Author: Scott Bauer

The power of an endorsement by former President and convicted felon Donald Trump in battleground Wisconsin will be tested in a race for an open congressional seat in the August 13 primary, when voters also will officially set the field for the state’s closely watched U.S. Senate race. Voters will choose a Democratic candidate to take on a first-term Republican who captured a western Wisconsin congressional district after a generation under Democratic control. Two constitutional amendments passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature that would take power away from the governor also are on the ballot. The election is the state’s...

Unions for public workers and teachers argued on May 28 that their lawsuit seeking to strike down a Wisconsin law, that drew massive protests and made the state the center of a national fight over union rights, should be allowed to proceed. It is the first challenge to the law known as Act 10 since Wisconsin’s Supreme Court flipped to liberal control last year. Dane County Circuit Judge Jacob Frost questioned on May 28 whether there was another remedy to address alleged problems with the law short of striking it down. He did not rule from the bench and...

Milwaukee’s election leader has been ousted by the mayor in a surprise move that comes just six months before Wisconsin’s largest city will be in the spotlight in the presidential swing state. Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson announced on May 6 that he would be replacing Milwaukee Election Commission Executive Director Claire Woodall with her deputy, Paulina Gutierrez. Milwaukee has been at the center of attention in Wisconsin, a state known for close elections and where four of the past six presidential contests have been decided by less than a percentage point. In 2020, former President Donald Trump and others...

Wisconsin voters are set to decide whether to make it unconstitutional to accept private grant money to help administer state elections, one of two Republican-backed ballot measures that Democrats say are meant to make it harder to conduct elections in the presidential battleground state. The constitutional amendments on the state’s April 2 ballot also include a change to allow only election officials designated by law to administer elections. If a majority of voters approve, the amendments would be added to the state’s constitution. Since 2020, Republicans in at least 27 states have outlawed or restricted private elections grants. The...