GOP Rep. Tom Tiffany says he’ll likely decide by the August recess whether he’ll launch a bid for governor in 2026.

“Where can I do the most good for the people in the state of Wisconsin, and am I the best candidate? Those are the questions,” Tiffany said on WISN 12’s “UpFront,” which is produced in partnership with WisPolitics. “But what comes first is what’s going on in Washington, D.C. The people of the 7th Congressional District in northwestern Wisconsin hired me to do this job for the next two years. That is what I’m focused on at this point. In a few months, when we get to the August break, we’re going to be able to deal with that question of whether I should run for governor.”

Tiffany pointed to the massive tax and spending plan that Republicans just passed through the U.S. House that now heads to the U.S. Senate where some like Sen. Ron Johnson have called for even deeper cuts.

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“Sen. Johnson’s been very consistent in regards to this,” Tiffany said. “Much of the blowout in spending that happened over the last number of years that has led to the inflation that we’ve had, higher interest rates that are taking money out of people’s pockets, is a result of the excessive spending. I hope Sen. Johnson is going to find ways to be able to go back to pre-pandemic spending and put some cost-of-living increases in. He explains it very well. I think it’s a real opportunity for the Senate.”

The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that the House plan will add trillions of dollars to the federal deficit.

“It sounds like you’re saying the CBO scored it,” Tiffany said in response. “So we’re always skeptical of that, especially with some of the scoring they did in the previous session of Congress. So I think there’s some things where we could push some of the deficit reduction closer to now that I hope the Senate, including Sen. Johnson, will work on as it goes over there.”

Tiffany also dismissed Democratic concerns and CBO estimates that some 7.6 million people receiving Medicaid could go uninsured over the next decade.

“I don’t think that’s going to happen,” he said. “So first of all, if you’re an able-bodied adult, childless, you should work. Look at Wisconsin. A couple of years ago, when we had that referendum on the statewide ballot, it passed 80-20. If you’re able-bodied, you should work. That’s what people believe in. So, think about the people now, if they get a job, many of them will get employer-funded insurance. I believe most of those people will not end up uninsured.”

Dem U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin says “politics makes strange bedfellows” as the House GOP tax bill heads to the Senate, and GOP Sen. Ron Johnson has voiced strong opposition.

“If he’s a no, I welcome that,” Baldwin told “UpFront.” “I’m a no for a very different reason. I think the cuts go way too far. They were put together very hastily this last week in the middle of the night. They have not been thought through, and in the end, I think it’s going to end up costing average people more.”

Baldwin said Democrats will continue publicly pushing back at the provisions including potential cuts to Medicaid and the extension of the 2017 tax cuts.

“I would like to have a tax proposal that is centered on the middle class and growing the middle class and helping working people,” Baldwin said. “The corporate tax rates that were lowered in Trump’s first term, that’s not acceptable to continue the tax breaks for the very wealthy. That’s what this bill is.”

Baldwin also weighed in on her recent back-and-forth with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

“I wanted to raise issues very relevant to Wisconsin because we are sort of experiencing a lack of responsiveness because of decisions he made or happened under his watch,” Baldwin said.

The focus was on the Milwaukee Public Schools lead crisis and lack of federal support. RFK Jr. claimed a team from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was on the ground in Milwaukee assisting, a claim the city’s health department said is not true.

“He’s the secretary of the agency and allowed these massive layoffs and firings to happen under his watch,” Baldwin said. “The head of the division where all of these employees work, as of this week, said none of them have been rehired.”

“We’re going to keep on raising the heat for this cabinet secretary to do his job,” Baldwin added. “It’s something that I want to make sure we continue to hold his feet to the fire.”

Also on the show, Appeals Court Judge Chris Taylor says she’ll accept donations from liberal donors and the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, much like Justice-elect Susan Crawford and Justice Janet Protasiewicz did, in her bid to be the high court’s next justice.

“I don’t like to see all this money come into these races,” Taylor told “UpFront.” “In fact, when I was a legislator, I really fought against the laws that open the floodgates. I will run a competitive race, and I intend to win. So I’m going to have the resources to do what?”

Taylor, the former Dem state lawmaker, announced her campaign last week to challenge conservative Justice Rebecca Bradley, who is expected to seek another 10-year term next April.

“The people of Wisconsin can see my values, and they see how those contrast with Justice Rebecca Bradley,” Taylor said. “I have spent my life fighting for people’s rights and freedoms. She has spent her life advocating against reproductive health, voting to take a case to overturn the 2020 election. I have spent my time making sure that people are able to be the center of government.”

Taylor declined to weigh in on whether the court should take a case challenging the state’s congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterms.

“I can’t comment on cases that are pending before the state Supreme Court,” Taylor said. “What I can tell you is the right to vote is fundamental, and every person in the state of Wisconsin deserves to have their vote counted.”

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