Category: Politics
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Gun found in courthouse renews security/cost debate in rural Wisconsin
Several courthouses in the northern part of the state do not regularly screen visitors for weapons, a review by The Badger Project found. Adding scanning machines would cost these counties hundreds of thousands of dollars.
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Deputies driving squads to homes outside Waupaca County are sheriff’s call
The central Wisconsin sheriff’s office has 50 take-home vehicles, nine of which travel beyond the county, Sheriff Tim Wilz says. The take-home policy is excessive and should be reined in, a contender for sheriff says.
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Max donors (so far) to Rep. Derrick Van Orden, Republican of western Wisconsin
The U.S. Ambassador to the Netherlands, a major Silicon Valley billionaire and many others have given Van Orden the maximum donation allowed in this election cycle.
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Max donors (so far) to Rebecca Cooke, Democrat of western Wisconsin
A famous musician, the former CEO of the Green Bay Packers and members of the Soros, Pritzker and Walton families have all given the challenger the maximum allowed by federal law.
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$35 million (so far): Uihleins, Hendricks load up Wisconsin GOP thru loophole
Using a big legal loophole, state Democrats have dominated fundraising recently. This year, its heavy hitters have been vastly outspent by the state’s Republican megadonors.
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$1 million each: Uihleins backing different candidates for NW Wisconsin House seat
Billionaires Dick and Liz Uihlein regularly shower Wisconsin and beyond with huge sums, trying to get Republicans elected. Sometimes they disagree on the candidate.
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How Wisconsin’s ‘sore loser’ law protects the two-party system
In Wisconsin and across most of the country, laws prevent candidates who lose in a primary from running in the general election. That gives the major parties a lot of control over who appears on the ballot.
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Ranked-choice voting in Wisconsin primaries could boost candidates with broader appeal, experts say
Primary elections are administered by the state, and changing how we vote there would require a new law. Many cities and a couple states already use it, but opposition to a change is significant.
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The top 2025 per diem collectors in the Wisconsin State Senate
Two Democrats and three Republicans round out the top five. Senators who live outside Dane County can claim $140 per day they are in Madison on official business.
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The top 2025 per diem collectors in the Wisconsin State Assembly
The youngest Republican legislator in the state claimed the most per diem in 2025. Two DSA members also finished in the top five. Per diems are paid on the honor system, as no checks exist to ensure legislators are working in the Capitol on those days.
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Hendricks gave $25M to MAGA Inc., her largest recorded political donation ever
The March donation from the Beloit billionaire was the biggest the young super PAC has ever received. Many ultrawealthy people got access to the president after making major donations to MAGA Inc.
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Can Hong beat Tiffany? Can Tiffany beat any other Democrat? Experts weigh in.
In what projects to be a good year for Democrats, their leading gubernatorial candidate is scaring some in the party who fear she can’t beat a fierce Trump ally, who has his own weaknesses.
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With ATV crashes up in Wisconsin, some legislators want to strengthen OWI laws. The Tavern League stands in the way.
Alcohol is a common factor in the rising number of off-road vehicle crashes and fatalities reported in Wisconsin. Legislators from both sides want to beef up state OWI laws, arguing that will make the vehicles safer.
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Milwaukee legislator’s long-overdue ambulance bill brings lawsuit, lien from city of Madison
State Rep. Darrin Madison, a two-term Democrat from Milwaukee favored to win reelection this fall, has not paid the $1,600 bill from October 2023, leading to a lien being placed on his property.
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Secretary of State candidate illegally used man serving felony sentence to gather signatures
The man gathered hundreds of signatures to help Cindy Werner, a Republican from Milwaukee, get on the August primary ballot. People serving a felony sentence are ineligible to vote, and anyone gathering signatures must be an eligible voter.
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Milwaukee state legislator sued for defaulting on $6k in credit card debt
A collection agency is suing state Rep. Kalan Haywood II for $5,600 of unpaid credit card debt. His spokesman said the legislator denies having any such debt in collections.
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Your Right to Know: Names of police should be public
A Dane County judge was right to order the release of the names and work histories of all law enforcement officers in the state.
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The top spending Wisconsin lobbying orgs and companies in 2025
DoorDash leads the usual top spenders, including hospitals, realtors and the WMC, amongst many others.