Visit WisPolitics-State Affairs for premium content,
keyword notifications, bill tracking and more
From WisPolitics … — State Superintendent Jill Underly today announced she will propose a more than $4 billion boost in state aid to DPI, including raising the special education aid reimbursement rate. The agency sought a $2.5 billion increase during
From WisPolitics … — Newly elected Senate President Mary Felzkowski told WisPolitics today she will seek to fill a “void” for members left by the outgoing president, Chris Kapenga. The Tomahawk Republican said in an interview that members have come
From WisPolitics … — Dem U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin is calling on GOP rival Eric Hovde to concede with her campaign saying the “few possible outstanding votes will not change the winner in this race.” Hovde didn’t concede this morning
From WisPolitics … — Milwaukee election officials are starting over counting some 31,000 absentee ballots initially fed through tabulators that hadn’t properly been locked, likely adding significant time to the final tally. City spokesperson Jeff Fleming said the 13 tabulators
From WisPolitics … — Dem vice presidential nominee Tim Walz at a rally in La Crosse today said women’s lives are at stake in tomorrow’s presidential election while urging Wisconsinites to cast their ballots for Kamala Harris. Meanwhile, GOP vice
From WisPolitics … — GOP businessman Eric Hovde’s new TV ad features a closing message that Dem incumbent Tammy Baldwin has “led us down the wrong path.” Hovde’s spot, which began airing today, shows the Madison businessman at a park
From WisPolitics … — The Marquette University Law School Poll’s final look at the November election found nip-and-tuck races for president and the U.S. Senate in Wisconsin, with voters having an increasingly negative view on the leading candidates in both
From WisPolitics … — The Assembly Democratic Campaign Committee took in $9.3 million during the nearly one-month preelection period, while the Republican Assembly Campaign Committee reported $6.4 million in receipts. It is an escalation of resources compared to the 2022
From WisPolitics … — GOP vice presidential nominee JD Vance at a Wausau rally today said people “have to stop getting so offended at every little thing” after a speaker at a Trump-Vance campaign rally called Puerto Rico a “floating
From WisPolitics … — The demand for early, in-person voting continued to create slowdowns today with the computer system used to print absentee ballot envelope labels, the Elections Commission says. The commission initially reported computer problems on Tuesday after at
From WisPolitics … — Interest in early, in-person absentee voting surged the most on the first day it was available largely in rural Wisconsin counties that backed Donald Trump in 2020. Still, 12 of the 15 counties that reported fewer
From WisPolitics … — Barack Obama and Tim Walz at a rally in Madison today questioned Donald Trump’s mental competence. Obama pointed to Trump’s two-hour long campaign speeches, saying “you’d be worried if your grandpa was acting like this.” The
From WisPolitics … — U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, has launched her own TV ad paid for by a joint fundraising committee after the FEC deadlocked on a Dem request for guidance seeking to cut off Republican candidates from continuing
From WisPolitics … — Vice President Kamala Harris at a UW-La Crosse rally today charged former President Donald Trump with gaslighting Americans after he referred to the day of the Jan. 6 Capitol attack as a “day of love.” Trump
From WisPolitics … — The state’s top election official today said at least 78 absentee ballot drop boxes are in use across Wisconsin going into Election Day. Wisconsin Elections Commission Administrator Meagan Wolfe on a call with reporters said the
From WisPolitics … — Former President Barack Obama and Tim Walz will be in Madison for a campaign rally on Oct. 22, the first day of in-person absentee voting in Wisconsin. Kamala Harris’ campaign didn’t provide additional details of the
From WisPolitics … — Department of Public Instruction and Milwaukee Public Schools officials today said they expect the district to submit by Thanksgiving its 2022-2023 financial reports, which are overdue since last year. Still, State Superintendent Jill Underly on
From WisPolitics … — Dem VP Kamala Harris and those backing her have spent $74.6 million in ads in Wisconsin since Joe Biden dropped out of the race, while Donald Trump and his supporters dropped $53.1 million, according to AdImpact.
From WisPolitics … — Liberal Justice Jill Karofsky today expressed concerns the state Supreme Court has for too long broadly interpreted governors’ partial veto powers and wondered if Dem Tony Evers’ move to extend school revenue caps for 400 years
From WisPolitics … — Major racial disparities persist between students of color and white students in English language arts, according to statewide test results released by the DPI today. Today’s results for the 2023-24 school year were released after the
From WisPolitics … — State Superintendent Jill Underly today announced she will propose a more than $4 billion boost in state aid to DPI, including raising the special education aid reimbursement rate. The agency sought a $2.5 billion increase during the previous budget cycle, and the Legislature ended up approving
From WisPolitics … — Newly elected Senate President Mary Felzkowski told WisPolitics today she will seek to fill a “void” for members left by the outgoing president, Chris Kapenga. The Tomahawk Republican said in an interview that members have come to her and her staff seeking help on various matters,
From WisPolitics … — Dem U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin is calling on GOP rival Eric Hovde to concede with her campaign saying the “few possible outstanding votes will not change the winner in this race.” Hovde didn’t concede this morning saying in a statement he planned to “continue to monitor
From WisPolitics … — Milwaukee election officials are starting over counting some 31,000 absentee ballots initially fed through tabulators that hadn’t properly been locked, likely adding significant time to the final tally. City spokesperson Jeff Fleming said the 13 tabulators at the central county facility for absentee ballots were zeroed
From WisPolitics … — Dem vice presidential nominee Tim Walz at a rally in La Crosse today said women’s lives are at stake in tomorrow’s presidential election while urging Wisconsinites to cast their ballots for Kamala Harris. Meanwhile, GOP vice presidential nominee JD Vance in the western Wisconsin city said
From WisPolitics … — GOP businessman Eric Hovde’s new TV ad features a closing message that Dem incumbent Tammy Baldwin has “led us down the wrong path.” Hovde’s spot, which began airing today, shows the Madison businessman at a park talking directly to the camera. He opens the ad saying
From WisPolitics … — The Marquette University Law School Poll’s final look at the November election found nip-and-tuck races for president and the U.S. Senate in Wisconsin, with voters having an increasingly negative view on the leading candidates in both contests. The results also came with a warning from poll
From WisPolitics … — The Assembly Democratic Campaign Committee took in $9.3 million during the nearly one-month preelection period, while the Republican Assembly Campaign Committee reported $6.4 million in receipts. It is an escalation of resources compared to the 2022 cycle, when the preelection period was three weeks longer. With
From WisPolitics … — GOP vice presidential nominee JD Vance at a Wausau rally today said people “have to stop getting so offended at every little thing” after a speaker at a Trump-Vance campaign rally called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage.” Meanwhile, Dem vice presidential candidate Tim Walz
From WisPolitics … — The demand for early, in-person voting continued to create slowdowns today with the computer system used to print absentee ballot envelope labels, the Elections Commission says. The commission initially reported computer problems on Tuesday after at least 97,436 people cast absentee ballots in person during the
From WisPolitics … — Interest in early, in-person absentee voting surged the most on the first day it was available largely in rural Wisconsin counties that backed Donald Trump in 2020. Still, 12 of the 15 counties that reported fewer early, in-person votes cast yesterday compared to the first day
From WisPolitics … — Barack Obama and Tim Walz at a rally in Madison today questioned Donald Trump’s mental competence. Obama pointed to Trump’s two-hour long campaign speeches, saying “you’d be worried if your grandpa was acting like this.” The former president said that Kamala Harris, meanwhile, is “ready to
From WisPolitics … — U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, has launched her own TV ad paid for by a joint fundraising committee after the FEC deadlocked on a Dem request for guidance seeking to cut off Republican candidates from continuing to run such spots. GOP U.S. Senate candidates began using
From WisPolitics … — Vice President Kamala Harris at a UW-La Crosse rally today charged former President Donald Trump with gaslighting Americans after he referred to the day of the Jan. 6 Capitol attack as a “day of love.” Trump made the comments while responding to a voter question at
From WisPolitics … — The state’s top election official today said at least 78 absentee ballot drop boxes are in use across Wisconsin going into Election Day. Wisconsin Elections Commission Administrator Meagan Wolfe on a call with reporters said the number may not be comprehensive, noting clerks who opt to
From WisPolitics … — Former President Barack Obama and Tim Walz will be in Madison for a campaign rally on Oct. 22, the first day of in-person absentee voting in Wisconsin. Kamala Harris’ campaign didn’t provide additional details of the stop. A promo of the event noted there will be
From WisPolitics … — Department of Public Instruction and Milwaukee Public Schools officials today said they expect the district to submit by Thanksgiving its 2022-2023 financial reports, which are overdue since last year. Still, State Superintendent Jill Underly on today’s press call said that isn’t a “hard and fast
From WisPolitics … — Dem VP Kamala Harris and those backing her have spent $74.6 million in ads in Wisconsin since Joe Biden dropped out of the race, while Donald Trump and his supporters dropped $53.1 million, according to AdImpact. The report released today is part of a broader look
From WisPolitics … — Liberal Justice Jill Karofsky today expressed concerns the state Supreme Court has for too long broadly interpreted governors’ partial veto powers and wondered if Dem Tony Evers’ move to extend school revenue caps for 400 years is a bridge too far. But Assistant Attorney General Colin
From WisPolitics … — Major racial disparities persist between students of color and white students in English language arts, according to statewide test results released by the DPI today. Today’s results for the 2023-24 school year were released after the Department of Public Instruction came under fire this year for