State Sen. Kelda Roys (D-Madison) wants voters to know that she has plans and bills.

In Wisconsin’s six-way Democratic contest for the gubernatorial nomination on August 11, Roys says, “It’s a big differentiator in this primary that I have by far the most experience in and around state government.” 

“And I don’t just have bullet points that some consultant generated for me,” she adds.

Roys is taking her second shot at running for governor. She came third in the 2018 Democratic primary behind Gov. Tony Evers and Mahlon Mitchell, president of the Professional Fire Fighters of Wisconsin, with a campaign centered on abortion rights and an online ad that went viral in which she breastfed one of her children. This year she again faces a crowded primary field.

The five other candidates who will be on voters’ ballots are Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, state Rep. Francesca Hong (D-Madison), Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, and former head of Gov. Tony Evers’ Department of Administration Joel Brennan. Missy Huges, former head of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp., dropped out Monday.

Roys is betting that the political experience she has gained since her last run can help her break through with primary voters. 

In a March Marquette Law School poll, 18% of Wisconsin voters said they recognized her name and 1% of Wisconsin Democratic primary voters said they would vote for her, putting her behind five other candidates and tied with Hughes.

Roys doesn’t put much stock into those results. 

“Polls are a reflection of who has spent money and the vast majority of people are not paying attention and will not start paying attention, much to my chagrin…until much later in the summer,” Roys said. In her December campaign finance report, Roys reported raising more than $355,000. The next reports aren’t due until July. “It’s important to be able to have the resources to reach voters and communicate with them when and where they pay attention,” she said.

Roys thinks Democratic voters will ultimately prioritize governing experience and detailed policy proposals in a crowded field and will go her way when they learn about her. 

Roys came in third in a straw poll conducted by WisPolitics at the Democratic Party of Wisconsin convention — behind Rodriguez and Hong. Breaking into the top three was a marked improvement compared to her standing in previous polls.

Last week, Roys sought to build on the momentum, investing $500,000 in a statewide ad buy to try to swing voters her way. 

In the ad, Roys pulls two of her children along with her on a bike ride through Madison, laying out her experience and talking about her plans for the state.

“For 25 years, I’ve worked to make Wisconsin better for my kids and yours. As a state senator, attorney and small business owner, I’ve delivered for Wisconsin,” Roys says in the ad. “As governor, I’ll protect our democracy from Donald Trump’s regime, lower costs and open the state healthcare plan so anyone can buyin and fully fund our schools. Let’s ride.” 

Roys, an attorney who also runs an online real-estate brokerage platform and who previously served as the executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin, often highlights her experience outside government as part of her pitch to voters.

According to a press release, her ad will target Democratic primary voters across the state “based on robust polling and research identifying Roys’ target voters.” She is the second candidate to make a statewide ad buy after Brennan. 

Roys, who first was elected to the Senate in 2020 and serves on the Joint Finance Committee, currently represents one of the bluest districts in the state. It includes downtown Madison, the UW–Madison campus and the near-west and east sides of the city. 

During the 2025–26 legislative session, Roys authored 177 proposals. Those policy ideas have become the platform of her campaign. 

Since joining the budget-writing Joint Finance Committee in 2023, Roys has been deeply involved in state budget debates, though her ability to advance legislation was limited in the Republican-controlled Legislature.

Schools are the “defining fight” 

Roys told the Examiner in an interview in April that school funding would be the “defining fight of the next budget.” 

She highlighted the legislative record of U.S. Rep Tom Tiffany, the Republican candidate who is running for governor with President Donald Trump’s endorsement. When he was first elected to the Wisconsin Legislature, she said, “He attacked public education and put in the most devastating cuts in the history of the state to public schools. Our kids have never recovered from that.” 

Roys says that the state’s projected $2.5 billion budget surplus is money that has been “stolen” from public schools and their students. She, along with other Senate Democrats, voted against a $1.8 billion tax-cut and school-funding deal negotiated by Evers and Republican leaders that would have provided $300 million for special education, $300 rebate checks to taxpayers and property tax relief. She said sending out checks to people would be like setting the surplus on fire. 

“This is a last-ditch, desperate attempt by Republicans to try to hold on to their dying power,” Roys said. “I can’t imagine why a Democratic governor would want to go along with that.” 

Roys told the Examiner that “our kids getting shortchanged again” is the thing that would make her veto a state budget and that she wants the entire surplus put back into the public school system. She often ties her focus on education to her upbringing in rural Taylor County, where she grew up in a remodeled one-room schoolhouse and attended the local public school.

“It was never contemplated that we wouldn’t be going to public school. We got a great education,” Roys said.  Attending one of her child’s parent-teacher conferences recently she said she was struck that “what my kids are getting is just not close to what I had: the class sizes, the learning opportunities. They’ve got one-to-one Chromebooks, but they have art once a week for a third of the year, music is once a week, gym is once a week. It’s not good.” 

Her positions on education won her the endorsement of the Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC) in April. She called it the “most important endorsement that’s going to happen in this Democratic primary.” 

“They have the most reach. They have the most resources. They have the moral authority, representing 70,000 educators and public school support professionals across the state of Wisconsin. And people in this state love their public schools,” Roys said, adding that she “earned it because of my policy positions, because of my plans for public education, and because I think they recognized that this election is in some ways existential for our public schools.”

Roys, with one of her five children sitting on her lap, answered questions and discussed prominent issues with a group of teachers at a bar in Muskellounge and Sporting Club in Madison on April 24.

Molly Grupe, a member of WEAC, said she was thrilled the WEAC board took action on the endorsement, saying that waiting too long can blunt the impact and now they can start organizing educators to get out the vote. 

“So smart. So quick. So prepared. I mean, she just knows what she’s talking about,” Grupe said. “I just think Kelda is really poised to exercise power as a strong woman and a Democrat. We’ve never had a woman governor in the state, which is crazy.” 

Kelly Peggy Sullivan, the vice president of the Monona Grove Education Association who helped organize educators for the Friday event, said she was happy to bring people out to learn more about Roys’ campaign. 

Sullivan said “funding cuts and voucher schools and de-professionalizing parts of our profession” has had an impact on schools, and that there needs to be a candidate who’s going to prioritize public education and make schools stronger for children.

“It’s very clear that she has some of the best understanding of what we’re dealing with on a day to day basis, and what we’ve kind of struggled with over the last 15 years with the Republicans in control,” Sullivan said.

Roys has said she wants to bring the state’s voucher program to a “responsible” end. She has said she has a three-step plan.

“I’m not calling for immediate elimination but we are spending nearly $700 million each year on unaccountable, discriminatory, non-transparent voucher programs that the evidence shows on balance perform no better than public schools.” Roys said.

The plan includes implementing additional accountability, transparency and nondiscrimination requirements for any private or charter school that receives public funds; no longer covering the costs for students enrolled in the Wisconsin Parental Choice Program; and then slowly ending the Milwaukee and Racine Parental Choice Programs over the span of about 20 years.

Roys said that under her plan students currently participating in the Milwaukee and Racine Parental Choice Programs and their siblings would be able to complete their education in the program, but additional students would not be able to enroll. 

“These are kids who have already faced some significant challenges and it would be highly disruptive to just make them change schools…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 added that any voucher school would have the option to convert to a public instrumentality charter school if they wanted to continue to receive public funds even as the voucher program ended.

Childcare, healthcare and taxation  

Roys said understanding how state government is structured and funded is essential to advancing priorities including expanding healthcare and childcare access and reducing costs for families.

“We live in kind of a garbage political culture that values reality TV, aesthetics over competence and substantive knowledge, but I actually think that’s pretty bad for a governor,” Roys said.

Roys also served in the state Assembly, the last time Democrats held a trifecta in Wisconsin. Her legislative experience is shaping her plans for how she would approach the job as Wisconsin’s top executive, especially as Democrats are seeking to flip the Assembly and Senate this year.

Roys supports providing universal access to early childhood education by ensuring that no family pays more than 7% of their income for childcare. She says that can be done by expanding the Wisconsin Shares program to bring in more federal money and legalizing and taxing cannabis. She said the working title for her program is “get baked for babies.”

To help Wisconsinites struggling with high costs, Roys has said she wants to increase the minimum wage. She has co-authored legislation that would place the minimum wage, currently $7.25 an hour, at $15 an hour with a path to make it $20 by 2030. Another of Roys’ proposals, which she is hoping differentiates her from other candidates focused on expanding Medicaid and a public option, is opening up the state employee health insurance plan to allow private citizens and businesses to buy into coverage. She’s calling it “KeldaCare.”

Roys began circulating a cosponsorship memo for the idea in bill form as SB 1096 on Feb. 12. She announced the campaign platform the same day.  A Legislative Fiscal Bureau memo on the bill warns that the plan could reduce the state’s “bargaining leverage” with health insurance companies and could “increase administrative complexity and increase premium volatility.” 

Roys has said she would “restore” the top tax rate as governor so the state’s wealthiest pay more. In 2013, Wisconsin’s highest individual income tax rate was 7.75% before being reduced to 7.65% under Republican lawmakers.

“It’s not fair for working people and retirees and the middle class and young people just starting out to have to pay our fair share of taxes and the wealthiest among us don’t. It’s not fair for small businesses to bear the brunt of providing public services,” Roys said. “Meanwhile big multinational corporations, not only do they not pay their fair share… oftentimes, we’re shoveling money at them. We’re giving them huge tax credits.” 

Roys says she is the “proven fighter” people want 

While Roys has positioned herself as a sharp critic of Republicans and the Trump administration, she said she would still work with lawmakers across the aisle as governor.

“I understand that as governor — this is no kings. So this is going to be an open discussion that I am going to have as we craft the budget together with public input and public oversight, and in conjunction with the Legislature who are governing partners,” Roys said. 

Roys noted in an interview that she hasn’t always agreed with people in her own party. “I believe that my job is to do what I think is right to the best of my ability after listening to the people whom I represent, which I always consider to be the entire state of Wisconsin.” She ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2012, losing to now-U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, and took a shot at becoming the Senate minority leader in 2023, losing to now-Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein (D-Middleton).

Roys has sought to position herself as the firebrand candidate who will be able to take on the Trump administration. If she makes it through the primary, she’ll need to win in a purple state where statewide elections are often decided by a razor-thin margin of about 20,000 votes, including when Trump won the state in 2024. 

Roys told the Examiner that her strong positions will help her in Wisconsin, not hurt. 

“The most important thing right now is that we are in a really scary and pivotal moment for this country,” Roys said. During the campaign, Roys has confronted Tiffany’s support of Trump, including at one of his press conferences outside the state Capitol that she filmed and made into a campaign ad. 

“People want a proven fighter. Someone new or inexperienced and a mealy-mouthed moderate is not going to cut it in this moment… If we have someone that isn’t capable of being aggressive and making Tom Tiffany accountable for his horrible record of hurting Wisconsinites… we’re not gonna win.”

Editor’s note: The Examiner is running periodic profiles of the contenders in the Aug. 11, 2026 gubernatorial primary as well as the candidates in the general election Nov. 3. 

Madison’s Black community more than a century ago was concentrated in a neighborhood just blocks from the Capitol, where business owners, church leaders and civil rights advocates built institutions that helped shape the city.

On Thursday evening, participants in a Wisconsin Historical Society walking tour retraced that history, stopping at homes and businesses tied to Black Madisonians.

A group of about 12 Wisconsinites gathered on the corner of E. Dayton and N. Blount Street, near a white house that belongs to the Hill family early Thursday evening. 

Jenny Peterson of the Historical Society led the tour.

“We know from Census records and data that African-Americans have lived in the county as long as Europeans have since before the Civil War,” Peterson said. Dane County’s early Black residents included free and enslaved individuals. “There were African-American men, women and children that were settled in the community and after the Civil War, they experienced many of the increasing freedoms.” 

In 1910, there were about 143 Black people residing in Madison and Peterson said that 19 out of the 39 Black households in Madison lived in the neighborhood near East Dayton Street. 

Peterson said that area of town was accessible for Black families looking to establish themselves in Madison. 

The water in the area was swampy,  Peterson said. “The prices were a little bit cheaper,” which made it possible for African-American families and other groups with few resources to settle the area. 

John and Amanda Hill moved to Madison from Atlanta in 1910 and bought a grocery store on Dayton Street that served the neighborhood for generations. A sign for the store still hangs in the building’s window.

“In addition to running the store, John was also appointed to several city committees, including the committee on minority housing and the advisory committee, which encouraged citizen participation in community improvement projects,” Peterson said. 

Throughout the tour, Peterson passed around photos of the Black Madisonians whose lives she described and pictures of the places as they used to look. 

“We have this photo of [John] standing in front of the store with his businesswear on and for the audience, it creates a moment where all of these connections are made,” Peterson said. “You’re like, OK, this helps me imagine what this would have been like in 1915 as community members are going in and out of this business, John is talking to his customers, asking them how their day was… It brings it to life.” 

A yellow and blue house next door was the home of William and Anna Mae Miller.

William Miller, who was from Kentucky and studied law, faced discrimination that prevented him from becoming a practicing lawyer. He moved to Milwaukee with his wife and worked as a waiter until he met Wisconsin Gov. Robert M. La Follette, who took him on as an aide. 

Miller went on to help found the St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church in the community in 1902. He and Anna Mae also helped establish the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

Peterson noted that the family owned multiple buildings and rented out rooms to other Black people who needed a place to stay as there weren’t many places in Madison that were open to Black people. 

Peterson also noted that William Miller tried to help save documents from the state Capitol building when it caught on fire in February 1904. 

“He was one of those brave individuals who went up to the Capitol to do what he could to save documents to save materials from the Capitol on that cold night,” she said. 

Two books served as the starting research for the Madison Black History walking tour: “Settlin’: Stories of Madison’s Early African American Families,” by Muriel Simms and “Make Way for Liberty: Wisconsin African Americans in the Civil War,” by Jeff Kannel. 

Peterson also pulled out Settlin’ throughout the tour, using photos from the book to illustrate the stories she shared including one of Leo Vinton Butts, the first Black man to play in a University of Wisconsin-Madison football game. His father, Benjamin Butts, was enslaved as a child in Virginia before moving to Wisconsin after the Civil War at age 11, and the home where the elder Butts raised eight children is also a stop on the tour.

“At the height of the Civil War, he reportedly hung around the camp,” Peterson said, of the 5th Independent Battery Wisconsin Light Artillery, which was stationed in Virginia. Butts “started helping out with different tasks and responsibilities and chores, became very well beloved by and well regarded by the soldiers in the unit, and when the regiment decided to return home to Wisconsin following the war, Butts decided to follow.”

Peterson said he worked as a clerk and porter before securing a job at a barber shop, which she said was among the few jobs that African-Americans could access at the time. Butts then bought his own barber shop on the Capitol Square where he made connections, including with Gov. La Follette. 

“By 1895, Butts was an established and influential leader within the Madison African-American community,” Peterson said. 

Renee Moe, the CEO of United Way of Dane County, who joined the tour, she had wanted to attend for several years.

“So many of the issues that all of us are facing today in our communities, in our country and our world, have deep historic roots. And the more we can understand about our communities and build relationships with those stories and with each other, I think the better context we have to actually work together to improve the quality of life for everyone.” 

Moe said she was struck by how geography and housing has shifted since the 1800s. Most of the neighborhood on the tour is made up of student housing these days. She said she remembered that “there used to be some nonprofits there, like Access Community Health, and Urban League, and they’ve moved to the south side or to the east side.”

The tour ended outside of the state Capitol by the statue of Vel Phillips, the former Secretary of State who was the first Black statewide official in Wisconsin and the first Black judge in the state  and who worked to fight against racially restrictive housing covenants. The statue honoring her outside the Capitol was unveiled in 2024.

“Vel Phillips’ work was talking about housing access and fair housing practices,” Moe said. “Today we’re still working on housing access and affordability, so that’s what struck me was how neighborhoods shift, how wealth and opportunities shift over generations, and the fact that we need to stay committed to making sure that all community members and neighbors have access to that opportunity to rise.” 

Peterson, who was born and raised in Madison and has worked for the Historical Society for two years, said she has learned a lot of history that she didn’t previously know from conducting the tour. 

“The people that are part of this tour, and the families that they created, and the community institutions that they created, and the businesses that were part of this neighborhood, like this thriving space, the complexity and the nuance of that — I didn’t know about,” she said. “I also have felt very grateful to be able to learn and take this in and continue to ask questions about it.”

The Madison Black History walking tour is just one of the walking tours that the Wisconsin Historical Society offers. Recent additions include  an LGBTQ+ history tour and a “Democracy in Action” tour, added for the 250th anniversary of the United States.

“What’s important is making sure we share these stories now, and that we continue to ask questions, so that we can learn more about these people and their contributions to Madison’s history,” Peterson said.

Gov. Tony Evers, lawmakers and advocates celebrated Juneteenth on Wednesday, praising the progress the U.S. has made toward racial equality while also committing to continue to work to expand opportunity. 

Juneteenth marks the official end of slavery in the United States. While the Emancipation Proclamation was signed by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863, enslaved people on plantations in Texas were not notified until June 19, 1865 when Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay to tell more than 250,000 enslaved Black people there that they were free. 

“As we celebrate the critical progress that we’ve made, we also commit to continuing our work to build a more just, more equitable and a freer state and country for all,” said Evers, who is serving his final year in office. “Especially when there are those that would rather rewrite history than learn from it and as leaders in D.C. try to sow division and hate, we must remember that there is more that unites us than divides us and our diversity is our strength.”

Juneteenth was made a federal holiday in 2021 under a law signed by former President Joe Biden, although President Donald Trump’s administration removed the holiday, along with Martin Luther King Jr. Day, from the list of fee-free days at national parks. In 2025, Trump said on Juneteenth that there were “too many nonworking holidays in America” that were costing the country “billions of dollars.”

At the flag raising, community leaders delivered remarks about the significance of Juneteenth and honored Michael Johnson, CEO of the Dane County Boys & Girls Club, who died earlier this month. Participants conducted a libation prayer and performed songs to celebrate freedom.

“For over 160 years, this day has been recognized across the nation to celebrate the true end to slavery in the U.S.,” Evers said, crediting former Sen. Spencer Coggs and Rep. Marcia Coggs, who proposed the first bill to recognize the holiday, as well as Stubbs, Annie Weatherby-Flowers and other advocates for getting the state to recognize the day. “Unfortunately, it took us another two decades for us to get it right and become the 32nd state to formally recognize Juneteenth. We’re not turning our backs now.”

Wisconsin has recognized Juneteenth since 2009, but Evers first raised the Juneteenth flag over the state Capitol in 2020. Wednesday’s was his seventh and final flag-raising. He called the holiday a “reminder that the human spirit cannot be silenced and freedom will always triumph.” 

The Juneteenth flag includes a star in the center to represent Texas, the Lone Star State, as well as a nova to signify a new beginning and freedom for Black Americans. The red, white and blue colors represent that enslaved people and their descendants are Americans and shall be forever free.

Camden Hargrove, an alderman from the city of Menomonie and the first Black, openly trans man elected to public office in Wisconsin, said the flag is a “symbol that reminds us all of our responsibility — our responsibility to make sure all children have equal opportunities, our responsibility to build each other up so we can all thrive, our responsibility to protect and expand democracy.” 

The flag will temporarily replace the Progress Pride flag, which Evers raised over the Capitol on June 1, because there isn’t enough room on the East Wing flag pole for more than three flags. The U.S. flag and Wisconsin state flag will continue flying alongside the Juneteenth flag. The POW-MIA flag will also continue flying on the North Wing flagpole. 

The Juneteenth flag will stay up until June 21. 

Other elected officials at the celebration included state Treasurer John Leiber, a Republican, Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, state Rep. Shelia Stubbs (D-Madison), state Sen. Dora Drake (D-Milwaukee), who chairs the legislative Black caucus and state Sen. Tim Carpenter (D-Milwaukee).

Drake said the day is more than just a holiday.

“It is a reminder of the ongoing struggle for liberation even beyond bondage,” Drake said. “Juneteenth was only the first barrier. We had to overcome retaliation against Reconstruction by the institution of Jim Crow, followed by mass incarceration and institutions meant to prohibit the advancements of African-Americans and now the attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion.” 

Evers called the late Boys & Girls Club CEO Johnson a “force for good,” saying that he was always looking for new ways to lead and to support families and communities. 

Johnson’s daughter, Micayla, said in remarks that her dad dedicated his life to advancing the ideals that Juneteenth are about: freedom, resilience and the ongoing pursuit of opportunity for everyone.

“We understand that freedom is not merely the absence of barriers, but the presence of opportunity, education, mentorship, and hope,” she said. “He worked tirelessly to open doors for young people and families, particularly those who had too often been denied access to resources and pathways for success. He believed that every child, regardless of background or circumstance, deserves the chance to dream, achieve, and thrive in doing so. For him, this work was never simply a profession, it was a calling.”

She added that her father’s impact is “a testament to the belief that when we invest in people, strengthen communities and expand opportunities, we move closer to the future that Juneteenth calls us to build.”

Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hessenbein (D-Middleton) said legislative Democrats, who are seeking to win majorities for the first time in more than 15 years, are talking about their priorities for the next session including school funding and affordable housing. 

Hesselbein said at an event hosted by WisPolitics on Tuesday that Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester), who is retiring, has had a “stranglehold” for a long time and that she hopes new leadership will lead to “new ideas and a real true willingness to work together to get things done for the state of Wisconsin.” Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu (R-Oostburg) is not running for another term in office either.

As they seek a majority, Senate Dems starting policy discussions 

Hesselbein said Senate Democrats are targeting four seats to flip this year — two more than they need to win a majority. Republicans currently hold 17 of the 33 Senate seats, and half are up for election this year in newly drawn districts. 

The seats include Senate District 5, an open district currently represented by retiring Sen. Rob Hutton (R-Brookfield), Senate District 17, currently represented by incumbent Sen. Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green), Senate District 21, an open district currently represented by Sen. Van Wanggaard (R-Racine), and Senate District 25, an open district currently represented by Sen. Romaine Quinn, who plans to run in a different district this year.

Hesselbein noted that in 2024 people said Senate Democrats were “too ambitious” in targeting five seats even with the new maps, yet they won all five in a year when President Donald Trump carried Wisconsin while Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin won a third term.

Hesselbein addressed the public falling-out between legislative Democrats and Democratic Gov. Tony Evers over a tax cut and school funding deal the governor reached with Republicans and most  lawmakers refused to support.

Hesselbein said during the event that it was the “overall package” that made Senate Democrats vote against it and there were no political calculations involved. She said it was “unsustainable.” 

Democrats will have more say in how the state’s $2.5 billion budget surplus is spent because of the deal’s failure.

Hesselbein confirmed that she was not involved in the negotiation process and it was hard to think about “hypotheticals” that would have made her caucus support the deal. This is not the first time Democratic votes have been needed in the Republican-majority Senate to pass a proposal because a handful of Republicans have opposed legislation.

After the deal failed, Evers said he was sure Hesselbein had “people wrapped around her finger by giving them jobs that they want” next legislative session. The majority leader gets to decide who gets which committee assignments in the Senate. 

Sounding the same note as Evers in his unity address at the convention, Hesselbein said that Democrats are moving forward and that there are no hard feelings remaining after her caucus’ rejection of a Evers’ bill. She said her caucus is united in wanting to ensure the financial health of the state.

“Evers has done a good job for the state of Wisconsin,” she said. 

“It’s been good,” Hesselbein said of the relationship between lawmakers and Evers. 

On whether there could be another attempt to get a tax cut and spending deal passed, Hesselbein said “never say never” and that her “door is always open.” She added that no one has tried to contact her recently about the issue.

Democrats’ top priorities 

Hesselbein said some of the big priorities for a Democratic Senate include “funding K-12 education, doing something meaningful for childcare, making sure that no matter where you live in the state of Wisconsin that you can afford a home.” Other issues, she said, are healthcare and the environment. 

Hesselbein said it would be a goal in the next state budget to fund schools so they can make financial  plans while taking some of the burden off property taxpayers.

“People really care about their community schools,” Hesselbein said. “They are sick and tired of these school boards…having to go to referendum over and over because they want to keep the lights on. We have schools closing all over Wisconsin and that’s a big problem.”

Hesselbein called the funding formula “convoluted” and said that some Senate and Assembly Democrats recently started meeting to look at the state’s funding formula, including looking at how other states structure their funding. She said they want to bring in people from the Department of Public Instruction and Bob Lang of the Legislative Fiscal Bureau to help.

“Is there something else that other states do that makes more sense than what we’re doing and what does that look like?” Hesselbein said she wants to ask. 

On specific questions about school funding, Hesselbein was noncommittal. 

“It might be something that we can’t get right now…  but we’re starting to look at that. We’re starting to think of those things right now to figure out what we can do to make it more sustainable and equitable.”

Hesselbein said declining enrollment is a challenge for schools, but a bigger  problem is that the state isn’t adequately funding schools. She said the state “possibly” relies on property taxes too much to fund schools, adding “but how else do you come up with it?” 

“That’s the kind of conversations we’re having right now to figure it out,” she said.

Hesselbein also did not commit to offering free school meals as the state of Minnesota has done. 

“It’s pretty darn expensive. We’re not sure if we’re going to be able to get all the way there,” she said, adding that the caucus is trying to figure out “what do we want to get done and how do we get there.”

Tackling the cost of living, land conservation

Hesselbein said Democrats are beginning conversations with developers and realtors about how to ensure that people can work and afford a home in Wisconsin. 

“We’re just now starting those conversations now to figure out what we can do,” she said. 

The Knowles-Nelson Conservation program is on track to sunset in June. Hesselbein said she is disappointed that Republicans and Democrats could not agree on a bill to reauthorize the program. She said there was only a “30-second” conversation about the popular land conservation program during the negotiations on the rejected tax rebate and school funding package.

“We absolutely need it. Knowles-Nelson has been around for so long and it’s worked so well making sure we have green spaces in the state of Wisconsin to enjoy,” Hesselbein said. “If Democrats are in charge and we have a Democratic trifecta, Knowles-Nelson will be back.” 

Undecided on gov primary 

Wisconsin will also have a new governor next year, who will help shape the state alongside new legislative leaders. 

The seven Democrats who will appear on the August primary ballots include Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, state Rep. Francesca Hong (D-Madison), Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, state Sen. Kelda Roys, former Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. CEO Missy Hughes, former head of Gov. Tony Evers’ Department of Administration Joel Brennan and former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes.

Hesselbein said it is “exciting” there are so many choices. 

She added that she, like other Democrats, hasn’t made up her mind about who she will vote for in August. She said she also does not know whether she’ll endorse anyone in the primary for governor, noting that she has served with several of the candidates in the Legislature including Roys, Hong, Rodriguez, Crowley and Barnes. She also said she wants to hear them debate. A candidate debate  is scheduled for July 28, hosted by WISN-12.

“They’re all really good people,” Hesselbein said.

U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany is running on the Republican side with the endorsement of President Donald Trump and the state party. 

Hesselbein said having a competitive primary is a good thing, noting that Evers won a crowded primary in 2018 and went on to win two terms in office. 

“I think it really lets the people of Wisconsin decide who they want to be supporting in the November election,” Hesselbein said. “I think it’s too bad that the Republicans put their thumb on the scale and Trump did in endorsing Tiffany early, I think it would’ve been better for them to have a robust primary as well.”

Delegates at the Democratic Party of Wisconsin convention over the weekend expressed optimism about winning trifecta control of state government in November even as many activists remained undecided in the party’s seven-way gubernatorial primary.

William Garcia, the chair for the 3rd Congressional District, has not made up his mind who he will support, though he said that it’s “becoming more realistic that we’re going to gain all three of those” branches of government, “and be able to really transform Wisconsin government in a way that helps Wisconsin working people.”

“It’s hard. It’s a difficult, difficult decision, and most people I talk to here have not made up their mind yet,” Garcia said of the convention.

Evers says Tiffany would leave Wisconsin in bad shape

On the first day of the convention current elected officials  weighed in on what Democrats need to do to win this year. Party members also expressed gratitude to outgoing Gov. Tony Evers, who opted not to seek a third term, creating Wisconsin’s first open gubernatorial race since 2010.

A tribute video recapped Evers’ two terms in office starting with his first election in 2018 when he defeated former Republican Gov. Scott Walker, his leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic, his support for LGBTQ+ Wisconsinites, the adoption of new voting maps, ending a Republican gerrymander in 2024 and his support for abortion rights following the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

“You’ve probably heard of a guy named Tom Tiffany,” Evers said to booing from delegates, referring to the Republican U.S. representative running for governor. “Maybe you haven’t. We can’t all be the most popular elected official in the state,” he said, a nod to his positive numbers in  statewide polling from Marquette Law School.

“Talk about someone who will give you the willies,” Evers said of Tiffany. He warned that Wisconsin “will end up even worse than this position and where we were when I took office eight years ago” if Tiffany wins in November. 

Evers said Tiffany has spent his time in Congress “saying, ‘no’ to Wisconsin, and ‘yes’ to Donald Trump.” He listed Tiffany’s votes to cut Medicaid, to allow Affordable Care Act tax credits to expire, against the CHIPS and Science Act, which funneled federal money to Wisconsin, and in opposition to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. 

In the weeks leading up to the convention, Democratic divisions were on display as lawmakers and Evers publicly clashed over their differences on a tax cut and school funding deal negotiated by Evers and Republican leaders, which legislative Democrats helped defeat. Evers said he was sure Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein (D-Middleton) had “people wrapped around her finger by giving them jobs that they want” and that there wouldn’t be another vote on the deal if she was against it. Those divisions were on ice during the convention, as Evers said Democrats need to come together to win in November.

“All of this is on the line if Tom Tiffany makes it to the East Wing. We cannot let this happen,” Evers said. “I know how to win, so take it from me. Our Democratic candidate for governor will need every single one of us when they win the primary, and immediately from day one, we’ll not have time for anyone to be sitting on the sidelines.”

Dems ‘might even flip more’ Senate seats 

Throughout the convention, Democrats expressed optimism about winning majorities in the Senate and Assembly for the first time in 15 years.

In the Senate, Democrats currently hold 15 of the 33 Senate Districts. They need to hold their current districts and flip two additional districts to win a majority.

Hesselbein said on Saturday evening that Democrats’ path to a majority will come via flipping four districts: Senate District 5, an open district currently represented by retiring Sen. Rob Hutton (R-Brookfield), Senate District 17, currently represented by incumbent Sen. Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green), Senate District 21, an open district currently represented by Sen. Van Wanggaard (R-Racine), and Senate District 25, an open district currently represented by Sen. Romaine Quinn, who plans to run in a different district this year.

“Who knows with all this nonsense we see from Trump and the chaos, mass confusion coming out of D.C., we might even flip more,” Hesselbein said. 

Trevor Jung, who most recently worked as the transit director for the city of Racine, is seeking to flip the 21st Senate District. He told the Examiner that he felt an optimism among Democrats at the convention that bodes well for “a lot of hard work, knocking on doors, talking to voters, and winning in November” and is sure Democrats are united. 

“Regardless of what’s happening in the halls of the Capitol, you saw here [Saturday], you know, everybody standing on their feet for a governor who has done an excellent job for the people of Wisconsin,” Jung said. “I think what people are thinking about is in less than six months we’re going to have a completely different state government with a different governor, different leadership, and that’s when we’re going to be able to really solve a lot of these problems.”

Since Jung entered the race, Wanggaard, the district’s longtime Republican incumbent, announced he would not run again. Republican businessman Jim Croft is also running for the seat.

“We are making the cost of living and the economy the No. 1 issue in this election,” Jung said.

Assembly Minority Leader Greta Neubauer (D-Racine) joined the convention Saturday evening via a video message with her daughter, Ingrid, who was born a week ago. 

“It is time for new leadership. In Wisconsin, leadership should put the people first. This is the moment that we have worked tirelessly for, and we finally have an opportunity to win a Democratic trifecta in November,” Neubauer said. “It is going to take all of us to get this done between now and November. We have to help people imagine a different future for our state. People need to know that we can build a Wisconsin where they are not one medical emergency away from going broke, where their kids can thrive at their public school and where we can all raise a family when we win.” 

Democrats in the Assembly need to capture an additional five seats to flip the body.

Garcia said the state’s new legislative maps are helping Democrats’ chances of winning in the Legislature, especially in the Assembly.

“The Assembly races look so much different because Republican resources are stretched so thin,” Garcia said. “Because now that we’ve got these fair maps, now that they have to spend money on every race, you can tell that they’re making decisions like, we’re not going to spend money on this race.”

Gubernatorial candidates work to win over support 

The top of the ticket is still unsettled with the primary fast approaching in August. Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Devin Remiker put a positive spin on the crowded field, saying  Democrats’ general election nominee “will have earned it.”

“They will have worked hard. They will not just have had a Truth Social tweet that went from Donald Trump that anointed the nominee like on the Republican side with Tom Tiffany,” Remiker said in his speech Saturday. “This is really what a healthy party looks like. This is what a party with new ideas, energy and leadership looks like.” 

“We have 143 days,” Remiker added. “All gas, no brakes.” 

In March, a Marquette Law School poll found that 65% of Democratic primary voters were undecided. At the convention, Democratic hopefuls were focused on trying to win over party activists

The seven Democrats who will appear on the primary ballot include former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, state Rep. Francesca Hong (D-Madison), Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, former Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. CEO Missy Hughes, former head of Gov. Tony Evers’ Department of Administration Joel Brennan and state Sen. Kelda Roys. 

On Saturday evening, delegates had the opportunity to meet candidates in their themed hospitality suites, including “Kelda’s Classroom” and “The Mandela Effect”, a remake of a Wisconsin dive bar and Crowley’s “Disco Night with David.” Hong’s hospitality room had the lights turned low, music playing and the Knicks vs. Spurs game playing on a wall.

Each candidate had about five minutes on Sunday afternoon to pitch themselves to party activists. Many criticized Tiffany and Trump as they outlined their visions for the state.

Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez called herself the “proven winner” who can beat Tiffany, saying he is “afraid of fired-up Democrats ready to win this November.” She said that now is the time to stand up to “MAGA extremists like Tom Tiffany, who does whatever Trump tells him to do, rubber-stamping tax breaks for billionaires.”

“Since I’ve been your lieutenant governor, I’ve done what any nurse would do: Show up, listen, care, be there where it counts and stay until the job is done,” Rodriguez said. 

Brennan started by acknowledging “what’s happening in our country.” 

“We have a president who blows up the economy on a whim. It is relentless. It is intended to make us feel overwhelmed, like there’s nothing we can do,” Brennan said. “But here’s what I know about Wisconsin Democrats. We don’t quit. We’ve seen this before in Wisconsin.”

Brennan mentioned former Gov. Walker, saying he “gutted the public sector” and “hollowed out schools.” He emphasized the work he did with Evers as the head of the Department of Administration to rebuild the state after eight years of a Republican trifecta.

“We are not going back. For the first time in the generation, it stops,” Brennan said. “The Democrats can stop playing defense and go on the offensive.”

Crowley didn’t mention Trump until the end of his allotted time, starting instead with his “Badger Basics” policy pitch, which centers on “affordability,” “care” and “pursuing opportunity.” He proposed cutting the “minimum markup” law on gas to help lower prices. He also described  his background growing up in a low-income family in Milwaukee. 

“I learned that when systems fail, it’s families who pay the price,” Crowley said. “I’m tired of politicians who spend all their time talking about problems and none of their time solving, and here’s the reality: winning elections matter y’all, because none of these ideas actually become reality unless Democrats win this upcoming November.” 

Crowley added that bad poll numbers for Trump do not mean a Democrat will automatically win the governor’s office in November. He said the state needs a nominee who will “build a coalition that reaches every corner of the state of Wisconsin” and addressed head-on the question of his race as an African American candidate in a largely white state. 

Wisconsin has never elected a Black governor. 

“As I travel, people always ask me, ‘David, can a Black candidate become governor?’” he said. 

Someone in the audience shouted out: “Hell yeah!” 

“If it’s a candidate that has a plan that’s built on proven public policy, not whatever the latest poll says is popular,” Crowley continued. “Then, yes, the answer is simple, y’all.” 

Cindy George, chair of the Trempealeau County Democrats, told the Examiner Saturday before the speeches that she made her decision about supporting Crowley in the primary after hearing from each candidate in person at their county party meetings. 

“That’s how I really get my vibe about people, is just to meet them in person, because you don’t really get their true nature looking at a website or looking at a piece of paper,” George said. “He really had that good, well-rounded experience.” She added that “he wants to work across the table, and that’s the only one I’ve really heard say that.” 

“That’s not why I solely picked him, but I love that aspect because I think we need to get back to that. That’s one thing that’s been lost with the Trump agenda,” George said. “It’s my way or the highway with them.”

Barnes highlighted his background as an organizer and his childhood in Milwaukee before moving to the national moment. He said he’s running for governor to do things the “Wisconsin Way” by taxing the rich, freezing utility rates, funding public schools, passing universal child care, and providing healthcare access to Wisconsinites. 

“I know firsthand that we’re living in a rigged system. Everybody in this room knows that we’re living in a rigged system, and we see the rich become richer and richer… Donald Trump is the most corrupt president in the history of our country and Wisconsin continues to pay the price,” Barnes said. “From day one of this campaign, my focus has been taking the fight directly to Donald Trump’s hand-picked rubber stamp Tom Tiffany.” Barnes added that Tiffany is “corrupt.”

Roys took note of the national political moment before telling the audience that she has bills and plans, including opening up the state’s health insurance plan and investing the state budget surplus in schools, to help make Wisconsin a “beacon of progress” again. She also touted an endorsement from former Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton and from the Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC), the state’s largest teachers union.

“This is a terrifying moment. Our democracy is under existential threat. Our economy… is controlled by the wealthiest, most powerful corporations in the world,” Roys said. “We have the power to change that.”

Alexander McDonough, a 20-year-old delegate from Vernon County who supports Hong and attended with his grandmother Christine McDonough, told the Examiner that Roys’ speech stood out to him, but not for positive reasons. 

“I’m just so used to, like, fear-mongering, and like, this giant gloomy shadow above head, and it was just kind of like, I don’t know, I’m completely null to it at this point,” McDonough said.

McDonough said Hong’s “politics of hope” appears powerful to him.

“So many young people, such as myself, are totally apathetic to any sort of politics or community engagement, and to have that candidate I can funnel that hope and just instill that vision of the future is so valuable,” McDonough said.

Hong, a Democratic socialist, sought to draw a parallel between her candidacy and Wisconsin legacies including Vel Phillips, the first woman elected to statewide office, Fighting Bob La Follette, a leader of the national progressive movement from Wisconsin, and environmentalist Gaylord Nelson, the founder of Earth Day.

“People before us, who imagined a better world and fought like hell to realize it, these folks were called unreasonable, impractical, and unelectable,” Hong said. “Today, they are considered visionaries because possibility is found only by our ambition.

Hong declared her support for a moratorium on data center construction and for universal child care and paid family leave. 

“I am the only candidate in this race who takes income and power inequality seriously,” Hong said. “When we acknowledge that [people] are getting screwed over, but that a better world is possible, they show up. We talk a whole lot of games about opposing Trump. That’s not enough to win a trifecta,” Hong said. “If we don’t build the power and organize the people required to deliver a better Wisconsin, if we don’t give people something that they can believe in, we’ll go back to fighting for survival every single election.”

Striking a different tone, Hughes spoke about her background working for Organic Valley, a farmer-owned cooperative and the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, and also told delegates that Wisconsin needs to fund public schools, build housing and create a healthcare system that works for everyone.

“We have work to do. Every bit of that work, will take resources, and we have to think about where those resources are going to come from,” Hughes said, adding that Wisconsinites “will trust us to deliver economic justice, but they know that in order to have economic justice, you have to have economic growth, and we have to deliver a candidate to them who has a proven record of results of building economic growth.”

Wisconsin Rep. Gwen Moore is calling for the federal school voucher program created under President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” to be eliminated. 

Moore is leading U.S. House Democrats on a bill to repeal a provision creating a federal voucher program which allocates public money towards private schools in the form of a tax incentive. It’s the first federal school voucher program of its kind.

Under the program, donors would be given a dollar-for-dollar tax credit of up to $1,700 when they donate to eligible “scholarship granting organizations.” The donations would need to be used for educational expenses including tuition and board at private schools, tutoring, technology and books. 

Moore said at a press conference Thursday held outside of the U.S. Capitol that a credit like this “doesn’t exist anywhere else for anything else in our tax code.”

“Instead of vouchers and tax cuts for billionaires, we could be investing more in Title I funding to serve low-income students,” Moore said. “We could put these monies into Head Start and special education. We could be securing universal school meals for our babies, and not just gutting SNAP and expanding vouchers.”

According to an estimate by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP), the cost of the program could range to as high as $51 billion annually.

The governor of each state has until Jan. 2027 to opt into the program. Moore thanked Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers for rejecting the proposal repeatedly, including by vetoing a bill sent to him by state lawmakers that would have required Wisconsin to opt in. Evers said Republicans in Washington are giving “private voucher expansion carte blanche to run roughshod over public education in this country.” He also noted that the specifics of the program are not in place yet.

The final regulations for the program are expected in September, according to the New York Times. 

The only Democrats to sign on to the program are New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis. Other Democratic governors, including in New Mexico, Oregon and Hawaii, who have said they would reject the program also seem to be reconsidering.  

Moore said that she is uniquely positioned to understand the effects of school voucher programs because she represents a district that houses the Milwaukee Choice Program, which was enacted in 1990, and was the first modern school voucher program in the country. Nearly half of students in Milwaukee attend publicly funded private schools and independent charter schools. 

“We can tell you with our lived experience that it disproportionately benefits wealthy students who already attend private schools, and they sap monies from our public schools, which disproportionately and especially hurts disabled students and rural students,” Moore said. 

U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, who represents Madison, said voucher programs are a “failed experiment,” noting that 41% of all private schools that participated in the Milwaukee program closed between 1990 and 2015.

“To try to prop it up, as Donald Trump is trying to do, is just wrong,” Pocan said. “What we need to do is make sure that we support our public schools. The vast majority of our constituents attend those schools.”

Two candidates for governor have declared their support for letting Wisconsin opt in to the program: Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany and former Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation CEO Missy Hughes, a Democrat.

“Denying Wisconsin families access to these scholarships for the sake of partisan politics is irresponsible, unfair, and counterproductive to our shared goal of improving educational outcomes for Wisconsin students,” Tiffany and the rest of Wisconsin’s Republican delegation wrote in a letter in October. 

In a statement, Hughes said joining the program could help bring money into public schools as many supporters of the program have argued. In addition to boosting taxpayer support for private schools, there could be scholarship granting organizations that provide resources to public school students for supplemental educational services and resources including tutoring, special-education services, school supplies, transportation and after-school programs.

Taxpayers in any state can donate to a scholarship granting organization and benefit from the tax credit, but only students in participating states would be eligible for scholarships from an organization. Students also wouldn’t be eligible for scholarships if their family makes more than 300% of the median income in their area.

“I will opt Wisconsin into the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit so that Wisconsin families, students, and communities benefit from resources that would otherwise flow to other states,” Hughes said in a statement. “I support Wisconsin participating in this program because I believe our students deserve every opportunity available to them.”

Hughes also said she would create a statewide scholarship granting organization to help “fast track the delivery of these dollars into Wisconsin’s public schools.”

The deadline for states to opt in is Jan. 1, 2027. While the general election takes place on Nov. 3, Wisconsin’s next governor will not be inaugurated until Jan. 4, 2027.

Two Democrats are running to challenge state Treasurer John Leiber, the only Republican who currently holds a constitutional office in Wisconsin, in November.

The Wisconsin State Constitution established the office of state treasurer, which is the state’s chief financial officer. The treasurer serves on the Wisconsin Investment Board, the Public Employee Trust Fund and the Board of Commissioners of Public Lands (BCPL). The BCPL also oversees the Common School Fund, which is the fund used to purchase library books and other instructional materials for schools and has grown into a $1.6 billion trust. 

Leiber, first elected in 2022, is running for his second term in office this year. During his first campaign for the office, Leiber committed to not expanding the scope of the office’s responsibilities and has said he plans to continue that in another term. 

“You can count on me to continue administering this office without growing government and without using it as a stepping stone to another office,” Leiber states on his campaign website. 

Leiber’s commitment was a change from the previous treasurer, current Secretary of State Sarah Godlewski. Godlewski fought a Republican campaign to pass a constitutional amendment eliminating the office before she was elected and sought to expand its scope while she held it. 

“As a fiscal conservative, I’m proud of my work safeguarding and growing our investments,” Leiber said in his reelection announcement. “The Common School Fund distributes money annually to K-12 school libraries for materials and technology. This is the only dedicated funding for school libraries statewide and my top priority is to ensure the fund continues to thrive in the future.”

Leiber was endorsed by the Republican Party of Wisconsin at its convention last month. He was brief in asking for the endorsement. 

“I want to keep working for you. I know I can win. I did it four years ago and I want to keep working for every Republican,” Leiber said. 

Yee Leng Xiong, a Marathon Co. supervisor and school board member, and Dylan Helmenstine, a Black Earth village board trustee and local school board member, are seeking the chance to oust Leiber. Voters will decide in the  Aug. 11 primary which of them will advance to the general election.

Xiong says office “isn’t ceremonial”

“Most people don’t know what the State Treasurer does — and that’s exactly the problem,” Xiong said in his campaign announcement. “This office isn’t ceremonial. It’s a responsibility. The Treasurer helps oversee Wisconsin’s school trust funds, supports low-interest loans that help communities build infrastructure, and works to return unclaimed money to families. Wisconsin deserves a Treasurer who has actually managed public budgets and understands how every dollar affects real people.”

Xiong has served as a member of the Marathon County Board since 2016 and currently serves as the vice chair of the public safety committee and on the county’s health and human services committee and the board of health. Xiong also currently serves as treasurer of the DC Everest School Board. 

Xiong lost a campaign for the state Assembly in 2024 against a longtime Republican incumbent. 

If elected, Xiong would be the first Hmong American to serve in a statewide position in Wisconsin. He previously served as the executive director of the Hmong American Center.

According to his campaign website, Xiong’s priorities for the office include protecting and growing the school trust fund, strengthening efforts to return unclaimed property to Wisconsinites and promoting financial literacy programs. 

Xiong has been endorsed by U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin as well as other Wisconsin Democrats including former Lt. Governor Barbara Lawton, state Reps. Christine Sinicki, Jodi Emerson, Lori Palmeri, Andrew Hysell, Tara Johnson and Brienne Brown. 

Baldwin said in a statement that Xiong has spent his career “managing public dollars responsibly and delivering for the people he serves.”

“He brings real budget experience from the school board, the county board, and the nonprofit world, and he understands that the Treasurer’s job is to be an independent watchdog for Wisconsin taxpayers,” Baldwin said in a statement. “He’ll protect our school trust funds, return unclaimed money to families who earned it and bring accountability to an office that demands it.” 

Helmenstine calls for school voucher transparency on tax bills 

Helmenstine launched his campaign in November, saying that he’ll use the office to boost transparency, including for schools, and help people stay informed about the state laws and finances. 

According to his campaign website, Helmenstine would seek to create a publicly available digital budget dashboard, work with other leaders to establish task forces to address healthcare costs, housing affordability, datacenter impacts and educational opportunities. He also said he wants to employ interns and fellows in the office to help them gain experience in government transparency and accountability. He said he views Godlewski’s time in office as “the gold standard” and wants to “carry on that mission to always be working to build a better future for working people in Wisconsin.”

Helmenstine supports local efforts to give taxpayers more information about how much of their tax bill goes to support  the state’s school voucher program. Green Bay became the first municipality in the state to add the cost of private voucher schools as a line on residents’ property tax bills in 2025. 

“Green Bay built the blueprint for how we can be transparent with taxpayers. People should know how much of our money is going towards public education and how much is going to private vouchers,” Helmenstine said in a statement. “We are already in a moment of crisis for school funding. With enrollment caps ending, Wisconsin schools are facing even more pressure. When the majority in the state legislature fails to act, statewide offices need to work with our local communities and fill the gap.”

Helmenstine, who grew up in Black Earth, serves as a village board trustee and also served on the Wisconsin Heights School Board. He was appointed in 2024 by Gov. Tony Evers to serve on the Teacher’s Retirement Board, which oversees the Employee Trust Funds and the State of Wisconsin Investment Board staff.

Helmenstine is endorsed by state Sen. Tim Carpenter, Rep. Alex Joers and Milwaukee Ald. Peter Burgelis, who is running for Congress.

The Institute for Reforming Government, a conservative nonprofit, is suing the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction alleging that it violated open meetings law with a standards setting meeting two years ago and is requesting that state testing standards be voided. 

The lawsuit centers on a four-day testing standards-setting meeting held in June 2024 at Chula Vista, a water park resort in the Wisconsin Dells. The meeting brought together 88 educators and DPI staff to discuss and help set the new standards for the Forward Exam, the standardized test that Wisconsin third-graders through eighth-graders take each year.

Republican lawmakers and conservatives have scrutinized the agency over the cost of the meeting, nondisclosure agreements that participants signed and for being held behind closed doors. DPI has said that the cost of the work done related to the meeting was in line with typical costs, that NDAs were necessary because the test materials that were being reviewed would be used in live tests and that the meeting was not subject to open meetings laws.

IRG had first filed a complaint in Adams County in April. The Adams County district attorney did not file charges within 20 days, so the organization has turned to a lawsuit. It is being represented by the Wisconsin Transparency Project. 

IRG is asking that a judge declare that DPI violated the law and void any actions DPI took, including the adoption of new state testing standards, as a result of the recommendations made by those at the meeting.

Jake Curtis, general counsel at IRG, said in a statement that “the DA’s silence left us no choice but to pursue legal action — Wisconsin families deserve to know how and why decisions about their children’s education are being made behind closed doors.” 

“DPI cannot lower academic standards in secret and simply expect parents and students to accept the outcome. Taxpayers funded this process, but DPI shut them out,” Curtis said. 

Tom Kamenick, the president and founder of the Wisconsin Transparency Project, said in a statement that a committee like the one organized by DPI has to follow state open meetings law.

“Compliance is not difficult. Put up a public notice and then tell people they are welcome to attend and see the work being done,” Kamenick said. “It’s a few simple steps.” 

Chris Bucher, spokesperson for DPI, said in an email that he could not comment in detail due to ongoing litigation, adding in a statement that “the DPI has openly and transparently participated in legislative hearings related to this matter, which the Republican co-chair of a legislative committee called ‘routine.’ However, more than two years after the fact, a special interest group with a well-documented political agenda continues to recycle unfounded accusations, diverting public resources and agency time away from the work that matters most: supporting Wisconsin students, educators and schools.”

DPI leaders previously told lawmakers that the meeting was not subject to open meetings law because it was conducted by the vendor it contracts with for the Forward Exam, Data Recognition Corporation (DRC). He said it is a private company not a governmental body subject to Wisconsin’s open meeting laws.

“DRC is not a government body. It is a private contractor in the same way that Microsoft is not a government body, Apple’s not a government body. People who do business with the Department of Public Instruction — those are contractors who perform a service for it,” Rich Judge, an assistant state superintendent, said when complaints first surfaced.

A pair of Wisconsin Democratic lawmakers and reproductive rights advocates called for state protection of birth control on the 60th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision that protected married couples’ ability to use contraception. State laws are necessary to protect Wisconsinites from potential actions by the Trump administration and the Supreme Court targeting access to birth control, they warned. 

Griswold v. Connecticut, the 1965 decision that established a right to privacy for married couples, has long prevented state restrictions on contraception. But Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in his opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the case that overturned Roe v. Wade, that Griswold and other privacy-related precedents should be reconsidered in the future. 

Rep. Lisa Subeck (D-Madison) said at the press conference in the state Capitol Tuesday that the right to contraception is in the “crosshairs” right now and lawmakers, who are out of session for the rest of the year, need to take action. 

“We’re looking at a really different America, we are looking at an America run by Donald Trump. We are looking at MAGA politicians who want nothing more than to take away our reproductive freedom, to take away our freedom to make our own decisions about when and if we have children, when and if we start our families,” Subeck said. “This is a scary situation. I can remember the days when people said Roe would never be overturned.”

While the U.S. Supreme Court has not taken up the issue of birth control of late, it has continued to rule on cases related to abortion, including recently pausing a ban on mailing of abortion pills while litigation continues in the lower courts. A recent national Marquette Law School poll found that 57% of Americans agreed that the Supreme Court should allow shipments of mifepristone to continue, while 43% said the ban should remain.

A 2020 Supreme Court decision sided with employers who wanted to opt out of a mandate to cover birth control in health insurance plans due to religious objections.

State Sen. Kelda Roys (D-Madison), one of the Democrats in a crowded gubernatorial primary field, said at the press conference, “There are extreme forces in the state and in the country that are very powerful, that have a lot of political influence and are well-funded that would like to see birth control made illegal.” 

Roys mentioned the Trump administration’s plan to burn birth control devices and pills worth millions of dollars meant to be distributed as aid in other countries as the Trump administration began shutting down the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The administration called common birth control methods abortifacients.

Given the federal government’s hostility to contraception, lawmakers and advocates said the state should take action to protect Wisconsinites.

Nicole Safar with Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin said that every branch of Wisconsin’s state government, including the Legislature, the governor and the state Supreme Court, needs to play a role in protecting people’s access to reproductive health care as the federal government may restrict that access.

Subeck and Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein (D-Middleton) have introduced a bill that would have established a statutory right for patients to access contraceptives and for healthcare providers to provide contraceptives and related information. It never received a public hearing in the Republican-led Legislature.

Subeck called her bill the “first step” in undoing some of the actions related to public health that were taken over the last decade and a half under Republican control.

“We have a chance in Wisconsin, a real chance, to move into our governing era, passing policies and implementing systems that protect our rights and support our families,” Safar said. “It’s time for Wisconsin to pass the Right to Contraception Act, the Reproductive Freedom Act, which also codifies affirmative right to abortion, and for our elected officials in every branch of government to be accountable to prioritizing the values that we know we share and the needs of women and people in Wisconsin.”

Barbara Hostetler, who retired as an OB-GYN over a year ago, said she has never been more concerned about women’s health. She said lawmakers not taking action are “complicit” and are “causing real harm.” 

“I have a daughter. I have two granddaughters. They have a right to privacy. They have a right to contraception because nobody knows better than them what they need in their life and when and how they make decisions about when they have a family. No one knows their health better than they do. They are the ones who have the right to make this decision,” Hostetler said. “The least the Legislature can do is take a vote.”

The legislation likely won’t be discussed until lawmakers return next year after a November election that could shake up control of the Legislature and the governor’s office. Democrats, who have not controlled the Senate or Assembly since 2010, are aiming to flip both chambers. 

Roys said “threats from the federal government” and the “economic chaos that’s being created by the Trump regime” are part of why the issue will continue to be important to voters this year.

“There is nothing that impacts your finances more than whether or not you have a pregnancy or a child, so reproductive freedom is fundamental to economic security and well-being for women and for families,” Roys said. “Contraception is the ability to decide your own future whether that’s your economic future, it’s your personal future, it’s your career, it’s your family, and that is, at the core of this election cycle.”

The University of Wisconsin Board of Regents approved a 2% tuition increase for the 2026-27 academic year and elected Regent Kyle Weatherly to serve as its president this week. 

Weatherly to serve as UW Regent president 

Weatherly, whose day job is serving as the president of Alta Medical, has been on the Board since May 2020. He is a graduate of UW-Madison. He succeeds Regent Amy Bogost, who served two terms as president starting in June 2024. 

“I owe so much of what I have achieved to my family and to the Universities of Wisconsin,” Weatherly said. “As Regent President, my priority will be to help ensure that students in every corner of our state have access to the opportunity, excellence, and upward mobility that public higher education can provide.” 

The Board president is responsible for deciding Board committee membership, signing diplomas and contracts issued by the Board as well as speaking on behalf of the Board to the governor and lawmakers. Bogost, alongside Regent Tim Nixon, was recently questioned by Wisconsin Senators over the firing of Jay Rothman, who had served as the system president since 2022, in April. 

The Board also elected Regent Ashok Rai to serve as vice president, taking over the role from Weatherly. Rai has served as a regent since May 2021. 

Tuition increase

The board announced the proposed increase earlier this week and approved it on a 15-1 vote, with Nixon the only opponent.

The increase will support university operations, including utilities and facility maintenance, employee salaries and benefits and student services. It’s the fourth consecutive year of increases since a 10-year tuition freeze that was lifted in 2023. 

Bogost called the increase “a balanced and measured approach to addressing the rising costs” in the UW system. 

“It helps preserve affordability for students while ensuring the UWs have the resources needed to maintain the high-quality education they provide,” she said in a statement. 

The board had characterized the increase as “modest,” less than the current 3.8% inflation rate and less than last year’s tuition increase of 5%. 

“Our universities are facing inflationary increases, an obligation to help fund state-mandated pay increases for our hard-working employees, and other cost pressures,” Weatherly said in a statement. “Our universities have done a great job in recent years managing expenses, but the financial environment remains challenging. We have a fiduciary duty as regents to ensure quality and the long-term success of our universities.”

Before the vote, Nixon said he wouldn’t support the increase due to the “lack of open and honest communication” by Rothman’s administration and the burden that it could mean for students and their families. He noted that state senators knew about the increase before regents were informed. 

At an April confirmation meeting when lawmakers questioned Bogost and Nixon about Rothman’s firing, Sen. Rachael Cabral-Guevara (R-Appleton) asked the regents about the proposed tuition increase. Bogost, at the time, said the increase was not set in stone. 

“That was disturbing to me,” Nixon said Thursday. 

Regents in the past were “expected to rubber stamp proposals without necessary information to public discussions,” he said.

“We’ve increased tuition four years in a row. I personally have not been provided with sufficient information to believe it is again necessary. No matter how reasonable the increase, the burden on students, parents and the public is real,” Nixon said. “It should not be undertaken without a clearly demonstrated need.” 

Nixon also said the tuition increase could “cost” the system in the next budget cycle “no matter who is in control.” 

Republican lawmakers have criticized the increase, arguing that recent tuition increases and increases in state funding should have been enough to avoid an increase this year. The about $250 million that the system received in the 2025-27 state budget fell well below the amount that Rothman at the time said was necessary to avoid tuition increases. 

In a statement after the proposal was announced, Sen. Patrick Testin (R-Stevens Point), who sits on the powerful committee responsible for writing the state budget every two years, said that he and his colleagues “certainly will not forget this betrayal when the regents and UW officials come begging to us for more money during next year’s state budget deliberations. This is simply unacceptable.”

The increase will add $210 to the annual tuition cost for in-state students at UW-Madison, $184 at UW-Milwaukee, and between $147 and $175 at other campuses, according to Board meeting documents.

Students from out of state will see an increase of 4.0% — about $1,700 a year.

The regents also approved a 3.5% increase — about $56 annually — in segregated fees, which help cover student services, activities, programs and facilities. The combined increase in tuition, segregated fees and cost of room and board for in-state students would average 2.5%, or $477 annually. UW-Stout has the highest yearly increase, $666, and UW-Oshkosh the lowest, $296. 

“It is easy to say we are only taking a few hundred dollars,” Nixon said. “That is, however, a lot of money for many people when they do not have it, especially with skyrocketing costs of almost everything. We should lean a little in the direction of the students. We inherited these problems. We need to look at creative fixes.” 

The combined annual tuition and segregated fees for in-state students at each campus are:

• UW-Eau Claire: $10,268
• UW-Green Bay: $9,133
• UW-La Crosse: $10,563
• UW-Madison: $12,416
• UW-Milwaukee: $11,153
• UW-Oshkosh: $9,180
• UW-Parkside: $8,851
• UW-Platteville: $9,007
• UW-River Falls: $9,448
• UW-Stevens Point: $9,692
• UW-Stout: $10,289
• UW-Superior: $9,477
• UW-Whitewater: $8,984

At a forum hosted by the Madison West High School civics club, former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes told students that he would be the strongest Democratic candidate for governor because of his previous statewide experience.

“This will be an incredibly competitive race. It already is. The general election is going to show up fast and furious,” Barnes said in April. “I am the only person who has ever competed at that level.”

Barnes was referring to his 2022 U.S. Senate race, which he lost to Sen. Ron Johnson by about one percentage point. Barnes is now seeking Wisconsin’s top executive office and arguing that nearly winning that Senate seat combined with his statewide experience has uniquely prepared him to take on U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, Republican candidate for governor endorsed by President Donald Trump.

Barnes entered the race in December and he’ll need to get through a crowded Democratic primary to make it onto the November ballot. It’s unlikely the rest of the Democratic candidates will drop out to clear the field for him as they did in the 2022 Senate race. Other Democratic candidates on the ballot include state Rep. Francesca Hong (D-Madison), Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, former Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. CEO Missy Hughes, former head of Gov. Tony Evers’ Department of Administration Joel Brennan and State Sen. Kelda Roys.

Putting in the work

Barnes, 39, grew up in Milwaukee the child of a public school teacher and an auto worker who was a member of United Auto Workers (UAW) union and worked third shift for decades. He first ran for office at 25, winning a seat in the state Assembly. He served two terms in the Legislature before launching a failed campaign for the state Senate.

“I felt that there weren’t enough people who understood what it meant to be born in our state’s poorest and nation’s most incarcerated ZIP code,” Barnes said of his motivation for seeking political office. He came back in 2018 to run for lieutenant governor, winning a spot on the ticket with Gov. Tony Evers in 2018. He served as the state’s first Black lieutenant governor before he challenged incumbent U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson.

Barnes, an avid runner and biker, told the Examiner in an interview that politics is an “endurance sport” and that “sometimes you face setbacks” — adding that he faced setbacks every day in the Assembly and views his loss to Johnson as another setback. There is too much on the line, however, to give up and stop working toward his goals, he said.

“In order for us to truly make Wisconsin the place that it can and should be — not just to catch up to our Midwest neighbors, but to lead this entire country in terms of progress — I have put in that work. I have put in that fight, and there’s nobody who’s put in their work in the advocacy space,” more than he has, Barnes said. “I see becoming governor as the best opportunity to continue that focus, to continue that work.”

Barnes has made it his campaign motto that he will do things the “Wisconsin Way” instead of the “Washington Way.” He criticizes Trump and his ally Tiffany as being “out of control.” 

The Barnes campaign is focused on the rising cost of living for Wisconsin families. 

“There is an affordability crisis that affects almost every household in this state, whether it’s healthcare, whether it’s groceries, whether it’s energy bills, or whether it’s housing, and it feels like there’s no sign of things letting up,” Barnes said. He added that voters are looking for leaders who understand those pressures firsthand.

Barnes spoke with the Examiner about two weeks after the failure of a bill negotiated by Wisconsin’s soon-to-retire Democratic governor and Republican legislative leaders who are also about to leave office that would have spent down the state’s $2.5 billion projected budget surplus to provide tax cuts to Wisconsinites and additional special education funding to schools. He expressed opposition to the deal, which most legislative Democrats along with a handful of Republicans rejected. He said policymakers need to “be more deliberate about negotiating big tasks.” 

An organizer’s mindset

Over the last three years, Barnes has led Power to the Polls Wisconsin, a grassroots voting rights organization dedicated to mobilizing voters, combating voter suppression and advocating for underserved communities of color and working-class families. He also founded Forward Together Wisconsin, a clean energy nonprofit. He brings an organizing mindset to the legislative process.

“People shouldn’t feel like they’re rushed to get legislation passed… I think that there should be more public hearings,” he said, adding, “There’s not a whole lot of public input.”

Barnes said the projected surplus “didn’t just come out of nowhere; it’s because Republicans have withheld investments in our future.” He, like the Democrats who are hoping to win control of at least one chamber of the Legislature in the fall, would like the opportunity to reverse years of Republican budget policy without facing a looming budget deficit, which analysts predicted would result from the tax-cut and school funding deal. 

“The answer to most of our problems is simple,” Barnes said. “It’s just a tax on billionaires, tax the wealthiest, tax large corporations that have every tax advantage at their disposal.” 

“Ultimately, if a state like Wisconsin is a place that fully funds our schools, puts more support into higher education, tech schools, and university system, invests in public transportation,” he added, “that’s how you make the state a much more attractive place.”

Closing tax loopholes

Barnes said he would focus on closing tax loopholes that allow large corporations and wealthy individuals to reduce their tax burden. One example is Wisconsin’s manufacturing and agriculture tax credit, which provides a credit of 7.5% on income from eligible qualified production activities — reducing the effective corporate tax rate on qualifying income from 7.9% to about 0.4%.

Barnes wants to change it so “it benefits our family farmers, not these factory farms, corporate farms” and the “primary benefit also goes to Wisconsin very small businesses versus out-of-state corporations.”

He said he would not seek to raise income taxes on families making $400,000 or less, but those making more should pay more. He didn’t offer specifics, but said that the income tax brackets could change, mentioning Minnesota as an example. Wisconsin’s neighbor’s top income tax rate is currently 9.85%, while Wisconsin’s is 7.65%.

“I’m not saying we’re taxing people into poverty, right? That’s not the case. We’re not taxing people out of the state,” Barnes said. “We’re just looking for a little bit of parity.”

Barnes said that Wisconsin “shouldn’t be left behind anymore.”

Barnes has said he supports increasing state funding so it covers two-thirds of public school costs and has called for repealing Act 10 to restore collective bargaining rights for public employees, including teachers. He also backs increased investment in the University of Wisconsin system and technical colleges, though he has not outlined a specific number. 

Barnes, if elected, will need to win support in the Legislature to advance his agenda. He said he is optimistic about Democrats’ chances of winning the majority, but he would be open to negotiating with anyone should he win office.

“I’m willing to play ball,” Barnes said, though that negotiation commitment would not extend to one of his top promises — Medicaid expansion. He has promised to veto any budget that doesn’t include it, even as candidates have argued over whether an expansion would be the best way to address costs in light of federal changes made by the Trump administration. 

Barnes said an ultimatum would not inhibit his ability to negotiate with lawmakers because the issue shouldn’t be partisan. 

“It is a politicized issue,” Barnes said, noting that Republican-led states including Louisiana have taken the expansion. 

Republican lawmakers who hold the majority in the Legislature, have refused to expand Medicaid since 2010. Barnes said during the student forum that he finds it “very hard” to find common ground with Republicans because the party has become “essentially the Republican party of one person” and he doesn’t want to find himself “in a place where I am validating bad behavior.”

Making a comeback

Barnes argues that his gubernatorial candidacy has the support he needs to win, although there was some public skepticism even before he entered the race. He was the subject of a New York Times article comparing his loss to Johnson in 2022 to former Vice President Kamala Harris’ loss in 2024. The Milwaukee Courier, a prominent Black-owned newspaper, urged him in an opinion piece not to enter the race. 

Barnes said of the criticism that people have “gotta have something to write about.” Asked whether he needed to build back trust with Wisconsin Democrats ahead of running statewide again, he said he didn’t think it was about that. 

“People know how much money was spent against me. People know that I was the most targeted Democrat in the entire country, the target of the largest anti-Democratic candidate super PAC in the country. People know what I was up against and the relationships I built over the course of that race. People know that I was counted out from the very beginning,” Barnes said. “People know how Republican billionaires are willing to spend big, and this is a moment for us to fight back against those corporate interests that have held Wisconsin back, and they’re ready to see this through.”

Barnes’ campaign finance report from December included a mix of donations from Wisconsin-based donors, including those who live in Milwaukee and Madison as well other towns and cities across the state, and many from other states including California, Colorado, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York and Virginia as well as Washington D.C. Barnes also received a donation from the Long Run PAC, a group he launched to support progressive candidates. He has a goal to raise $50 million over the course of the campaign. 

In the first half of the year, Barnes has also received a mix of endorsements from Wisconsin Democrats, including State Reps. Angelina Cruz and Amaad Rivera-Wagner and Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich and from national political players including California Sen. Adam Schiff, and most recently, the Natural Resources Defense Council Action Fund, a leading environmental advocacy organization. 

Climate change and utility costs

“No one in Wisconsin has done or will do more to tackle the climate crisis while lowering costs for working families than Mandela Barnes,” Jed Ober, managing director of Natural Resources Defense Council Action Fund, said in a statement. 

Barnes has made reducing utility rates one of the key parts of his affordability platform. He says that he’ll seek to freeze rates as governor by appointing commissioners to the Public Service Commission, which regulates utilities and approves rates, who will do so. Utility experts have criticized the plan and said its unclear whether he could carry it out, though Barnes said that criticisms of that plan are being levied by “the industry itself.” 

Barnes has said he would appoint commissioners who have a “demonstrated commitment” through a “thorough interview process” and they will need to have worked alongside the industry and have a “real deep understanding of how we can actually benefit the public to make sure that the PSC is doing its job to represent the public interest.” He added that he would like to increase staffing at the PSC as well. 

Barnes said environmental policy will be a priority. He chaired a climate change task force as lieutenant governor that he noted produced a slate of policy solutions that were later introduced by Democratic lawmakers as a package of 18 bills. 

The Senate race as well as his time serving as the state’s second-in-command helped him enter the race with the most name recognition, according to polling by Marquette Law School. On the other hand, Charles Franklin, the Marquette Law School poll director, looked at the track record of five statewide candidates, Republican and Democrat, who lost an election and ran again for statewide office. He found that name identification and previous campaign experience, including established donors, did not significantly improve the percentage of votes they got in the general election in their second statewide campaign. The last successful “second act” was the 1970s, he said.

Barnes is working to convince enough voters that he can overcome the historical pattern and is the best candidate to compete in November. He is reaching people in a variety of ways, including traveling the state to attend forums and county Democratic Party meetings, where he said he’s been glad to reconnect with people across the state whom he hasn’t seen in a while. 

Through his @MandelaHQ account on X, Barnes has adopted a rapid-response social media style reminiscent of national campaign-style accounts like @KamalaHQ during the 2024 cycle. The account highlights poll results, including a recent one that showed Barnes winning in a matchup against Tiffany, targets Tiffany with humor and memes — one post featuring Tiffany at a farm joked that “cows can smell DC stink” — while also promoting policy proposals through short videos. In one video on banning AI-driven dynamic pricing and hidden fees, a group of children raise the price of lemonade after Barnes passes by on a run.

Barnes told students that one of the biggest misconceptions about him is that he doesn’t “get to be as funny” as he’d like.

“It’s tough because in politics, if you crack a joke or people aren’t able to translate sarcasm, like the story’s getting written the wrong way,” Barnes said. “I can’t be as funny as I want to be… sometimes my humor is a little dry. It’s not for everybody.”

Editor’s note: The Examiner is running periodic profiles of the contenders in the Aug. 11, 2026 gubernatorial primary as well as the candidates in the general election Nov. 3. 

The University of Wisconsin Board of Regents will vote this week on a 2% tuition hike that would go towards supporting university operations, including utilities and facility maintenance, employee salaries and benefits and student services. 

In a release, the Board characterized the increases as “modest,” noting that it’s less than the current inflation rate of 3.8%. The Board said the increase follows years of “significant financial restructuring across UW universities, including reductions in structural deficits, operational changes and campus-level cost containment efforts designed to strengthen long-term financial stability.”

UW Interim President Renée Wachter, who took up the position on May 8, said in a statement the system recognizes that “Wisconsin families are managing rising costs in every part of their lives, and that reality informed this proposal.” 

“This is a measured increase that helps our universities continue providing strong student support and high-quality academic experiences while keeping a UW education among the most affordable in the Midwest,” Wachter said.

The change would also include a 3.5% increase — or about $56 annually — in segregated fees, which help cover student services, activities, programs and facilities. The combined increase in tuition, segregated fees and cost of room and board would average 2.5%.

Over the years the state’s investment in the system has declined. In 1984-85, state revenue made up 41.8% of the UW System’s budget, while in recent years, state funding has made up less than 20% of the system budget. The change has meant the system has had to rely more heavily on tuition and fees. 

It’s the fourth year of increases following a 10-year tuition freeze that was adopted under former Gov. Scott Walker and ended in 2023. The tuition hike in 2025 was the maximum of 5%.

Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, who is running for governor, said in a post on X that he would institute another tuition freeze and “restore accountability” to the universities if elected. He noted the previous increases and the recent investment in the state budget.

The system received a $250 million boost for operational costs under the biennial state budget adopted in 2025, but it was well below the $855 million operational budget increase that former UW President Jay Rothman said would be needed to avoid tuition increases.

Republican lawmakers also expressed irritation at the proposed increase.

The prospect of a  2% increase came up in April during a Senate Technical Colleges and Universities committee hearing as lawmakers questioned UW Regent President Amy Bogost and Regent Timothy Nixon about the firing of Rothman. The regents told lawmakers at the time that there was “nothing written in stone.”

“I don’t know if it’s going to happen,” Bogost said then. 

In a statement, Sen. Patrick Testin (R-Stevens Point), who sits on the powerful committee responsible for writing the state budget every two years, claimed the regents lied.

“Unfortunately, students and their families are the ones who will be paying the price for this dishonesty,” Testin said. “At least we now know that we can no longer take the UW Board of Regents at their word. My Joint Finance Committee colleagues and I certainly will not forget this betrayal when the regents and UW officials come begging to us for more money during next year’s state budget deliberations. This is simply unacceptable.”

Sen. Rob Hutton (R-Brookfield) chairs the Senate Universities and Technical Colleges committee,  did not respond to a request for comment from the Examiner. Hutton is retiring and will not be in the Legislature when lawmakers return in 2027 to write the next state budget.

It is unclear whether Republicans will hold control of the state Senate and Assembly or to the governor’s office in 2027. 

The regents are scheduled to meet on June 4 and 5 in Milwaukee.

The per-year tuitions at each campus under the proposed increase are: 

• UW-Eau Claire: $10,268
• UW-Green Bay: $9,133
• UW-La Crosse: $10,563
• UW-Madison: $12,416
• UW-Milwaukee: $11,153
• UW-Oshkosh: $9,180
• UW-Parkside: $8,851
• UW-Platteville: $9,007
• UW-River Falls: $9,448
• UW-Stevens Point: $9,692
• UW-Stout: $10,289
• UW-Superior: $9,477
• UW-Whitewater: $8,984

Gov. Tony Evers raised the Progress Pride flag over the Wisconsin State Capitol for his eighth and final time Monday.

“We celebrate Pride Month because we know what it took to get here. We also know what is at stake,” said Evers, who delivered the remarks outside of the Capitol surrounded by advocates, lawmakers and others who held small pride flags in their hands.

Evers was the first governor in Wisconsin history to recognize the month by ordering the flag to fly over the Capitol building in 2019. He has done it each year since even when Republican lawmakers have criticized flags raised over government buildings, other than those representing the United States of America, prisoners of war and the state of Wisconsin, as divisive.

Evers said the flag is a message that the state “recognizes and celebrates our LGBTQ Wisconsinites — where they can be treated with dignity, treated with dignity and respect, and welcomed without fear of prosecution, judgement and discrimination.” The Progress Pride flag includes the LGBTQ rainbow colors as well as additional stripes that create a chevron to represent LGBTQ people of color, the transgender community and those who are living with and who have been lost to HIV/AIDS.

Evers took note of the national political moment and the hostility towards LGBTQ+ people and history from President Donald Trump’s administration. Trump’s second term has included an attempted ban on transgender people from serving in the military and the removal by the National Park Service of the Pride flag from the Stonewall Inn, a bar and national monument in New York City that was the location of riots that kickstarted the gay rights movement. In April, following a court decision, the administration agreed to restore the flag.

“There are those who want to revise and rewrite this important history so they can create a new story for our state and our country,” Evers said. “They want to pretend that trans and queer folks weren’t there at Stonewall. They tell trans folks and veterans willing to fight and die for our freedom — and theirs — that their patriotism isn’t wanted and never mattered.” 

An appeals court ruled Monday that the military ban on trans service members is unconstitutional. 

Pride Month originated in June 1970 as a way to honor the Stonewall riots, though it has become a wider celebration of LGBTQ+ people. 

Evers’ proclaimed June “LGBTQ Pride Month” and signed an executive order authorizing state buildings and any jurisdiction of the state of Wisconsin to fly the Progress Pride flag during the month. 

Evers also reiterated his promise to always fight for LGBTQ Wisconsinites. During his time as governor, he has vetoed bills sent to him by the Republican-led Legislature each session that have sought to impose restrictions on LGBTQ youth and adults. 

Summer Strand, a parent of an LGBTQ child and the chairperson of the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSC), said as she delivered remarks at the flag raising that Evers has been the “most crucial goalie,” stopping harmful bills from becoming law.

Some of the Republican-authored bills Evers mentioned in his speech that he said  “hell no” to this year include a ban on gender-affirming care for transgender minors, a ban on tansgender students from participating on sports teams that align with their gender identity and restrictions on the pronouns and names students can use in school.

“It’s simple, folks,” Evers said. “This type of legislation and harmful rhetoric pushes harm [to] mental health, threatens the safety and dignity of LGBTQ+ Wisconsinites and emboldens anti-LGBTQ harassment, bullying and violence.”  He added that he also has “no intention of repealing the ban on the outdated and dangerous practice of conversion therapy on kids.” 

The Evers administration has defended a rule banning conversion therapy for not meeting the professional standards for mental health counselors in Wisconsin. The right-wing Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) has sued to have the rule blocked. 

Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway, who is the first openly gay person to hold the office, said it is “critical that we as state and local governments and as a community stand up to hate and discrimination.”

“My community, especially trans folks, are demonized and attacked every day in our country and around the world,” Rhodes-Conway said. “It’s one of the tried and true tools of authoritarianism. Authoritarians pick a minority that might be unfamiliar or misunderstood, and they use hate and division to distract us while they take away our rights and our freedoms and accumulate wealth through grift and corruption.” 

Evers added that anyone listening should “know that no matter who you are, what you believe or you love or how you express your truest, most authentic self, you are family here. You belong here. You are welcome here. This is a place for you. Happy Pride Month, Wisconsin.”

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A new Marquette Law School poll found 80% of Wisconsinites said the Legislature should have passed a budget surplus bill that ultimately failed amid concerns about a future budget deficit. 

Gov. Tony Evers and Republican leaders announced the deal earlier this month, which would have tapped the state’s projected budget surplus to reduce property taxes, increase special education funding and provide rebates to taxpayers. They swiftly pushed it to a vote in the same week the deal was rolled out. While Evers and Republican leaders were initially optimistic, the bill passed the Assembly in a 61-32 vote only to be rejected by the Senate in a 18-15 vote.

Opposing lawmakers, including a majority of Democrats, expressed concerns about a potential budget deficit.

A memo released by the Legislative Fiscal Bureau (LFB) last Wednesday found that the state would have faced a $2.95 billion budget deficit at the end of the 2027-29 biennium had the bill been enacted. The memo examined the effects of the bill, the spending in the current state budget and other legislation passed over the rest of the legislative session.

Without the bill, the state is projected to have $525 million at the end of 2029. 

The bill included funding to boost schools’ special education reimbursement to a projected 42% in 2025-26 using $85 million and to 50% in 2026-27 school year using $230 million. There was also an additional $302.5 million for general aid to public schools, though it would have only provided property tax relief due to school revenue limits, which cap the amount schools can spend.

The bill also would have provided a $300 state income tax rebate for taxpayers whose state tax bill was at least that much in 2024 and would have eliminated taxes on tips and overtime.

Marquette conducted its survey about the bill between May 20 and 21, just a week after the measure died in the Legislature. It surveyed 454 Wisconsin adults with a margin of error of +/-5.5 percentage points.

Of those surveyed, 80% said it should have passed, 11% said it shouldn’t have passed, while 9% said they didn’t know. 

The support for the measure was bipartisan with 77% of Republicans, 81% of independents, and 82% of Democrats polled saying it should have passed. 

Sen. Dan Feyen (R-Fond du Lac) said in a statement that the poll was confirmation that Wisconsinites want the Legislature to address the affordability crisis. He criticized the Democrats who voted against it but  did not mention his Republican colleagues who voted against the deal.

“The people of Wisconsin understand something that my Democrat colleagues refuse to: when the state collects billions more than it needs, that money should go right back to taxpayers,” Feyen said. “As I’ve said before, in divided government, compromise is a necessity. Republicans accepted that reality and worked with the Governor to put forward a bill that addressed affordability, providing both immediate and long-lasting permanent relief.”

The poll also asked whether lawmakers should have acted now or waited until there was more information next year to act on the budget surplus or deficit.

Of those surveyed, 69% said it would be better to provide the spending, rebates and school aid now, while 21% say it would be better to wait until next year given fiscal concerns. 

Three Republican lawmakers voted alongside Democrats against the deal in the Senate. 

Evers’ spokesperson Britt Cudaback has said that lawmakers had the 17 Republican Senate votes necessary to pass the bill before Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, who is running for governor, made calls lobbying lawmakers to vote against the deal. 

Sen. Chris Kapenga (R-Delafield), who voted against the deal, told WISN-12 over the weekend that Senate leadership didn’t count votes before announcing the deal, thus failing to ensure there would be enough support among lawmakers to get it done. 

“What happened was there were a couple of leaders in both the Assembly and in the Senate, along with the governor, who said we’ll just get it done and we’ll just push it to the floor and they’ll vote for it without talking to their caucus, which was really upsetting for me,” Kapenga said. “The governor also assumed that there were going to be some Democrat votes for this, too, so I think it was failed leadership on all three fronts.”

Evers has said that Democrats have put themselves into a “bad place” by not supporting the deal ahead of the midterm elections in which the governorship and control of the Senate and Assembly are up for grabs. 

“They believe that somehow putting money back into people’s pockets that are struggling financially across the state, apparently they don’t believe that’s an issue,” Evers told WISN last week. “They’re going to say, ‘Well, we’re going to fix it next time when all these wonderful things happen after Evers is gone, and we’ll get a new governor and we’ll have Democrats all over the  place.’ That’s fine. That’s a wish list, and who knows what else is going to happen, but you’re impacting kids right now.” 

According to the survey, 25% of Wisconsinites said that candidate positions on the bill would be “very important” for their November votes, while 48% said it would be “somewhat important.” 21% said it would not be too important and 6% said it wouldn’t be important at all.

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Gov. Tony Evers, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) and Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu (R-Oostburg) — Wisconsin’s three leaders all of whom are set to retire this year — announced a $1.8 billion deal Monday to provide additional funding to Wisconsin schools for general aid and special education and tax relief in the form of rebate checks, property tax cuts and the elimination of taxes on tips and overtime. 

The deal is the culmination of months of negotiations on how to use the state’s projected surplus to provide additional funding to schools and tax relief to Wisconsinites.

Negotiations kicked off at the beginning of this year after the general fund surplus was projected to be $2.37 billion at the end of the biennium, June 30, 2027 — about $1.5 billion higher than expected. However, they fell apart as Evers and Senate and Assembly leaders argued over the form that a proposal should take and a deal was not reached before the end of the regular legislative session. 

According to a Department of Administration and Department of Revenue memo released Monday, the state’s general fund tax collections are tracking between $300 million and $350 million above the January estimates. 

Evers said the school funding was the biggest win in the bipartisan agreement. The deal includes $300 million for special education funding and $300 million for school general aids. 

“I think money for schools, that’s obviously the most important thing for me, but again, we’re in a position to actually compromise and have Republicans and Democrats, at least in the leadership level, getting something done,” Evers said. 

Evers spoke to reporters during a visit to Barneveld middle and high schools where he spoke to students and staff about their mental health initiatives on Monday morning. He was there to highlight investments that have been made in schools. He noted that Barneveld is a good school district and said the deal reached by him and lawmakers would “make them an even better” one. 

About $85 million will be used to guarantee schools get 42% of their special education costs reimbursed for the 2025-26 school year and the remaining funds will be used to guarantee a 50% reimbursement rate in 2026-27. 

The 2025-27 state budget promised a 42% special ed reimbursement rate in the first year of the budget and a 45% rate in the second year, but the funds set aside were not adequate to meet those rates. 

The state’s special education reimbursement is currently a “sum certain” appropriation, meaning that there is a fixed pot of money available for the costs. If schools’ costs exceed the amount set aside, then the rate of reimbursement is lower. A change to a sum sufficient appropriation would ensure that the amount available is enough to cover the promised rates. 

Evers said negotiations couldn’t get to a sum sufficient appropriation for special education funding, but that negotiators used figures that should get the state to the promised rates. 

“Next budget people have to ensure that it is sum sufficient, but we did not get across that bridge, unfortunately,” Evers said. “Look, we know what the numbers are, so it’s going to be 50[%].”

The deal will also increase funding for pupils participating in the choice, charter, special needs scholarship  and open enrollment programs by $16 million. 

The investment into general school aids comes after lawmakers declined to provide any new funding in the 2025-27 state budget and property taxpayers across the state saw increases in December. The $300 million is intended to help buy down school property tax levies, although the amount will not completely cover the $325 per pupil in additional school revenue limit authority that school districts have as a result of a previous Evers budget veto.

The agreement also includes $50 million meant to serve as property tax relief aid for the Wisconsin Technical College System beginning in 2026-27. 

The Wisconsin Association of School Boards said in a statement that it was encouraged by the deal’s investments in special education and general aids, but cautioned that it would not completely fix schools’ financial issues.

“While these resources are important for public schools struggling with a declining level of state investment, it will not solve the longer-term problem,” WASB said. “The state has shifted away from providing inflationary increases in spendable resources for schools for 17 years. One state surplus deal cannot reverse that trend by itself.”

The Joint Finance Committee is scheduled to take up the proposal on Tuesday, and it’s expected that the full Assembly and Senate will take up the proposal on Wednesday in a special session. Ever signed an executive order for the session Monday afternoon. 

Vos said in a statement that legislators would be sending the surplus  “back to help families with the pressure of increasing costs, reward hard work, and to continue investing in schools to help stabilize rising property taxes.”

LeMahieu said Repiblicans’  top priority was to send the surplus back to “hardworking taxpayers across the state.” 

“This deal will provide immediate relief with $600 in surplus refund payments and provide permanent property and income tax relief for Wisconsin families,” LeMahieu said. 

The deal will also provide $300 tax refunds for individuals and $600 refunds for married joint filers. Tax relief in this form was originally a Senate Republican proposal, though they had proposed rebates of $1,000 for married joint filers and $500 for individuals.

The deal also includes the elimination of taxes on tips and overtime — two proposals that Evers initially vetoed. The proposal will align state with federal law, though the state proposals differ as they are permanent changes rather than having a sunset date in 2028. 

Evers expressed confidence that there are enough votes to get the deal through both houses and to his desk. 

“I need a majority of each house, and whether that’s all Democrats, all Republicans or a mix, I don’t care,” Evers said. “I think it would be hard for anyone to say I’m not in favor of this…[when] as a result, my local school district gets screwed. I think that’s going to be a hard position for people to take.” 

It’s already clear that not every member is on board as Democratic and Republican Senate lawmakers express concerns and opposition to the deal in statements.

Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein (D-Middleton) said in a statement that from her perspective there is no deal. She said her caucus needs to see the full details of the “expensive proposal” before they say more. 

“Three men who will not be in elected office next year have come up with this proposal which Senate Dems will be reviewing,” Hesselbein said. “Any proposal must pass both houses of the legislature and no one knows if Republicans have the votes to pass it.”

Assembly Minority Leader Greta Neubauer (D-Racine) has not responded to a request for comment. 

Sen. Steve Nass (R-Whitewater), who is also retiring this year, said in a statement that he “can’t support another bad deal cut by leaders that will never face the voters again.” 

With an open race for governor and control of the state Legislature up in the air, some expressed concerns about leaders deciding to spend down the surplus when they won’t be around to deal with the consequences next year. 

Democratic candidates for governor, Sen. Kelda Roys (D-Madison) and former Department of Administration Secretary Joel Brennan criticized the way lawmakers negotiated the deal and the contents of the deal. 

“Budgets are difficult to negotiate and demand tough decisions, and that’s why I believe they must be done in public with input from Wisconsinites. It’s very disappointing that this one wasn’t, and we should expect all candidates for governor to commit to an open process,” Brennan said. “I’m all for putting money back in people’s pockets, giving our schools a much-needed boost, and providing some property tax relief, but this deal misses the mark in many other ways. It does nothing to address the cost-of-living crisis that is still crushing Wisconsin families on things like child care, health care, and gas and utility prices.” 

Roys said the leaders had come to a “backroom” deal.

“This latest deal is the height of fiscal irresponsibility,” Roys said. “It spends a projected ‘surplus’ before it’s in the bank, even though that projection was estimated before Trump’s attack on Iran that disrupted our economy and caused gas prices to skyrocket. It gives a little one time money to public schools while permanently cementing unfairness in our tax structure. Worst of all, it blows nearly a billion dollars on an election year gimmick to send out rebates, squandering the ability of a new Democratic majority to make the long-overdue investments in our kids that they deserve.”

The critique on the transparency in the negotiation process comes after Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, who is also campaigning for the nomination, was recorded saying she would craft the state’s next budget “behind a curtain.”

Evers told reporters that the negotiations with lawmakers was typical process.

“Well, sometimes you do things behind the curtain,” Evers said. “Leadership both from my staff and others on the other side met on a regular basis, and we kept others informed about that. Now, if… [Roys is] angry because we didn’t involve every legislator prior to, that doesn’t happen with a regular budget, too. So if she’s going to be governor, she needs to get used to it.” 

He continued: “If she’s not going to support it, my question would be, ‘How do you run for governor of the state of Wisconsin and say to your schools, well, you know, this money of 42% and 50% for special education, I’m against that?’ That’s a tough one to run against.”

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A Dane County judge ruled Friday that lawmakers could not block administrative rules that had been through the rulemaking process and received approval from Gov. Tony Evers.

Evers and the Republican-led Legislature have been fighting over administrative rulemaking abilities for years. The Wisconsin Supreme Court decided in its July 2025 Evers v. Marklein II ruling that statutes allowing a legislative committee to pause or suspend administrative rules indefinitely were unconstitutional.

Following that decision, Evers started taking steps to implement 12 administrative rules he had previously approved,  without getting sign-off from legislative committees. Republican lawmakers responded by instructing the Legislative Reference Bureau (LRB) not to  publish any rule that hadn’t gone through a review by the Legislature. 

Evers sued in Sept. 2025 to block the lawmakers’ action.

Judge Nia Trammel granted Evers’ request for a declaration that LRB publish all administrative rules that have gone through the rulemaking procedures and have been approved by the governor.

In the ruling, Trammel said a rule can go into effect because there isn’t a statute prohibiting promulgation of a rule even if a standing committee has not completed a review and if one did exist it would be “facially unconstitutional.”

Trammel cited the state Supreme Court’s Marklein II decision, which found that “the ability of a ten-person committee to halt or interrupt the passage of a rule, which would ordinarily be required to be presented to the governor as a bill, is simply incompatible with Articles IV and V of the Wisconsin Constitution.”

“For the same reason, if the Court found that the standing committee had an ability to pause promulgation for up to sixty days, if not possibly months, it would also be unconstitutional,” Trammel wrote. 

Evers said in a statement that the decision is a win for Wisconsin and “our efforts to continue restoring the balance of power in Wisconsin.” 

“For far too long, the Republican Legislature had a gerrymandered majority that enabled them to undermine our constitutional separation of powers and give themselves outsized influence and power over state government,” Evers said. “A handful of lawmakers should not be able to singlehandedly bring the state to a standstill and stop good work from happening on behalf of the people of our state.”

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The University of Wisconsin Board of Regents president appointed UW-Superior Chancellor Renée Wachter as the interim president of the UW system on Friday, about a month after firing the previous president. 

Wachter has served as the 10th chancellor of UW-Superior since 2011, making her the longest-serving chancellor in the system. Effective May 18 she will serve as the UW system interim president.

Board President Amy Bogost said in a statement that Wachter “knows our universities, our communities and the challenges and opportunities facing public higher education in Wisconsin.” 

“She has earned the trust and respect of colleagues across the system through steady leadership and a collaborative approach. At a time when continuity, focus, and forward momentum are essential, the Board is confident she understands what must be done to support our universities during this transition,” Bogost said.

Prior to her tenure at UW-Superior, Wachter served as the Dean of the School of Business at Truman State University in Missouri. 

The Board of Regents decision to fire Jay Rothman, who had served as president since 2022, on April 7 came as a surprise and led to criticism from Rothman, who said he wasn’t given a reason for the termination, and from Republican lawmakers. Regents said, however, that they were dissatisfied with Rothman’s leadership, especially as he moved too slowly to act on issues including artificial intelligence, and had communicated their concerns with him during his review process. 

Bogost said that the next president must “bring the courage, discipline, and forward-looking leadership needed to guide the Universities of Wisconsin through one of the most consequential periods in higher education.”

The Board also announced the 25-member Presidential Search Committee that will conduct a nationwide search for the next permanent president. The last time there was a retirement from the position the search for a UW system president lasted for nearly three years. 

The committee will be led by Regent Ashok Rai, and it is expected that a president will be selected later this year.

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Republican Rep. Jessie Rodriguez (R-Oak Creek) announced she will not run for reelection this year, creating another open seat in an Assembly district that will be decisive in determining partisan control of the chamber in 2027.

Rodriguez, 48, has represented the 21st Assembly District since 2013 when she was first elected in a special election. She noted in her announcement that her son was 3 years old when she first ran. During her time in office she has served on the powerful Joint Finance Committee, helping shape the state’s two-year budget as well as being an outspoken advocate for school choice.

“Throughout my time in office, I have tried to keep family first. But the truth is, it is difficult to do this job well without it affecting the people who care about you most. My family has given me patience, encouragement, and support through long days, busy weeks, and many moments when this work required more of me than they deserved to lose,” Rodriguez said in a Thursday statement. “After a great deal of reflection and many conversations with my family, I have decided that I will not seek reelection this fall.

Her district changed with the new maps adopted in 2024. It sits in Milwaukee County and includes Oak Creek and a portion of the city of Milwaukee around the Mitchell International Airport, and has a slight Democratic lean, according to the Marquette Law School analysis. 

Even under the new maps, Rodriguez won her most recent term in 2024 with 51.3% of the vote against her Democratic challenger. 

Her departure means that Republicans will lose the advantages that come with incumbency in a key district that will determine control of the state Assembly. Republican lawmakers currently hold 54 seats in the Assembly to Democrats’ 45 seats, meaning Democrats need to hold all their seats and win five additional seats in November to win the majority. 

Morgan Hess, the executive director for the Assembly Democratic Campaign Committee, said in a statement that “Rodriguez, like others in the Republican Assembly caucus, sees the writing on the wall.” 

“Rather than serve in the minority, they are calling it quits. Democrats have the momentum to win the majority this fall and today’s announcement brings us one step closer,” Hess said. 

Democrat Dan Bukiewicz, the mayor of Oak Creek, announced his campaign for the seat in January.

Hess said he is a “proven leader in this community and will make an excellent state representative.”

Rodriguez’s announcement adds to the wave of Republicans, including nine Assembly members and six Senate members, deciding not to seek election this fall, including Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) and Rep. Dean Kaufert (R-Neenah) who was the first Assembly Republican in one of eight key seats to decide against running. 

Donovan running

Rep. Bob Donovan (R-Greenfield) announced that he will run for a third term to represent Assembly District 61, which covers Greendale and Hales Corner in Milwaukee County. The district has a slight  Republican lean, according to the Marquette Law School analysis, but is one of eight districts that Democrats are targeting to flip. 

Donovan, 69, was first elected in 2022. He joins a handful of other Republican lawmakers from swing districts  seeking another term, including Rep. Patrick Snyder (R-Weston), Rep. Shannon Zimmerman (R-River Falls), Rep. Todd Novak (R-Dodgeville) and Rep. Benjamin Franklin (R- De Pere). 

Democrat Ben Brist, a U.S. Army veteran announced he would run for the seat in March. His candidacy could mean Donovan would face someone other than Democrat LuAnn Bird, who he defeated in his first two runs for the Assembly. 

Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Devin Remiker said in a statement that Republicans are “abandoning ship.” 

“To those like Bob Donovan and Shannon Zimmerman who have decided to run again, you have 23 days to retire or you will be fired by the voters in November. Your leaders and colleagues know what is coming and it is not the cavalry; it is only defeat,” Remiker said.

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A group of former University of Wisconsin officials and one lawmaker said better communication is key to building trust among Wisconsinites and overcoming disinvestment in the university as federal and state funding declines.

“The challenges [the higher education system] faces are on multiple fronts: ideological, financial, social professional,” said Michael Bernard-Donals, president of Public Representation Organization of the Faculty Senate (PROFS) and a professor of English and Jewish Studies at UW-Madison. “Much of the public doesn’t trust higher ed anymore or at least doesn’t think it’s worth the price. Costs have increased. The economy is changing, and the job market is shifting and colleges are a useful political punching bag for populists. The compact between the federal government and the universities… has broken down, maybe irreparably, and all of this has made navigating the internal politics of the institution that much harder.”

A 2025 Gallup poll found that confidence in U.S. two- and four-year higher education institutions was up slightly to 42% from a record low of 36% in the previous two years.

During a Wednesday panel discussion featuring a Democratic state representative as well as two former UW employees, much of the conversation centered around how universities and colleges need to improve their communication with Wisconsinites and their political leaders in order to build investment. 

Rep. Angela Stroud (D-Ashland), who serves on the Assembly Colleges and Universities committee and formerly taught at Northland College, said that it has been “stunning” to her to see the politicization of universities, but it is important that they figure out how to “change the discourse on what higher ed means to the state.”

Stroud said she sees some lawmakers grappling with knowing the importance of higher education when it comes to jobs and economic development, while also making “politically useful” attacks on higher education. 

“Those two things don’t go together very well,” Stroud said. 

In recent years, the relationship between the Republican-led Legislature and the UW system has been marked by disagreements over cutting the system’s budget versus investing in it, debates over DEI and the First Amendment and most recently, the firing of the UW System President Jay Rothman.

Raymond Taffora, emeritus vice chancellor for legal affairs at UW-Madison and former chief legal counsel for Gov. Tommy Thompson, listed the issues that he views as most  affecting higher education including diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts, the cuts to federal funding that institutions are facing, changes to student visas due to the Trump administration, concerns about freedom of speech and academic freedom and uncertainty over changes in leadership. 

Addressing the recent tumult over the Rothman firing, Taffora questioned “how could the Board of Regents… decide to remove the president of the university and not designate an interim president of the system?” After the firing, the regents announced that Chris Patton, UW’s vice president for university relations, would serve as acting executive-in-charge prior to the appointment of interim president. 

“It’s not the way to lead a university,” Taffora said.

Greg Summers, an employee of the Milwaukee-based marketing agency BVK and emeritus provost at UW-Stevens Point, said part of the challenge for colleges is that while colleges do well communicating internally, communication with the general public could be better.

“Lots of colleges do a really good job communicating with their stakeholders, but that communication is very narrow. It tends to be very transactional in nature,” Summers said. “Institutions like to talk about themselves. They like to talk about recruitment — getting students to enroll at those institutions, because that’s incredibly financially important. They also talk a lot about getting donors to donate to their campuses, but there’s not a lot of conversation as an industry about the public common good that higher ed brings to American life.” 

Summers said the field of higher education needs to come up with a strategy to speak to the American public with one voice. He said that is the goal of his ad agency’s campaign called “Why College Matters.” It is a free public service campaign, he said, that any college and university can use.

“The campaign that we have created we think resonates with exactly the stakeholders that we need to reach: rural Americans, people without college degrees and political conservatives,” Summer said, adding that those groups  have been among the most skeptical of higher education in the last 10 or 15 years. 

Summers said the campaign gets at the idea of communicating better with Americans about why faculty research matters to them.

“Higher ed cannot solve its problems and its trust issues with communication alone. That’s absolutely true, but higher ed has a real communication problem and has to get outside of its usual bubble and usual audience and to talk to people in different ways about the value that they bring to American life,” Summers said. 

Stroud, noting her prior research on concealed carry and her job as a Democratic lawmaker, said she understands how difficult it is to have conversations that don’t become partisan and divisive.

“I’m just a partisan hack now in many people’s minds. They’re just completely dismissive of the evidence on gun violence… It’s going to be challenging to figure out how to enter into these conversations without being seen as being reduced to just partisan hackery,” Stroud said, adding that walking that line is essential for these conversations. 

Taffora said UW faculty and staff could improve on putting their expertise to use out in the state and living out the “Wisconsin Idea.” He brought up Walter Dickey, a faculty member of the University of Wisconsin Law School who also served as the Wisconsin Department of Corrections secretary under former Gov. Tony Earl, as an example.

“There was a time when the University of Wisconsin faculty were not only noted for their expertise, but their expertise was deployed,” Taffora said. “The best way to showcase expertise is… to get busy and to lend your expertise.”

Taffora said the showcasing needs to extend to lawmakers and decision makers and it could be beneficial for the UW system to further expand its lobbying efforts. 

“If that was a private company, you’d have batteries of lobbyists that would descend on the Legislature to tell stories. Interacting with decision-makers is key” Taffora said. “The story is a good one to tell, but it has to be told with facts and it has to be told with a degree of humility, not condescension.”

Correction: This story has been updated to correct the name of the college that Rep. Angela Stroud taught at. 

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May Day protesters in Madison met Friday at noon at Library Mall on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus and marched about a mile to the state Capitol. As hundreds of marchers made their way up State Street, they chanted phrases of support including “No hate! No fear! Immigrants are welcome here!” and “Sí, se puede!” Mariachi Sol de Madison played music as protesters assembled on the Capitol steps.

Rebe Silvey with Voces de la Frontera said that the organization has brought together labor, youth, faith leaders and essential workers for May Day — or “Day Without Immigrants” — actions for the last 20 years in Wisconsin. Madison police estimates that about 3,000 people marched.

Silvey noted protesters in Wisconsin this year are joined by hundreds of other May Day actions that had been organized across the country. According to a map on the May Day Strong website, there were actions planned in nearly 40 locations across Wisconsin. 

The nationwide day of action called for “No work. No school. No shopping.”

The march brought out thousands of Wisconsinites angry about increased federal immigration enforcement under President Donald Trump, similar to the No Kings protest in March and an anti-ICE protest held in January. 

Silvey said that school closings on Friday as teachers and students joined the May Day march  showed that “educators understand the urgency of this moment.” Madison Public Schools and the Sun Prairie School District canceled classes Friday due to anticipated absences of staff. Members of Madison Teachers Inc. (MTI), the union that represents teachers and staff, participated in the protests. MTI and the South Central Federation of Labor AFL-CIO officially endorsed the protests.

 

Silvey said 250 immigrant-led businesses across 17 cities in Wisconsin shut down for the day. During the event, Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway and Dane County Executive Melissa Agard issued May Day proclamations. 

“That is power. That is solidarity. That is collective action,” Silvey said.

Students and teachers from Madison East and Madison West high schools walked from their schools to the Capitol. 

Silvia Gomez de Soriano, a bilingual resource specialist at Madison East and member of MTI, said families and the whole community are “under attack.” 

Andrea Missureli, president of MTI, said that the union stands in solidarity with families who are living in the shadow of ICE.

“This fear has been dangerously normalized, but we refuse to accept it. Every child deserves to walk into school, feeling welcome, safe and seen — not looking over their shoulders,” Missureli said.

Gomez de Soriano said she has seen the link between students’ feeling of safety and their ability to learn. 

“Students miss class and sacrifice their dreams because they are afraid their parents won’t return from an immigration appointment,” she said. “These racist operations are a brutal part of a broader assault on the working class.”

Missureli said the march was not the end of the fight. 

“We must carry this energy into the fall,” she said. Wisconsin has a large slate of state legislative races, congressional races and a gubernatorial election in November that will shape  the direction of the state. “We need to elect working-class people who actually want to fight for our families, leaders who want to stand with us to abolish ICE and ensure the safety of our community,” Missureli said.

A group of Madison East seniors spoke from the steps including Alyne Espinoza Mora, who is the daughter of immigrants. 

“I’m here because of them. I wouldn’t be here if they hadn’t risked their lives to come to the U.S. I’ve never seen anyone work as hard as my parents do. They work so hard every day only for the system to treat them as if they’re animals,” she said. “Why do my parents live in fear? Why can’t my mom go back to Mexico to see her dad? Why is my dad scared of dropping off my sister at the Chicago airport? Because of ICE… I’m tired of seeing immigrants being treated like less simply because of their status. We all deserve to live in a world where we feel safe and included.”

State Rep. Francesca Hong (D-Madison), who is running in the Democratic primary for governor and is the daughter of immigrants, said people need to send a message to “fascists” that immigrants belong in the country.

“The beautiful immigrant community, our community, we make this state stronger. I cannot imagine the depth of moral rot and dysfunction that would move a federal agency to abduct or disappear our neighbors without a sense of shame or an admittance of wrongdoing,” Hong said. “ICE is truly a cruel enforcer of fascism.”

She called for people to invest in mutual aid efforts, attend legal-observer and know-your-rights training and to help take care of their community.

“If we do not, I fear that we will not honor our shared humanity, because when we recognize our shared humanity, when we build community, when we share joy with one another, that is building resistance, and that is building a better world,” Hong said. 

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