
Bruce Murphy: Can Democrats win more rural voters?
Ben Wikler was probably the smartest Wisconsin Democratic Party chair in the last 40 years or so. The Democrats had many victories under him. And he was a zealot about campaigning in rural areas.
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Ben Wikler was probably the smartest Wisconsin Democratic Party chair in the last 40 years or so. The Democrats had many victories under him. And he was a zealot about campaigning in rural areas.
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From WisPolitics … — The Joint Finance Committee will meet today for the second time this week in a session that includes the capital budget. Gov. Tony Evers proposed a $4.3 billion plan that included more than $3.8 million in

Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu said early in today’s Senate floor debate Republicans were not attaching funding to various bills on the agenda because the caucus has “no trust” in Gov. Tony Evers’ office. “Quite frankly there’s a trust issue
From WisPolitics … — Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, today confirmed his caucus supports cutting $87 million from the Universities of Wisconsin budget, but “you’ll have to wait and see” whether that happens. “It’s not about cutting money, what it

The Assembly today approved with bipartisan support a bill to create portable benefit accounts for contract employees of companies like DoorDash and Uber, despite some Dems’ concerns it wouldn’t do enough to protect those workers’ rights. AB 269 passed 56-36 in the

In this week’s Capitol Chats episode, Rep. Christian Phelps, D-Eau Claire, says the 60% special education reimbursement Gov. Tony Evers is proposing should be a minimum, instead of the current 30% rate.
TOP STORIES JFC GOP vote to add new prosecutors, but won’t replace expiring federal funds$ARP$ funds that paid for about 29 prosecutor jobs are set to expire in July [Evers budget refunded expiring gigs] … would add 42 prosecutor positions
From WisPolitics … — The Assembly today is set to take up a variety of bills, including a plan to create a new certification for advanced practice registered nurses and a measure aiming to help gig workers. Under AB 257,
From WisPolitics … — Attorney General Josh Kaul today hailed the state Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling finding the Legislature can’t oversee civil enforcement actions or cases the state Department of Justice brings at the request of executive branch agencies. The
… Please log in to access subscriber content. If you don’t have a subscription, please contact schmies@wispolitics.com for subscription options on the WisPolitics-State Affairs platform, which is the new home for WisPolitics subscriber products.
TOP STORIES Wisconsin Supreme Court unanimously sides with AG on power to settle some lawsuitsCase challenged part of lame-duck law passed by GOP-controlled state Legislature … concluded that the attorney general should have authority over resolving lawsuits if those lawsuits
From WisPolitics … — The Joint Finance Committee gets back to work on the 2025-27 state budget today with votes on the Universities of Wisconsin and the Department of Corrections. UW had asked for $855 million in new aid, but
From WisPolitics … — U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin was on a list of dozens of state and federal officials compiled by a man who shot and killed a Minnesota lawmaker and her husband over the weekend, her office confirmed to

Ben Wikler was probably the smartest Wisconsin Democratic Party chair in the last 40 years or so. The Democrats had many victories under him. And he was a zealot about campaigning in rural areas.
… Please log in to access subscriber content. If you don’t have a subscription, please contact schmies@wispolitics.com for subscription options on the WisPolitics-State Affairs platform, which is the new home for WisPolitics subscriber products. Username or E-mail Password * Remember Me Forgot Password
… Please log in to access subscriber content. If you don’t have a subscription, please contact schmies@wispolitics.com for subscription options on the WisPolitics-State Affairs platform, which is the new home for WisPolitics subscriber products.
… Please log in to access subscriber content. If you don’t have a subscription, please contact schmies@wispolitics.com for subscription options on the WisPolitics-State Affairs platform, which is the new home for WisPolitics subscriber products.
… Please log in to access subscriber content. If you don’t have a subscription, please contact schmies@wispolitics.com for subscription options on the WisPolitics-State Affairs platform, which is the new home for WisPolitics subscriber products.
… Please log in to access subscriber content. If you don’t have a subscription, please contact schmies@wispolitics.com for subscription options on the WisPolitics-State Affairs platform, which is the new home for WisPolitics subscriber products.
… Please log in to access subscriber content. If you don’t have a subscription, please contact schmies@wispolitics.com for subscription options on the WisPolitics-State Affairs platform, which is the new home for WisPolitics subscriber products.
… Please log in to access subscriber content. If you don’t have a subscription, please contact schmies@wispolitics.com for subscription options on the WisPolitics-State Affairs platform, which is the new home for WisPolitics subscriber products.
From WisPolitics … — The Joint Finance Committee will meet today for the second time this week in a session that includes the capital budget. Gov. Tony Evers proposed a $4.3 billion plan that included more than $3.8 million in new bonding. The Building Commission deadlocked on Evers’ proposal in

Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu said early in today’s Senate floor debate Republicans were not attaching funding to various bills on the agenda because the caucus has “no trust” in Gov. Tony Evers’ office. “Quite frankly there’s a trust issue between our caucus and the East Wing,” the Oostburg Republican
From WisPolitics … — Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, today confirmed his caucus supports cutting $87 million from the Universities of Wisconsin budget, but “you’ll have to wait and see” whether that happens. “It’s not about cutting money, what it is is about getting some kind of reform to the

The Assembly today approved with bipartisan support a bill to create portable benefit accounts for contract employees of companies like DoorDash and Uber, despite some Dems’ concerns it wouldn’t do enough to protect those workers’ rights. AB 269 passed 56-36 in the Assembly, with four Democrats joining Republicans in support. Three Dems

In this week’s Capitol Chats episode, Rep. Christian Phelps, D-Eau Claire, says the 60% special education reimbursement Gov. Tony Evers is proposing should be a minimum, instead of the current 30% rate.
TOP STORIES JFC GOP vote to add new prosecutors, but won’t replace expiring federal funds$ARP$ funds that paid for about 29 prosecutor jobs are set to expire in July [Evers budget refunded expiring gigs] … would add 42 prosecutor positions in 23 counties [Brown 7, Waukesha 6], Most others on
From WisPolitics … — The Assembly today is set to take up a variety of bills, including a plan to create a new certification for advanced practice registered nurses and a measure aiming to help gig workers. Under AB 257, APRNs, with the exception of certified nurse-midwives, would be required
From WisPolitics … — Attorney General Josh Kaul today hailed the state Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling finding the Legislature can’t oversee civil enforcement actions or cases the state Department of Justice brings at the request of executive branch agencies. The court, which has a 4-3 liberal majority, ruled in favor
… Please log in to access subscriber content. If you don’t have a subscription, please contact schmies@wispolitics.com for subscription options on the WisPolitics-State Affairs platform, which is the new home for WisPolitics subscriber products.
TOP STORIES Wisconsin Supreme Court unanimously sides with AG on power to settle some lawsuitsCase challenged part of lame-duck law passed by GOP-controlled state Legislature … concluded that the attorney general should have authority over resolving lawsuits if those lawsuits have to do with “core executive powers.” … “The settlement
From WisPolitics … — The Joint Finance Committee gets back to work on the 2025-27 state budget today with votes on the Universities of Wisconsin and the Department of Corrections. UW had asked for $855 million in new aid, but GOP legislative leaders have balked at the request. Meanwhile, Dem
From WisPolitics … — U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin was on a list of dozens of state and federal officials compiled by a man who shot and killed a Minnesota lawmaker and her husband over the weekend, her office confirmed to WisPolitics today. Baldwin spokesperson Eli Rosen in a statement said