assess that after I am elected,” he said. “It should be easy to vote but hard to cheat, right, and we’re counting on that happening here with this election here in November.” 

Republican Party of Wisconsin Chair Brian Schimming told reporters that it is a new race and that he wouldn’t put much stock in polling or primary results. 

“Democrats spent the last several months fighting with each other. It took them three candidates to finally get to one that they could push through the primary, and the fact is that the last four or five months has been all about stopping Francesca,” Schimming said. “So it’s a new race.” 

Schimming added that “a primary winner will get a bump, you know, so I’m not going to be surprised by anything I see in the polls in the next week or two.”

Data centers and young voters 

In the Democratic primary for governor, Hong built much of her campaign on motivating young voters and leveraging her stance on AI data centers. She supported a one-year moratorium. Both Crowley and Tiffany addressed how they would approach the issue Wednesday. 

Asked about winning over Hong voters, Crowley said young people should have a seat at the table. 

“They need to be a part of creating the strategy and making sure that you know they have opportunities as well,” Crowley said. “Young people don’t feel that they can look into their future right now. When the average home-buying age is 40 years old, when right now they’re looking at data centers and artificial intelligence taking the jobs in the future, and so we have to focus on making sure that we’re lifting up their voices and protecting what they believe needs to be protected.”

Tiffany said that his message to young voters is “we’re going to make life more affordable for you.” He said he would do that by cutting property taxes by eliminating Evers’ 400-year veto that gives school districts authority to bring in more revenue by raising taxes, and by cutting regulations on homebuilding to make it more affordable to build a home. 

“I understand the frustration. I mean, I have three daughters in their twenties, and it’s not easy to make ends meet at this point,” Tiffany said. 

Crowley, who has said he supports banning nondisclosure agreements for data center projects, did not offer his support for a moratorium on AI data centers when asked by a reporter.

“We have to focus on making sure that we have accountability with these data centers,” Crowley said. “They have to pay their own way, they need to pay for their own infrastructure and they need to bring their own new clean energy. I am committed to working with the state Legislature to make sure we have as many guardrails as possible.”

Tiffany said he would end subsidies for data centers that were signed into Wisconsin law under Evers, work to ensure that utility rates don’t go up and would ban nondisclosure agreements. 

“Well it sounds like David Crowley will give a blank check to data centers,” Tiffany said. “They do not need to be subsidized by us, the taxpayers, and we’re gonna make sure that people’s electricity rates do not go up. We’re going to make sure that we have full transparency.”

Democratic gubernatorial nominee David Crowley called on Democrats to unite as he accepted the nomination Wednesday. 

The race was called in the early morning hours Wednesday  as Crowley defeated state Rep. Francesca Hong by a razor-thin margin. Hong  called Crowley to concede shortly after 2 a.m. . If elected in November, Crowley would be the first Black person to serve as governor of Wisconsin. Crowley was elected as Milwaukee’s first Black county executive in 2020 after serving two terms in the state Assembly.

“The job is not done. The job is not finished,” Crowley said. “My job is not to become the first, and if I do become the first, my job is to make sure that I’m not the last and provide more opportunities for young men and women all across this state.” 

Democrats have their work cut out for them as they compete against Republican  U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, a three-term congressman endorsed by President Donald Trump who currently represents the state’s largest congressional district in the northern half of the state.

Crowley started that work as he accepted the nomination at 9 a.m. Wednesday in Milwaukee. 

“Over the past few months, you’ve heard a lot of people try to define this election as a battle between the left and the center, between progressives and the establishment, between insiders and outsiders, that narrative misses the entire point of what we’re doing,” Crowley said.

Crowley’s comeback in the race was powered by an endorsement from Gov. Tony Evers, the popular, departing two-term governor. Evers and Crowley spent the last two weeks traveling around the state in a last-ditch campaign. Crowley had previously dropped out of the race  on July 8 and endorsed Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez. When Rodriguez’s campaign imploded due to a financial scandal on July 17, Evers encouraged Crowley to restart his campaign. He reintroduced himself on July 18. 

After getting back into the race, Crowley faced accusations of being the “establishment” candidate who was chosen to defeat the democratic socialist candidate, Francesca Hong. He called that accusation a “slur.”

As he accepted the nomination, Crowley thanked Evers “for his friendship, his leadership and his belief that Wisconsin works best when working people come together to solve problems.” He also sought to put to bed the narrative that had surrounded the race as he thanked his primary opponents. He said that Hong’s campaign “reminded people across Wisconsin that there are no long shots when it comes to believing in a better future and fighting to expand opportunities to every family” and said he  looks forward to earning the support of Hong voters. The narrative that the primary was ​​”a battle between the left and the center, between progressive and the establishment, between insiders and outsiders” was inaccurate, Crowley said.

“When I traveled across Wisconsin, I didn’t meet people who introduced themselves that way. I met parents wondering how they afford childcare. I met workers who want wages that keep up with the costs of living. I met farmers trying to preserve family traditions. I met small business owners trying to keep their doors open, and I met seniors who deserve security and dignity after a lifetime of work. We may not agree on every policy, we may not use the same labels, but we all want safe communities, strong schools, affordable health care, good-paying jobs, and a brighter future for all of our children.” 

Crowley said Democrats must  now unite around keeping “MAGA extremism” out of Wisconsin and called Tiffany the “real threat.”

“Tiffany stood with those who tried to overturn a free and fair presidential election instead of defending our democracy,” Crowley said. “He’s worked in lockstep with Donald Trump to slash programs that Wisconsin families depend on, including SNAP and healthcare for our children, our seniors and veterans and working families. He backed harmful, costly policies like the war in Iran, while too many families right here, right at home, are struggling to make ends meet. He spends his time fueling culture wars because sowing division is much easier than delivering results.” 

“Wisconsin, we deserve better than politicians who divide us for their own political gain,” Crowley said.

Tiffany said in a statement about Crowley’s victory that there is “not a dime’s worth of difference between these Democrat candidates.” 

“David Crowley proved my point when he admitted there aren’t many policy differences between him and a socialist,” Tiffany said. “His record in Milwaukee County shows exactly what Wisconsin would get: mismanage the government, run up the bill and raise your taxes to pay for it. Wisconsin doesn’t need more of the same failed policies.”

Democrats are meeting for a unity breakfast that will bring together Crowley, Hong, state Sen. Kelda Roys, another of the candidates in the Democratic primary, Lt. Gov. candidate Sarah Godlewski, U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin and U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan around 11 a.m. in Middleton, as they , seek to move past the divisiveness of the primary with less than three months until the general election. 

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley secured the Democratic nomination for governor in the early hours of Wednesday morning as state Rep. Francesca Hong conceded the race, ending the uncertainty of a primary characterized by unprecedented chaos over the last two months. 

An error in uploading absentee ballot data in Milwaukee caused a delay in reporting that pushed the final results off and both Hong and Crowley ended their election watch parties after midnight with no winner declared. The Associated Press called the race at 2:34 a.m. Wednesday after Hong conceded, with 98% of the ballots counted as Crowley maintained a lead of just over 3,200 votes.

Crowley will face U.S. Rep Tom Tiffany, the GOP nominee for governor, who easily defeated his Republican challenger, and his running mate David Varnam. Varnam defeated Will Martin, who had the endorsement of the state GOP and had been campaigning with Tiffany.

The Democratic primary, which started with seven candidates, all of whose names appeared on the ballot even after three dropped out, dwindled to four candidates competing for the nomination. When the race concluded, AP reported that Crowley had 39.8% of the vote and Hong had 39.4%. State Sen. Kelda Roys and former Department of Administration Secretary Joel Brennan trailed the two leaders with 7.5% and 4.7% of the vote respectively.

In a statement, Crowley campaign manager Garren Randolph thanked voters and volunteers as well as the three other Democrats who had remained in the primary contest.

“They challenged all of us to think bigger about what our state can become,” Randolph said. “From day one, this campaign has been about what comes next for Wisconsin: making life more affordable, strengthening our schools, creating good-paying jobs, and making sure opportunity reaches every corner of our state. Now, David is focused on bringing people together, earning the support of Democrats, Republicans, Independents, and anyone who believes Wisconsin is at its best when we work together and deliver results.”

Crowley launched his campaign in September 2025, dropped out in July and endorsed Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, then reentered the race when Rodriguez dropped out. Gov. Tony Evers, who had declined to express a preference in the race before the final days, encouraged Crowley to rejoin the field and campaigned for him up until Election Day.

Worried that Hong, a democratic socialist, state lawmaker and chef, could not win the general election, undecided Democratic primary voters flocked to Crowley’s resurrected campaign. Hong ran a campaign based on a cadre of grassroots volunteers and a strong  social media strategy. Polls showed her dominating the field with a double-digit lead toward the end of the campaign, a result that was not matched by vote tallies on Election Night.

Victory parties with the outcome hanging

The crowd gathered at Atwood Music Hall in Madison for Hong’s victory party started the night in a hopeful mood, singing to Pink Pony Club by Chappell Roan, Stateside by PinkPantheress and Wannabe by the Spice Girls. Supporters made signs at a table and took photos together. Loud boos rang out when President Donald Trump and Tiffany, the Republican candidate, appeared on the large screens showing CNN’s election night coverage.

In the two weeks leading up to the election, Crowley and Evers raced across the state to reintroduce Crowley to voters with Evers telling people he thought Hong would not be able to beat Tiffany. 

April Brown, a Madison resident, said the issues she is most concerned about this election year are affordability, data centers and queer and trans issues. She and her wife, who came out as trans three years ago, moved to Dane County about a year ago from Georgia. 

“The South was increasingly becoming hostile towards people like us, like her,” Brown said. “When I found out about Fran being, not only my district representative in the state Assembly, but also she was running for governor and found how passionate she was about LGBTQ rights, I knew I had to throw my support behind her.” 

Brown said she would get behind Crowley if he won, but she felt hope voting for Hong. 

“I think she really resonates with people because she gets people and she wants to help people,” Brown said. 

Crowley’s supporters gathered at the Regency Ballroom in the Hyatt Regency hotel in downtown Milwaukee Tuesday night.

Darryl Morin, national president and board chairman of Forward Latino, Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson, and other local elected officials joined the crowd.

Throughout the evening, Crowley maintained a slight lead over Hong as vote totals were reported across the state. Updates on the large TV screens in the ballroom were greeted with cheering from the crowd. 

Talk of a possible recount began as Crowley maintained his razor-thin advantage. Hong’s after-hours concession forestalled the possibility of a recount. 

Calls for unity

Just before 11:30 p.m., Hong addressed her supporters, thanking them and telling them that they have “built something that will change politics forever.”

“In 11 weeks, no matter who’s on this ballot, we are going to fight to win for one another,” Hong said. “We will win together, united. Because everyone who’s running in this race, they know that we can make better possible and we must make better possible.”

After Hong left the stage her campaign staff wished everyone a good night and the lights in Atwood Music Hall were turned up. 

Hannah Ecay, a 25-year-old who wore a Madison Area DSA shirt, said she doesn’t have kids, but wants to one day and that’s part of why she supports Hong and her affordability agenda. 

“I don’t have kids yet, but when I do childcare and public education are very important to me, and I’d like to see those things be set up now, before I have children,” Ecay said. 

Ecay said she would vote for Crowley in the general election if he wins.

“Anyone’s better than Tom Tiffany, but I won’t be as excited about it as I would be for Francesca,” she said. 

As votes were being tallied in Milwaukee, election workers announced that a mistake had been made where some of the flash drives used to record the election results were downloaded with audit data instead of information from 15,000 absentee ballots. The mistake was expected to take over an hour to fix. Congresswoman Gwen Moore addressed Crowley’s supporters, saying that she believes that “the red bird will fly,” referring to a story from Crowley’s wife of having seen a red cardinal — a significant religious symbol to her — which she interpreted as a sign that Crowley should re-enter the race. 

Jarrett English, a community organizer in Milwaukee, said that he respects both Hong and Crowley. “I’ve known David since he was an organizer, and so I know that he works hard,” English told the Examiner. “He was always going to do well in Milwaukee because he’s been an incredible county executive, arguably the most successful county executive in a generation, at least in terms of the amount of things that have gotten accomplished with housing, with mental health, with not necessarily shared revenue but getting more revenue for the metro area. All those things show that he is more than ready to be at a higher level.” 

English said he believes either Hong or Crowley would make fantastic governors. “I personally will be happy with whoever wins,” said English, saying that while he doesn’t always agree with Crowley, he’s “a bridgebuilder” and Hong “is the same.”

Donna Davis, managing partner for Vox Pop Solutions and a Crowley supporter who traveled from Florida, said that “Crowley’s candidacy, who Crowley is and what he believes in, is an idea and a moment whose time has come.” Observing Crowley’s  unexpected surge which kept him in the lead most of the night, Davis said, “I think people want something different. I think they’re unsure about the unknown. I mean this is the Midwest, and people like what they know. And he fits Wisconsin.” 

Davis said that Crowley’s performance Tuesday night is a sign that “Milwaukee is ready to move into the 21st century, Wisconsin is ready for the 21st century.” If she were asked  just three years ago whether his success would have been possible, “I would’ve told you ‘absolutely not.’ I wasn’t even really sure that this was the moment because we’re in the middle of a very divisive era in American history. But this is a democracy, and the voters have the final say.”

Moving into the general election

Crowley will be joined on the ticket by Secretary of State Sarah Godlewski, who is running in November for lieutenant governor and faced no primary opponent. She previously served as state treasurer from January 2019 to January 2023. Evers appointed her to her current position. 

Democrats have their work cut out for them as they seek to beat Tiffany, a three-term congressman who currently represents the state’s largest congressional district in the northern half of the state. Wisconsin’s statewide races are typically decided by close margins, including in 2018 when Evers defeated Gov. Scott Walker by about 30,000 votes. 

Ahead of Election Day, Democratic candidates had been discussing uniting following the primary to defeat Tiffany.

Crowley was scheduled to accept the nomination at 9 a.m. Wednesday in Milwaukee. Godlewski, U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan and Crowley are scheduled to meet for a unity breakfast later Wednesday morning in the Madison area, seeking to move past the divisiveness of the primary with less than three months until the general election.

Crowley and Evers in final sprint

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley and Gov. Tony Evers met with volunteers at Crowley’s campaign headquarters in Madison on Monday to thank them for their support.

Crowley and Evers have been racing cross the state over the last week to try to boost Crowley’s profile and win enough support to overtake state Rep. Francesca Hong, who has been leading the field in recent polls. 

Evers told reporters that people are “jazzed as hell” for Crowley. He had stayed out of the primary until July when the campaign of Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez collapsed. Crowley, at the time had suspended his campaign, but he was encouraged by Evers and others to get back into the race with Evers’ endorsement. 

Asked if he regretted waiting to endorse, Evers said he might have done it slightly earlier.

“No. Well, I wish I — yes and no,” Evers said. “It came to a point, and that point was really important…. Maybe in the return, I might have done it a week or two earlier, but this is kind of fun.”

Evers has said in recent days that he doesn’t think Hong can defeat likely Republican nominee U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany. He told reporters Monday that he would campaign for Hong if she wins, saying the “alternative is not good.”

Crowley told reporters that he feels optimistic going into Tuesday. 

“This primary has been chaotic. It’s been messy, but so is our democracy, and at the end of the day, it’s about making sure that all of our voters across this state or wherever they are that they have great options,” Crowley said. “We’re going to continue to focus on the affordability crisis, making things more affordable for families across this state, but also that I’m the only one that’s going to be ready on day one. We have seen a lot of incredible momentum in the past few weeks.”

One of Crowley’s supporters is Lester Pines, a 76-year-old retired attorney who spent much of his career fighting for progressive causes including against former Gov. Scott Walker. Pines said he was “moderately optimistic” going into Tuesday. He and Kaleem Caire, the co-founder of One City Schools, hosted a meet-and-greet event for Crowley early in the campaign.

“I was very impressed with David’s story of his life and with the fact that he’s the Milwaukee county executive and understands what it takes to actually run a large unit of government, and he’s a great communicator,” Pines said, adding that his actions have been “consistent with the positions that I have had, and my friends have had for decades.” 

Pines said Crowley is the right person to go up against “Tom Trump Tiffany,” though he said that he’ll be 100% in for Hong if she becomes the nominee. 

“I’m more than willing to support her if she’s the nominee. The problem is that she has littered herself with a number of very negative things that are going to become what the campaign is about despite how hard she’s going to try to stick to the issues, and that is what worries me,” Pines said. 

Hong rallies canvassers

About two hours later, just a few miles further east in Madison, Hong greeted her supporters before they got started with a canvassing effort at her campaign office in the Willy Street neighborhood. Hong has been leading in polls since early in the primary, and her lead has grown significantly since March of this year.

Hong told her supporters that “now it’s time to level up.”

“It’s not just about winning tomorrow, but it’s about uniting our coalition. It’s about bringing in new builders. It’s about making sure everyone in Wisconsin sees themselves in our vision for a better Wisconsin for everyone,” Hong said. 

Many Democrats, including Evers, have expressed doubts about Hong’s ability to win the general election as a democratic socialist with a history of making controversial social media posts in a swing state that voted for President Donald Trump twice. 

“We’ve been winning in the polls. We’ve been winning over voters because we’re the campaign that actually listens to what they want and what they care about, and we’re going up against a Republican, who will never care about Wisconsinites, who will sell out our natural resources to the highest bidder. Tom Tiffany is an election denier and a traitor. He supports a national abortion ban. A vote for Tiffany is a vote for Trump, not for the people,” Hong told her supporters, adding that the campaign is about the people and “not just my opponents, not about the rhetoric and certainly not about the tweets.” 

Answering questions from reporters, Hong said she looks forward to building unity after the primary and that she is “very confident that we’ll be able to show folks that Democrats are coming together to make sure that Democrats win down and up the ballot this November.”

Throughout her campaign, Hong has held over 320 events and leveraged thousands of volunteers to build support. She said she knew she’d have to “out hustle” the other candidates as the “wildcard” in the race. 

Even the day before Election Day, a handful of new canvassers were given a quick training and instructed to keep things positive when talking about other Democratic candidates and speaking to voters who like Hong “but they’re worried about her electability.” 

One volunteer said they supported Hong because she doesn’t take corporate PAC money, adding, “there’s only one other candidate who does that and she has no motion,” a reference to state Sen. Kelda Roys. Another volunteer mentioned Hong’s position on AI data centers — she supports a one-year moratorium, while other candidates have said they want to impose new regulations. 

— Baylor Spears

Roys sees path forward down to the wire

State Sen. Kelda Roys campaigned through the weekend, with stops scheduled in De Pere and Green Bay on Friday, Ojibwa and Hudson on Saturday, Eau Claire and Mauston on Sunday and online events Sunday afternoon and evening.

On Monday she began her day at the Wisconsin State Fair, followed by a brew pub meet-and-greet in Wauwatosa, a town hall event in Whitewater and wrapping up with a rally at a Madison restaurant two blocks from the Capitol.

“There is such a hunger for change,” Roys told the group of about 90 who gathered under a tent in the back yard of Naples 15. “People are furious about what this Republican authoritarian regime is doing to our country, and they want a leader who is willing to stand up and fight for it. And people are ready to finally put the nail in the coffin of the Walker years.”

Surrounded by enthusiastic supporters, although polls have put her behind Hong and Crowley, Roys said she saw  signs that she takes as a message not to count her out.

“Even now this weekend, as I traveled around and I said, ‘Who’s undecided?’, a good chunk of people still raise their hands,” she said. “We know that when folks see all the candidates side by side, when they hear us, when they have the opportunity to actually clue in and pay attention, they do gravitate towards me and my progressive policies.”

She mentioned a poll after the one Democratic gubernatorial debate that showed her gaining support from swing voters.

“I am just overwhelmed by the outpouring of support that I have received all over the state, and I have to tell you, it has accelerated wildly in the last several weeks since the debate,” Roys said.

After her pep talk, which lasted a little more than 15 minutes, Roys spent another half-hour taking questions and comments from the crowd.

Bryna Caves, who is running in the Democratic primary for the 50th Assembly District that includes Green County, told Roys that she had originally supported Hong’s campaign.

But hearing Roys at a rally Caves held in February to launch her own campaign, “it was really obvious to me that Kelda had equally as progressive values as Fran but was wildly more qualified. She had way more experience. Her policies were much more thought out, and I just was much more in touch with her in person,” Caves said.“I flipped because it was obvious to me that she is — If we really want to achieve the goals that we want, like universal healthcare, childcare, if we want to make these things actually happen, the one that’s going to be able to get it done with no drama is Kelda.”

— Erik Gunn

Brennan looks forward to next phase

Joel Brennan met with a small group of supporters in a quiet and scenic Mequon neighborhood on Monday. Brennan aimed to canvas the area, filled with huge houses, scenic nature views, and quiet courts, and cul de sacs to gain support ahead of the Tuesday Democratic primary election. 

Pointing to his experience serving as Secretary of Administration under Gov. Tony Evers, as well as in the private sector and running the state’s largest science museum, Discovery World, Brennan told reporters that he’s a prime candidate. Brennan said that the more he talks to voters, the more he hears people express frustration “with the government doing nothing, and government standing in place when we have real problems to address around healthcare, around childcare, or education.” Brennan added, “I’m somebody who’s always been about getting things done.” 

Brennan said he’s looking forward to what comes after the election Tuesday. “The field will change, the conversation will change after tomorrow,” he said. Despite all the twists and turns during the primary race, Brennan said voters remain focused on how to improve their lives, and how candidates can help them achieve that. 

Looking back at whether he has any regrets in his campaign, Brennan said that the disappearance of local media in small towns was a challenge. “I’m the son of two journalists,” said Brennan, “the world has changed. But I think we’re worse off if we don’t get local eyes, and local coverage, and local conversation about what’s going on. If there was something that I wish I had more of in this campaign, it’s sitting across the table from a grizzled local media veteran talking about local issues, forcing me to know more about that community, forcing me to answer for the issues in that community. And we don’t have that.” Brennan said that he believes “that we’d be a better-informed electorate if we had more of a chance to have those local conversations.”

Asked what he thinks will be the key to beating Republican Tom Tiffany in the race for governor, Brennan went after Tiffany’s ads. “Everybody has seen commercials to this point of Tom Tiffany looking over his shoulder and looking at his mother,” said Brennan. “I think the fall campaign’s going to have to be Tom Tiffany looking over his shoulder and seeing Donald Trump. Because he has spent more time with Donald Trump than his mother is my guess, and he’s been more closely aligned with him in his voting record than almost anybody else in America, and he has to answer to that.” 

Brennan said that Democrats also need to “offer up a positive vision” including how to help farmers and how to open up educational opportunities, “stop pitting property tax payers against kids,” and how to ensure healthcare is more affordable for people. “We better be offering up an alternative and a vision that solves problems for people and gives them a pathway to understanding that things are going to be better and things are going to be different if we get elected,” he said.

— Isiah Holmes

Amy Starzecki, administrator of the Superior school district in northern Wisconsin, detailed the financial difficulties her district has faced in recent years to a roomful of public education advocates gathered in the auditorium of Superior High School at the end of July.

Starzecki’s district had to transfer $6 million from its general fund to cover special education expenses that aren’t reimbursed by the state, she said, while at the same time coping with a 40% increase in healthcare costs. She said she was grateful that the community passed a referendum two years ago to help with costs, but it expires in 2029.

“I’m very nervous about whether we continue to push forward another referendum or whether it will pass, recognizing there’s fatigue in all of our communities and our families are experiencing the same inflation,” Starzecki said, adding that the school has taken steps to cut costs by closing a middle school and reducing administrative overhead. 

“We feel very strongly that we need to be looking at the funding formula and making sure that we are addressing the increased inflationary costs and increasing the revenue tied to that so that we don’t have to go to referendum and close that gap,” Starzecki said. “We need to have a significant change in our special education reimbursement to stop from pulling from our operating budget in order to cover the cost of those expenses that those students need.”

Public education advocates have for years called on the Republican-led Legislature to significantly boost state aid to public schools. 

The calls have gone unanswered by lawmakers, including this year when schools received no increase in their general aid from the state. But advocates see an opening for change with voters choosing both a new governor and electing candidates who will determine which party  controls the state Senate and Assembly next year, along with a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of  the state’s school funding formula. A favorable decision for the plaintiffs in the lawsuit could require an overhaul of the formula by the Legislature and the new governor. 

Democrats competing in the primary  for governor, including Department of Administration Secretary Joel Brennan, state Sen. Kelda Roys and state Rep. Francesca Hong, participated in a forum in Superior during the annual Wisconsin Public Education Network summer summit at the end of July. Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, who is also running, did not take part, nor did Republican candidates U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany and Andy Manske. 

All the Democratic candidates for governor have said they support increasing funding for the state’s public schools, raising the amount the state pays for special education and restoring the state’s guarantee to cover two-thirds of school costs. (Crowley, Hong and Roys have promised to work toward  a 90% special education reimbursement rate from the state, while Brennan has said that 60% is the “the most reasonable” rate for the state to adopt immediately.)

Tiffany has also said he would increase school funding, including for special education, while cutting property taxes, including by overturning Evers’ 400-year veto of a measure capping school districts’ ability to raise revenue from local property taxpayers. He has not laid out a specific plan for both increasing funding for schools and cutting taxes. Tiffany has also supported school choice programs, including the Trump administration’s federal tax credit program rewarding people who donate money to school choice programs. 

Manske recently said on social media that he supports universal school choice because he doesn’t “like parents/kids being robbed of choices for education” but that he is also interested in reforms to ensure all schools follow the same rules. 

The Democrats diverge on how they say they will handle Wisconsin’s school choice programs, which allow students to attend private schools and independent charter schools using taxpayer funds. 

Brennan and Crowley want focus on public growth, not cutting vouchers

Brennan and Crowley have said they want additional transparency and accountability measures put in place for voucher schools, but have not proposed any plans to sunset the programs

Crowley has argued that the state first needs to strengthen public schools before considering whether the voucher system should change. He has said he would not expand or shrink the programs, including the Milwaukee and statewide choice programs.

Instead, his campaign says, he will focus on investing in and improving the state’s public schools. His campaign told the Wisconsin Examiner that “his priority is ensuring public schools are fully funded and prepared to serve every student, including if and when the state’s voucher programs eventually sunset.” 

Crowley has explained this stance by saying that the state’s public schools would not be prepared for the influx of students that would arrive if voucher schools shut down immediately. He recently said on an episode of Pod Save America that candidates who say they will end the programs are not “being honest or realistic about the situation.” 

“This is going to upend, not just these children’s learning, their families, but what will this actually do to the public school system?” Crowley said. “We just did a $250 million referendum to make sure we have enough resources for [Milwaukee public schools] students. How are we going to send 30,000 [additional] students to the public schools?”

According to the Department of Public Instruction, the state’s school voucher system, which includes the Milwaukee, Racine, statewide and special needs programs, cost over $700 million in taxpayer dollars this year, with more than 60,000 students participating.

About 30,000 students use vouchers through the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program to attend private schools or independent charter schools. The cost of the Milwaukee program, which is paid for through state general purpose revenue, has grown to over $300 million. When the Milwaukee program launched as a small pilot program in 1990, it cost $700,000.

Crowley’s campaign told the Examiner that he would make increasing funding for public education his top priority “by directing available state resources toward K-12 education before pursuing additional tax cuts or other spending priorities.” 

“David does not see this as a choice between maintaining the current voucher system and strengthening public schools,” a campaign spokesperson said. “Rather than expanding voucher programs, he would prioritize new education investments in public schools, including increased general school aid and higher special education reimbursement, while maintaining the current voucher programs without expansion.” 

Brennan has also made the argument that it’s not feasible to suddenly end Wisconsin’s school voucher programs, especially in Milwaukee. During the only televised debate in the primary he said he supports capping enrollment in the programs and disclosing the cost of private voucher schools on taxpayers’ property tax bills. 

“There are representatives in Milwaukee… for whom more than half the people who live there are sending their kids to private schools. We have to live in the real world. This is dividing Democrats,” Brennan said at the debate. “I wouldn’t put legislators in a position where they’re going to have to tell parents that they can’t send their kids to their schools of their choice.”

Colleston Morgan, the executive director of the City Forward Collective, a Milwaukee-based education advocacy group that supports school choice, has called for Democrats to embrace school vouchers and private-school choice.

Morgan noted that, especially in Milwaukee many Black and Latino families rely on school vouchers, saying it’s too late to backtrack. 

The Milwaukee program, Morgan said in an interview with the Examiner, has been championed by Black public officials, including former Milwaukee Superintendent Howard Fuller and  Polly Williams, a Democratic state lawmaker, and was designed to serve Black and Hispanic families seeking an alternative to the Milwaukee Public Schools. Fuller has expressed reservations about the program’s expansion, however, saying he does not support universal school choice.

“I think we have forgotten that history in the current political moment, but I also think we have forgotten the reality that when you say we’re going to end vouchers or we’re going to put forward budget amendments that exclude the voucher program from these increases — what you’re saying is you’re defunding or underfunding one-fourth of the students in the state’s largest city,” Morgan said. “That it is a position — it’s incompatible to me with our values as Democrats.”

Morgan’s organization has not endorsed a candidate, but was complimentary of Evers, who has overseen the largest boost in funding for school choice programs in Wisconsin state history while negotiating budgets with Republicans.

“I would like to see leadership in the governor’s office that continues that legacy,” Morgan said.

Hong and Roys propose sunsetting vouchers

Hong and Roys both support sunsetting the state’s voucher programs, but have proposed different timelines for phasing them out. 

Advocates have acknowledged that the phase-out would likely not be quick, including Department of Public Instruction Superintendent Jill Underly. She said the voucher programs are a “drain on our public education system,” but cannot be shut down overnight.

“We don’t want to disrupt kids’ lives, so you come up with a responsible plan,” Underly said. She noted that the state has ended programs before, including Chapter 220 in Milwaukee, a program that allowed Black students in the city to attend suburban schools as part of an integration an effort. The program was phased out in 2015.

Underly, a Democrat who hasn’t endorsed a candidate in the gubernatorial primary and noted that her office is nominally nonpartisan, has said she will be prepared to knock on doors for pro-public school candidates after the primary.

Underly also said she plans to “swing for the fences” with her agency’s request in the next state budget. In its 2024 request, DPI requested at least $3 billion in additional spending for Wisconsin schools. Underly said she saw each candidate explaining “how they would re-prioritize public education within the revenue that they have.”

“We do have a limited amount of money or revenue, but it’s about priorities,” Underly said.

Roys and Hong, who are both Madison-area state lawmakers, have campaigned on the pledge that they will direct public money to public schools. 

Roys, who calls herself the “public education candidate” and has said if elected, she would dedicate the state’s entire projected budget surplus to public schools and seek to sunset the state’s voucher program. 

Roys has laid out a three-step approach to sunsetting the private school voucher system. Those steps include putting in place additional transparency and accountability measures, ending the statewide program in the next state budget and slowly phasing out the Milwaukee and Racine programs by allowing current students and their siblings to continue their education through the program. No other students would be allowed to enroll after that.

“We know that having a stable school environment is important for them,” Roys said. “Over time, as these kids… graduate, you are gradually reducing the number of kids who are enrolling in voucher programs. At the same time, you’re increasing the capacity and the quality of the public schools, so that more and more Milwaukee parents will feel excited about their kids attending the public schools in their district.”

Roys was endorsed early on by Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC), the state’s largest teacher’s union.

Hong has not laid out a detailed plan for sunsetting the programs, but recently said on Pod Save America that the Milwaukee program would be the last program phased out. 

“Sunsetting that program for Milwaukee, we’re looking at at least the second or third session, so that would be around 2030,” Hong said. “But again, we want to make sure that [Milwaukee Public Schools] is a partner with us and that the families who are in the program, that the education is not disrupted.”

Morgan questioned whether gradual plans could be nondisruptive. 

“I wonder how you practically pull it off, like for all the same reasons that school consolidations in the public school context are really tricky,” Morgan said. “Those schools are not going to stay open. They’re going to hit a tipping point and not be able to operate anymore… It doesn’t work.” 

Public schools advocates expressed concern about the amount of money being funneled out of the public schools by private school choice. 

State Rep. Christian Phelps (D-Eau Claire), who is seeking his second term in office this year, told the Examiner that he is running for reelection this year on a “pro-public education platform.”

“If you drive around Eau Claire, the signs that remain year-round say ‘we love Roosevelt School,’” Phelps said, referring to a school that has faced possible closure. “I don’t know how much longer people can get away with, like sprinkling some crumbs on special ed and doing nothing else in a budget and saying that was a historic increase.” 

Phelps said voters should pay more attention to legislative races because of the Legislature’s role in determining how much the state invests in public schools. Evers has proposed that the state spend more than $7 billion on education, but those calls were rejected by the Republican-led Legislature. 

“We have seen that if the Legislature doesn’t deliver that kind of budget, the governor’s only option is to sign or veto,” Phelps said. 

Holly Sweeney, an Elk Mound School Board member, told the Examiner that her small rural district is doing OK in part because of open enrollment, which allows students who live in neighboring districts including Eau Claire to attend schools in a different district. Sweeney said she is concerned about the amount of money that goes to vouchers in her area — about $120,000 —  which, she said, “doesn’t sound like a lot, but for our little school district, that’s a lot.”

“Our neighboring school district, Chippewa Falls… they have over $3 million going from their schools to voucher schools,” Sweeney said. “That’s something that we’re really concerned about.”

Peggy Hedberg, a Madison resident, recently switched her support in the Democratic primary for governor from state Sen. Kelda Roys (D-Madison) to Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley — a decision she said she has made because “pragmatically” she wants to vote for someone to win. Roys has been polling in the single digits.

Hedberg said it was Crowley’s energy that won her over.

“I felt like he had the strength to carry us,” she said, noting that it was hard for her to switch. She said she cares about electing women, especially as abortion access is one of the most important issues to her, but she also cares about having a candidate who can work with the Legislature to get things done. “I had to make a decision, and that was hard, but I felt that with Evers’ backing and other factors that this would be a better way for us to move forward.” 

Hedberg was at a meet and greet with Crowley on Wednesday afternoon in downtown Madison. Crowley is looking to win over voters like Hedberg with just five days until Election Day. 

Crowley told reporters that he is focusing on consolidating votes from people who are undecided. According to the last Marquette Law School poll, 34% of likely Democratic primary voters had not yet made up their minds. 

Crowley’s campaign ended in July, then restarted at the end of the month following the implosion of Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez’s campaign. In his second launch, Crowley entered with the endorsement of Gov. Tony Evers, triggering accusations that he is the candidate of the Democratic “establishment.” He said Wednesday that “when people try to call me the establishment, I look at that as a slur, particularly as an African American candidate.” Describing his background as a child of parents who struggled with addiction, mental illness and serial evictions, he said he has always represented the people, not the powerful.

When Crowley entered his campaign’s new office on East Washington Avenue in Madison at mid-day on Wednesday, he made a circuit of the room, greeting attendees individually with a huge grin and firm handshakes. Crowley told reporters that six days is “absolutely” enough time to get voters acquainted with him. 

The stop is one of several Crowley is making this week as he crisscrosses the state in an attempt to introduce himself to voters and win enough support to overcome state Rep. Francesca Hong’s substantial lead in recent polls. Election Day is Tuesday.

Crowley told one group of attendees that “there are Democrats everywhere,” describing his campaign stops in Wausau, Rhinelander, Hudson, Superior and Green Bay. At a recent stop in Baraboo he took pictures at the Clown Museum.

Crowley said he was trying “to see if we could find Tom Tiffany.”

This week, Crowley campaigned in Appleton with Gov. Evers and won the endorsement of U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore, the Congressional Black Caucus PAC and state legislators including Legislative Black Caucus Chair Sen. Dora Drake and Rep. Lisa Subeck, who spoke at the Madison event.

“There is something magnetic about him. I think about some of the things that I have loved about Gov. Tony Evers — he is a good guy, he is a good person who leads with his head and with his heart — and I think David holds many of those same qualities,” Subeck told the crowd.

Crowley and Subeck served in the Legislature while Democrats were in the minority. Subeck said Crowley had a “particular talent for not only standing up for our core values, but for also working across the aisle without compromising our values” when he served in the Legislature.

Crowley told attendees that the biggest problem facing Democrats is that “all we’ve been doing is responding and reacting to Donald Trump and Republicans.”

“As long as we do that, guess who’s defining us for us? They are,” Crowley said. “So, it’s time for us to get off the sidelines and stop playing defense and get on the offense. This is the time where we not only need a Democratic governor, but we need to make sure that we’re flipping the state Senate, flipping the state Assembly, because none of these policies that I’m about to rattle off becomes a reality unless we’re in charge.” 

Crowley spoke about capping the cost of childcare at 7%, fixing the school funding formula and boosting the state’s share of special education costs to 90% as well as supporting unions by repealing the union-busting law Act 10.

At one point, Crowley took issue with a proposed moratorium on AI data centers, which Hong has made a key point in her campaign. He said that he is frustrated that the Republican-led Legislature finished its work this year without establishing any regulation on the constructions of them. 

“People may talk about a moratorium, but what is that moratorium going to do about the data centers that are currently being built or are operating right now? It’s short-term thinking but it doesn’t address the long-term concerns we all have in this state,” Crowley said, adding that data centers need to “pay their own way.”

Crowley said that implementing a ban on non-disclosure agreements between local governments and big tech companies building data centers, requiring union labor and having companies pay for their own clean energy is essential. 

Crowley also challenged predictions based on polling ahead of Election Day, especially after the results of Michigan’s U.S. Senate race. Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive, defeated U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens by about 1 point, after polls showed him leading the race by more than 10 points. 

Hong has been polling 20 points or more ahead of Crowley. 

The Crowley campaign released a memo on Wednesday that said “results in Michigan Tuesday night showed polling that failed to appropriately capture and reflect the primary electorate and well overstated the position of the race frontrunner. Democrats are in the driver’s seat in Wisconsin to choose David Crowley and have the best fighting chance against Tom Tiffany in November.”

The memo found that in the four-person primary for governor, Hong led Crowley 42% to 24% while Roys and former Department of Administration Secretary Joel Brennan were still polling in the single digits. 

Asked about whether he thinks the other candidates could cut into his margins and propel Hong to the nomination, Crowley told reporters that his job is to “convince as many voters as possible why we’re the winning candidate.” 

“With it being almost a clear race between two particular candidates, those voters and those candidates, they’re going to have to make their own decisions,” Crowley said. He also said that he would never tell a candidate to drop out.

The Crowley campaign’s internal poll found Hong up 53% to 33% against Crowley in a head-to-head race. Once those being polled were informed of both candidates’ positions, Hong led Crowley 47% to 38%

Young people make up a large share of Hong’s base, but Evan Natzke, an 18-year-old who recently graduated from Milton High School south of Madison, enthusiastically greeted Crowley at the event. He told the Examiner that he met Crowley before and he appreciated that he seems like a “super genuine person.”

“I just love his energy. I feel like he’s just so charismatic,” Natzke said. 

Natzke said Hong has good ideas, but he is concerned about how she’ll do in the general election, saying that Republicans “are going to be able to paint this picture of her being this super crazy radical person.”

“I just don’t think that a normal voter is going to really like that image that is painted of her,” Natzke said. “And along with that, I’m also unsure if her policies will be able to work at the state level.”

With a week remaining before Wisconsin’s Democratic gubernatorial primary, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley is gaining late momentum with a series of endorsements and a fundraising advantage as state Rep. Francesca Hong faces renewed scrutiny about years-old, controversial social media posts. 

Crowley, who reentered the race about two weeks ago after dropping out, is campaigning across the state this week, including with Gov. Tony Evers. The popular two-term governor had stayed out of the race until after a series of upheavals in the primary that helped Hong to grow her lead over other candidates. Evers recently told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Hong could “probably not” win the general election against U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, the likely Republican nominee for governor. 

Crowley only has six days to build momentum before Election Day. Last week, the latest Marquette Law School Poll, which was taken before former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes dropped out of the race, found Crowley polling at 7% — more than 30 points behind Hong, with about 34% of voters still undecided. Asked on Tuesday if Evers’ endorsement came too late on Tuesday, Crowley said it could “be critical.”

“I would’ve loved to have Gov. Evers’ endorsement earlier, but this is where we are today,” Crowley said. 

Chair of the Legislative Black Caucus and the Vice Chair of the Senate Democratic Caucus Sen. Dora Drake (D-Milwaukee) told the Wisconsin Examiner in an interview that she is endorsing Crowley and doesn’t think it is too late for him to win. 

“I believe that with the right support, he can get it done,” Drake said. “It’s clear that [Hong] is leading in the polls, and everyone’s talking about it, but I will say what I have seen is you have a lot of folks that reached out to Crowley to get back in the race because they trust his leadership that much, and so for that reason, I do believe that there is a possibility that he could still pull this off.”

Drake is the latest to come out in support of Crowley in recent days. He has also gained endorsements from the Congressional Black Caucus PAC and U.S. Congresswoman Gwen Moore in recent days.

Crowley has a slight fundraising advantage over Hong, according to pre-primary reports filed on Monday. 

Crowley reported $775,813.32 raised between July 1 and July 27. He spent $627,921 and ended the period before the primary with $463,070. Meanwhile, Hong reported raising $338,757. She spent $343,204 and had $406,117 in the bank. 

Tiffany is also continuing to build his financial strength, reporting $4.6 million raised between July 1 and July 27. That brings his total raised this year to $13.3 million. He has spent a little over $10 million, including $2.6 million during the period, leaving him with $4.97 million in the bank.

Drake, who previously served in the state Assembly with both Hong and Crowley, has stayed neutral in the race up to now, especially as she said that she hasn’t appreciated conversation that downplays either candidate’s accomplishments. She said that she understands the momentum for Hong.

However, Drake said the debate was a turning point for her. 

“For me, knowing the need to introduce legislation, move it through the building, and get it to a place where it gets signed by a governor, you need someone that’s going to understand the legislative process and the governing process — and David Crowley has both,” Drake said. 

Democrats are also competing to flip the state Senate and Assembly. Drake said she’s confident they’ll be able to flip the Senate and doesn’t see the party’s gubernatorial nominee affecting those chances, but as Drake and her caucus are seeking to make progress on their caucus’ policy goals next session, she says the governor’s office is vital.

Drake said Crowley’s positions on education also informed her decision. She said Crowley is the “only candidate aware of the nuances facing Black and brown families and their children; especially on education disparities.”

“I want someone as governor who will focus on getting things done rather than political platitudes that dictate where Black and brown parents should send their kids to school,” Drake said. 

Hong has called for the “responsible” end to the private school voucher program, including in Milwaukee. Nearly half of school-aged children in the city attend charter, private voucher and other non-traditional schools. Crowley has said he doesn’t want to expand or cut the programs, but wants to focus on the question of funding public schools. 

Hong responds to renewed scrutiny over old posts

Hong held an energetic rally with U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar and controversial leftist streamer Hasan Piker over the weekend in Milwaukee. Asked whether it was risky to associate herself with Piker, she told reporters that “it would be a risk not to try to build the broadest coalition possible.” She also launched a nearly two-minute video ad that tied data center construction to FoxConn. 

Hong spent the first part of this week navigating controversy over her past posts on social media. Republicans, including presumptive GOP gubernatorial nominee Tom Tiffany, have resurfaced and amplified posts about canceling Thanksgiving in 2020, about abolishing police because they “exist to uphold white supremacy” and about wanting to leave a Culver’s in Black Rivers Falls with her young son because she “was on the verge of a anxiety attack” because of “too many old white people who didn’t think we spoke english.”

In an interview with CNN journalist Kaitlin Collins, Hong was asked whether she still wants to cancel Thanksgiving.

“I’m a chef, and one of the first meals that I made for the community when I was 16 was a Thanksgiving meal. But Thanksgiving is also a time that’s incredibly painful for many people in our communities,” Hong said. “And so I think there, I wanted to make sure that people understood that there are multiple views, but views can evolve.”

Tiffany issued a statement saying that he wouldn’t cancel Thanksgiving as governor. 

David Axelrod, former advisor to President Barack Obama, said in a post that it is “answers like these that cause many to think if this chef wins the gubernatorial primary in WI, Ds may be cooked.” 

Drake said she thinks Democrats need a nominee “who is ready for prime time,” noting how Republicans attacked Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes during his 2022 run for the U.S. Senate. 

“Given some of the stuff that’s being done now by the GOP about [Hong’s tweets], they’re nothing more than a distraction, and it’s intentional,” Drake said. “You have folks that are concerned about housing, that really don’t know where their next meal is going to come from, and our food pantries are already struggling to keep their food in stock with grocery stores and just affording gas. An everyday voter is not going to be concerned about somebody’s tweets. They’re going to be concerned about issues of how am I going to take care of my kids? How am I going to provide for my family? How am I going to have a job that pays me enough that’s well? And so, for me, it’s nothing more than — it’s a distraction, where we’re not talking about the actual issues that voters care about.”

Evers also voiced his strong doubts and concerns about Hong’s general election chances while on the road with Crowley in Appleton, which was recently hit by tornadoes. 

“She spends a lot of time from what I understand talking on Twitter and all these other extraneous issues. We’re working together on issues and getting it done. People of Wisconsin expect this,” Evers said, noting that there were “people in this room who have seen tornados destroy their city and we’re going to spend time on that bullshit that others are talking about on Twitter. You can ask me a hundred times, I’m going to give you the same damn answer. This issue is around getting things done. This guy has done it.”

U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, who hasn’t endorsed a candidate, weighed in on the race on Tuesday. 

“Candidates give bad interviews sometimes. They better grow from it. The [governor] has a right to endorse & campaign for people. Get over it. People have a right to run even if they get single digits. I may not get it, but it’s their right,” Pocan wrote on X. “Did I piss off a little bit of everyone?”

Former Department of Administration Secretary Joel Brennan and State Sen. Kelda Roys (D-Madison) are also continuing their campaigns across the state.

Hong’s campaign said in a statement that Evers’ characterization “does not reflect the race we have run.” The campaign said Hong is not bringing up the posts, but that others are bringing them up to distract “from the strong support her policy platform has earned across Wisconsin” and that they are staying focused on the issues including leading the call for a moratorium on data center construction and lowering costs of housing and groceries. 

Hong, in her CNN interview, said Tiffany is “having to go back to a lot of my old tweets, because his actions and his resume, what he’s done is defunded healthcare, ripped food away from our children, supported a national abortion ban.” 

“And last time I checked, he still hasn’t said who won the 2020 election,” Hong added. “Being an election denier is an automatic disqualifier.”

While Wisconsin’s governor’s race is drawing national attention, control of the state Legislature could determine whether the next governor can enact their agenda. Legislative primaries will shape the handful of Assembly and Senate races that could decide control next year.

Republicans are seeking to defend their majorities, which they’ve held since 2011. Democrats are seeking to flip two Senate seats and five Assembly seats while maintaining all the seats they hold currently to win majorities in both chambers. The outcome will determine how much of the next governor’s agenda — from Medicaid expansion to tax cuts and investing in education — can become law.

There is sparse polling on state legislative races, although a survey in July from Marquette Law School found that 46% of Wisconsin voters said they would vote for Democrats in legislative races, while 42% said they’d vote for Republicans. The poll could not deliver detailed information on specific districts at play.

Republicans are gearing up financially to defend their majorities, with the Republican Assembly Campaign Committee reporting $6.5 million raised in the first half of the year and a total of $11.5 million cash-on-hand. The Committee to Elect a Republican Senate raised nearly $5 million and had $5.3 million on-hand. 

The bulk of that fundraising came from billionaires Diane Hendricks, who gave $2.5 million to RACC and $2 million to the Senate GOP committee, as well as Elizabeth Uihlein, who gave $3 million to the Assembly committee and $2 million to the Senate committee. The contributions have given  the Republicans organizations deeper pockets than their Democratic counterparts.

According to recent campaign finance reports, the State Senate Democratic Campaign Committee, the fundraising arm of the Senate Democratic caucus, raised about $2.8 million over the first six months of the year, while the Assembly Democratic Campaign Committee raised $3 million and ended with nearly $2.4 million cash-on-hand. 

The primary is scheduled for Aug. 11. Here are seven primary elections the Wisconsin Examiner is keeping an eye on in the lead-up to Election Day. The general election is Nov. 3.

Race to replace Jacque in northeastern Senate district 

A four-way Republican primary is taking place in the race to replace Sen. André Jacque in Senate District 1, which represents Door and Kewaunee counties. 

Nic Cravillion is an Army combat veteran and small business owner from New Franken who is campaigning on lowering taxes and promoting “responsible spending” as well as expanding workforce and affordable housing opportunities. For the last five years, Cravillion has also worked as the district director for Jacque. He reported raising $75,911 and having $62,264 on hand — more than any of the other candidates — at the end of the period. He also reported taking out $62,100 in personal loans. 

Barbara Bittner serves as the chair of the Calumet County Republican Party. She is running to reduce property taxes, protect “parental rights,” get “tough on crime” and uphold the “sanctity of life and traditional values.” Bittner reported raising $17,180.00 and having about $16,945 on hand at the end of the period. 

Katie Baney, a De Pere mother, currently works as the managing director of government affairs at Delta Defense, where she advocates for gun owners, and promises not to support any legislation that restricts the Second Amendment, according to her campaign website. Baney reported in July raising $46,772 and having $43,662 on-hand.

Jacob VandenPlas, a veteran and farmer who founded DC Farm for Vets, a rehabilitation farm that provides education and services to veterans entering agriculture. 

No Democrat is running for the seat in the red-leaning district, though the winner of the Republican primary will face Mark Becker, a small business owner who was formerly the chair of the Brown County Republican Party and is now running as an independent. 

Becker left the party after Trump’s election in 2016 due to disagreements over the direction of the GOP. He reported raising $20,233 and having $15,078 cash-on-hand. He has received contributions from Adam Kinzinger, the former Republican Congressman from Illinois who left the party due to his opposition to Trump, and the campaign account of state Sen. Kristin Dassler-Alfheim (D-Appleton).

Three seek to take on Marklein in key district

Three Democrats are competing to win a spot on the ballot to take on Sen. Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green) in November. Marklein was first elected to the Senate in 2014, and has been the co-chair of the powerful Joint Finance Committee since 2021. 

The district includes Crawford, Grant, Green, Iowa and LaFayette counties as well as the southwestern corner of Dane County. 

Marklein won the district with 60% of the vote in 2022, but Senate District 17 changed considerably under the new maps.

The district leaned Democratic by 1 percentage point in the 2024 presidential election and by over 4 percentage points in the 2024 U.S. Senate race, according to an analysis by John Johnson, a fellow at Marquette Law School. 

Marklein’s incumbency status gives him an advantage in the district, and he is also raising more than the other Democratic candidates combined. 

In his most recent campaign finance reports, Marklein reported raising $300,195 and ending the reporting period with $1.01 million in the bank. He received $100,000 — or about a third of his total contributions — from the Committee to Elect a Republican Senate. 

Rep. Jenna Jacobson (D-Oregon), who has served in the state Assembly since 2023, launched her campaign for the Senate seat in July 2025 with the backing of the State Senate Democratic Campaign Committee. 

The endorsement has provided her some advantages over her opponents, as she has campaigned with current Senators, including Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein, and received financial assistance from the SSDC. According to her latest campaign finance reports, Jacobson has raised about $109,277 and has about $201,177 in the bank. About $45,450 of her total contributions this year came from in-kind contributions from the SSDC in the form of campaign staff. 

Corrine Hendrickson, a child care advocate, launched her campaign in September. She reported raising $30,360 over the first half of the year and spending about $21,071. She ended with just $12,348 in the bank. 

Lisa White, a Democrat who runs an interior painting business, raised $7,641, spent $9,573 and ended the reporting period with $831 cash-on-hand.

Open Senate seat up north after new maps

Senate District 25, which represents Superior and Ashland, Bayfield, Burnett, Douglas, Iron, Polk, Sawyer and Washburn counties, is an open seat that will help determine control of the state Senate.

The district is currently represented by Sen. Romaine Quinn, but he is running for Senate District 23 this cycle after new maps were adopted in 2024 and his home was included in that district. While currently represented by a Republican, the district was represented by former Senate Minority Leader Janet Bewley, a Democrat, from 2015 through 2022. She opted not to run for another term after the maps had been redrawn to favor Republicans more heavily in 2022.

New maps have again placed the area in play with Democrats listing it as one of its target districts.

In the Republican primary, Angie Sapik, a former state Assembly member who lost her seat in 2024 under the new maps, is running against Erik Severson, a physician and former state Assembly member.

According to July campaign finance reports, Severson reported raising $39,478, spending $29,886 and ending the period with $111,506 in the bank. He reported $63,000 in personal loans. Sapik raised $117,399 ahead of the primary, spent $44,437 and had $89,700 in the bank. Her fundraising includes $100,000 in personal loans. 

In November the winner of the Republican primary will face Charly Ray, a forester and bookstore owner who has the backing of the State Senate Democratic Campaign Committee.

Race to compete for open Oak Creek seat

Assembly District 21, which represents Oak Creek and a portion of the city of Milwaukee around the Mitchell International Airport, is among the districts that will help determine control of the state Assembly. 

The seat is open following the retirement of Rep. Jessie Rodriguez (R-Oak Creek), who was first elected to the Assembly in 2013.

Two Democrats are competing for a spot on the November ballot. 

Daniel Bukiewicz is the mayor of Oak Creek and also the president of the Milwaukee Building & Construction Trades Council, a role he has held since 2014. He has endorsements from U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, state Sen. Dora Drake and SEIU-Wisconsin. 

David Liners has endorsements from some of the most progressive members of the Democratic caucus including state Rep. Francesca Hong, who is running for governor, Rep. Ryan Clancy (D-Milwaukee), who helped restart the Democratic Socialist caucus in the state Legislature, and Sen. Chris Larson. 

Bukiewicz is outraising Liners. Bukiewicz has raised $79,251 and spent $16,601. He had $62,650 cash-on-hand at the end of the reporting period. He has a handful of contributions from notable Democrats including Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson, Sen. Mark Spreitzer (D-Beloit) and Rep. Lisa Subeck (D-Madison).

According to July campaign finance reports, Liners has raised $25,806 over the course of his campaign and spent $13,646. He has $12,160 on hand. 

The winner will face Dylan Pfaffenbach, a Republican and student at Carroll University, in November. 

Democrats compete to challenge Donovan in MKE county

Assembly District 61, which represents Greendale and Hales Corner in Milwaukee County, is another key district that will determine control of the state Legislature. Incumbent Rep. Bob Donovan (R-Greenfield), who was first elected in 2022, is running for a third term. 

In the last two election cycles, Democrat LuAnn Bird, a former school board member and executive director of Wisconsin’s League of Women Voters, ran but failed to beat Donovan. He won 51.5% to 48.3% in 2024 with the new legislative maps in place, a slightly larger margin than in 2022, when he won his first term.

This year, three candidates are competing for the Democratic nomination to take on Donovan. 

Lawanda Chambers, a counselor and yoga instructor, is running to “provide leadership that speaks to the real challenges people face every day, not slogans, not politics, and not half-measures.” She has the endorsements of Rep. Darrin Madison (D-Milwaukee), Rep. Supreme Moore Omokunde (D-Milwaukee) and Rep. Margaret Arney (D-Wauwatosa). According to her July campaign finance reports, she raised $22,085.57 and ended with $15,564 cash-on-hand. 

Ben Brist, an army veteran, said he is running because he believes government “can and should work better for normal people.” He is endorsed by the Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC).

According to his July finance report, Brist raised $23,844 and ended the period with $19,458 cash-on-hand. 

Brian Bock, a pharmacist, is running with a top priority of expanding access to affordable healthcare and wants to work to expand Medicaid, increase price transparency and reduce the cost of prescription drugs, according to his campaign website. According to July campaign finance reports, he has about $2,690 in the bank.

Five-way primary to replace Hong 

The Democratic primary for Assembly District 76, which represents Madison’s east side, north side and parts of downtown, is one of the most crowded across the state and will likely determine who succeeds state Rep. Francesca Hong (D-Madison), the democratic socialist who is running for governor. The winner will face Republican Nina Chat in November, though the district is one of the most progressive in the state. Hong won her first election in 2020 with 88% of the vote.

Five candidates total are competing for the seat, and the candidates’ differences appear in their experience and priorities, though they have a lot of overlap in their platforms.

Juliana Bennett is a former City Council member and UW-Madison alumni who has been working as the chief of staff to state Rep. Angelito Tenorio (D-Wauwatosa). She has the endorsement of the Madison Area Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) as well as the national organization. 

Isaia Ben-Ami is a public policy professional who has worked as a staffer in the state Assembly, including for Assistant Assembly Minority Leader Kalan Haywood (D-Milwaukee), who has endorsed him. 

Dina Nina Martinez-Rutherford, a member of the Madison Common Council, is a small business owner and food service worker.  She is endorsed by Sen. Melissa Ratcliff (D-Cottage Grove), Rep. Andrew Hysell (D-Sun Prairie) and Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway as well as Madison Common Council President Sabrina Madison. If elected, she would be the first openly transgender person to serve in the state Legislature.

Zoe Sullivan, a journalist and organizer, and Tony Castañeda, a community activist, artist, radio host and musician, are both outliers in the race given that they have not served in government.  

Martinez-Rutherford is outraising the other candidates, according to July reports. She recorded raising $56,365, spending $50,339 and having $44,835 cash-on-hand in July. 

Bennett reported raising $34,723, spending $27,198 and having $17,624 on-hand in July.

Ben-Ami reported raising $32,164, spending $25,586 and ending the reporting period with $6,627 cash-on-hand. 

Castañeda reported raising $6,606, spending $6,477 and having $7,677 cash-on-hand. Sullivan reported raising $13,181, spending $6,447 and having $7,502 cash-on-hand at the end of the period.

Republicans compete to challenge Sheehan in Sheboygan 

Three Republicans are running in Assembly District 26, which represents Sheboygan. The winner will seek to oust Rep. Joe Sheehan (D-Sheboygan), a former school superintendent who won his seat in 2024. 

John Belanger, a former Sheboygan alderman, is campaigning to address affordability issues for families, workers and small businesses. He is running for the state Assembly after having lost his reelection bid to the Sheboygan city council. He reported raising $1,250, spending a little over $1,000 and ending with $241 in the bank in July. 

Tyler Schneekloth, a 25-year-old Town of Wilson resident, says he is running to address affordability of housing and to stop data center construction. He reported raising $756 and spending that amount in July. 

James Brotz, a Republican from Sheboygan, reported no contributions in July.

UPDATE: This story has been updated with additional details.

Former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes announced he is suspending his campaign for governor Thursday in a video posted to social media, narrowing the field to four as state Rep. Francesca Hong has expanded her lead in polls. 

“We’re incredibly proud of all the things that we’ve accomplished and all the resources that we have raised to spread our message, but it’s become very clear who our nominee is going to be,” Barnes said in the video without naming a candidate. 

Mainstream Democrats in recent weeks have been seeking a candidate to consolidate behind to stop Hong, a democratic socialist many fear cannot win the general election against Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, but her lead has only grown in the last week. 

Barnes had faced doubts since he launched his campaign last Dec., in part due to his failed U.S. campaign against U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson in 2022, but he has largely been considered to be among the  frontrunners in the race. The latest Marquette University Law School poll showed him with 16% support among likely primary voters, second to Hong’s 38%, but way ahead of the rest of the field, with Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley placing third at 7%. In recent weeks, Barnes has been competing most directly with Crowley, who exited the race a few weeks ago, but restarted his campaign with the endorsement of Gov. Tony Evers after Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez dropped her bid.

According to a Politico report, Barnes’ announcement comes as damaging media reports about him were expected to hit in coming hours. His exit leaves it a four-way race between Hong, Crowley, former Department of Administration Secretary Joel Brennan and state Sen. Kelda Roys. 

The winner of the Aug. 11 Democratic primary will likely face U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, the presumptive GOP candidate in November. 

“Now, we have to do everything we possibly can to defeat Tom Tiffany, and that’s exactly what I’m committed to do for the next 96 days,” Barnes said.

According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Barnes’ decision also comes amid reporting by the outlet on allegations that Barnes took advantage of his role in the party to have sexual encounters with young adult women. He has not been accused of any crimes. According to the Journal Sentinel report, in 2025, the Democratic Party of Wisconsin hired a law firm to look into similar claims but the allegations they received were anonymous and unspecific and nothing actionable was found.

Reactions from Evers, candidates

Evers told reporters, in reaction to the news, that he was surprised by Barnes’ dropping out. Barnes served as lieutenant governor during Evers’ first term in office and was the first Black person to hold the position in the state’s history.

“But he needs to do what he needs to do,” Evers said. “I don’t know why he’s getting out. I have to believe it’s something relatively important.”

Evers also reiterated his support for Crowley.

“He’s the best candidate running even if Mandela was in,” Evers said.

Other candidates in the race sought to encourage Barnes supporters to join their campaign.

“The Barnes campaign helped grow the progressive movement,” Hong said in a statement. “To everyone who supported Mandela because you believe working people deserve a government that fights for them, I welcome you to our movement.”

“To everyone who backed Mandela: there’s a place for you in what we’re building,” Crowley said in a social media post. “It’s going to take all of us to beat Tom Tiffany.”

Brennan said it is “unfortunate for voters that this primary has gotten more attention for chaos than the stakes of this election.” He said that he is “going to continue to focus on reaching voters to talk about what I’ll do to win and lead our state to a stronger future.”

In a statement, the Roys campaign also focused on moving forward with sharing her message across the state.

“She has the most endorsements, the most cash on hand, the most experience, and the most likelihood of beating Tom Tiffany in November,” Jalen Knuteson, spokesperson for the Roys campaign, said in a statement. “No drama, no baggage, just a lifetime of fighting bullies and billionaires and turning progressive ideas into law.”

 

Thank you, Wisconsin. pic.twitter.com/FKDjCaPdJZ

— Mandela Barnes (@TheOtherMandela) July 30, 2026

State Rep. Francesca Hong received a significant bump following the shakeup in the Democratic primary for governor, according to a Marquette Law School poll released Wednesday.

With in-person early voting underway and Election Day less than two weeks away, it is the latest poll to be released that seeks to understand how Democratic primary voters are responding to recent events. Once again it shows Hong leading. It is also the last Marquette Law School poll that will be released ahead of the primary. 

A Marquette Law School poll released last week showed that 26% of likely Democratic primary voters would vote for Hong. Former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes followed with 15% of likely Democratic voters in that poll. However, that poll was taken before Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez dropped out of the race due to a campaign finance disaster and before Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley got back into the race. 

“I’m pleased to say we managed to do an entire week of polling and no candidates changed,” Charles Franklin, director of the poll, joked at the start of the release of the results. 

The latest poll was conducted between July 22 and July 27. Just after Crowley rejoined the race on July 18 with the endorsement of Gov. Tony Evers. The poll included responses from 407 registered voters, including 254 respondents who were also interviewed for the previous poll and 153 new respondents.

The poll showed that Hong received support from 38% of likely Democratic primary voters — a 12-point jump. She was followed by Barnes with 16% and Crowley with 7%. Former Department of Administration Secretary Joel Brennan and state Sen. Kelda Roys were each supported by 2% of those polled. 

About 34% of likely voters said they were still undecided — down from 45% the week prior. Franklin said this isn’t a trivial number. 

The poll also asked undecided voters who they were leaning towards. The choice of Democratic primary voters, including those with a lean, was 46% Hong, 21% Barnes, 11% Crowley and 4% each for Brennan and Roys.

“This is the lay of the land and what you see is very obvious and that is Francesca Hong has opened up her lead, expanded it beyond where it was a week or so ago,” Franklin said, adding that it looks similar to Evers’ position in 2018 polling during that Democratic primary. “Took people a long time make up their minds and get to know the candidates, and Evers moved up into a significant lead at the end.” 

The poll also sought to understand the impact of Evers’ endorsement. About 62% of those polled said they had heard of the endorsement. Among primary voters, 36% said the Evers endorsement makes them more likely to support Crowley, 9% said less likely and 56% said the endorsement doesn’t make any difference.

Franklin said the numbers reflect “the fact that endorsements don’t matter the way they did 30 years ago, even with a guy with an 89% approval rating.”

“People make up their own minds. The machine is not what it used to be,” Franklin said. “I think there’s a wide open debate, and I guess we’ll really know the answer on the 11th or the morning of the 12th… He does still have two weeks to go in this campaign to convert that into votes.” 

Of Crowley, Franklin said, “He’s certainly in a better position than he was in March when we asked about him way, way, long ago. But these fundamental results say he’s in third place.” 

“Things could shift, I guess, but the Evers endorsement and the reentry did not boost him into second place. He’s in third place.”