Several Dem candidates for governor took digs at the Trump administration during the first public forum of the campaign to succeed outgoing Gov. Tony Evers.
Thursday’s forum focused on economic and technology-related issues, but delved into other areas as candidates knocked President Donald Trump and voiced support for legalizing marijuana in Wisconsin. They argued the state is losing out on revenue that could come with legalization.
Six candidates spoke at the Wisconsin Technology Council’s Early Stage Symposium in Madison: Milwaukee County Exec David Crowley; Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez; former Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. Secretary Missy Hughes; Sen. Kelda Roys, D-Madison; Rep. Francesca Hong, D-Madison; and Washington County Exec Josh Schoemann.
Schoemann was the only Republican present. U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Minocqua, who is also running to take over the East Wing, did not attend.
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In response to a question on the biggest threat to Wisconsin’s economy, Hong said “authoritarianism.” She charged the Trump administration with taking away food and the ability to address rising costs and have a good quality of life.
“When you have essentially a hellbent federal government that is taking away rights of states and our communities, that is going to continue to threaten the economy, because it is workers that power the economy,” Hong, a former restaurant owner, said.
Roys said the biggest threat to the state’s economy is the “Trump regime.” In response to a later question on how she would work with the Trump administration, Roys called Trump “a bully and an authoritarian.”
“I do not think that you beat a bully by giving in,” Roys said. “So we need a governor who is going to stand up to the Trump administration when they are wrong and do everything in her power to protect Wisconsinites from the harm that they are foisting on us and on other states.”
Roys didn’t mention Evers, but said other governors in Illinois, Maine and California are standing up to the administration.
Schoemann said the biggest threat to the state is a lack of affordability. He said both young people and retirees are leaving the state, pointing to his parents as an example. He said some stay in other states for part of the year just “to get out of the tax hell that is Wisconsin.”
“I think that’s a massive problem, and it’s not just millionaires and billionaires,” Schoemann said. “I know we like to throw those words around, but the reality is, my mom and dad have a place down in Estero, Florida, in between Fort Myers and Naples. It’s a mobile home in a mobile home trailer park. And you walk around that trailer park in the springtime and hundreds of people have come from states up north … and they’re all working class people.”
Rodriguez agreed that affordability is the biggest threat. She said her 19-year-old son wants to build a life in the state, but won’t be able to if he can’t afford a home or child care.
Crowley said he sees “complacency” as the biggest threat.
“We can’t continue to do the same work that we’ve been doing,” Crowley said. “We cannot continue to get involved and continue the status quo. We, matter of fact, we should … no longer be defending the status quo, because we have to figure out how do we build new institutions that’s going to benefit everybody.”
Hughes said the biggest concern is “not believing that we should be investing in ourselves.” She pointed to division over local referendums, and not investing enough at the state level in education.
“Those are the places where we’re really going to see challenges into the future, because we’re not taking that opportunity to take a small amount of dollars now and leverage it into the future,” Hughes said.
When asked about how to invest in broadband access in rural communities, Hong said: “Legalize weed.” That prompted some of the other candidates to voice support for legalization as well.
“I don’t disagree,” Rodriguez said. “Actually, Gov. Pritzker thanks us all the time for the amount of Wisconsin tax dollars that go into, actually, Illinois and now Michigan and Minnesota.”
“I’m all for legalizing weed, and for that matter, abortion as well,” Roys said.
Crowley also said he supports legalizing marijuana. Hughes and Schoemann didn’t weigh in on the topic in their answers.
