Wisconsin governor's 400-year veto angers opponents in state with long history of creative cuts
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Eversโ partial veto that attempts to lock in a school funding increase for 400 years drew outrage and surprise from his political opponents.
Wisconsin election clerks race to understand ballot ruling
Wisconsin's 1,800-plus election clerks are racing to understand a judgeโs ruling nine weeks before the election that some fear could lead to absentee ballots being counted in some parts of the battleground state but rejected in others.
Minneapolis teacher contract race language ignites firestorm
When Minneapolis teachers settled a 14-day strike earlier this year, they celebrated a groundbreaking provision in their new contract that was meant to shield teachers of color from traditional seniority-based layoffs.
What to watch in Wis., 3 other states in Tuesday's primaries
The Republican matchup in the Wisconsin gubernatorial race in Tuesday's primary elections features competing candidates endorsed by former President Donald Trump and his estranged vice president, Mike Pence.
Dems look ahead to Barnes in fall race against Ron Johnson
Support has coalesced around Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes to be the Democratic choice to take on Republican Sen. Ron Johnson in the state's closely watched U.S. Senate race.
Pence touts Wisconsin GOP governor candidate Kleefisch
Former Vice President Mike Pence is campaigning with his pick in battleground Wisconsinโs Republican gubernatorial primary, calling Rebecca Kleefisch โa proven conservativeโ as she faces an opponent endorsed by Donald Trump.
Republican Michels launches campaign for Wisconsin governor
Republican Tim Michels, a multimillionaire construction company co-owner who last ran for office nearly two decades ago, has launched his campaign for governor in Wisconsin.
Supreme Court rejects appeal over press access in Wisconsin
The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from a conservative think tank over Wisconsin Gov. Tony Eversโ decision to exclude the groupโs writers from press briefings.
GOP targets Wisconsin elections system, nonpartisan director
Wisconsin Republicans are working to discredit the bipartisan system they created to run elections in the state after President Joe Biden narrowly won last year's presidential race.
IIHF meets to review Olympic eligibility of Chinese players
The International Ice Hockey Federation council held a call to review the eligibility of Chinese men's national team players for the upcoming Winter Olympics in Beijing.
![Democrats could change 'weaponized' California recall system](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/yTEw3tAczEZHo-isNmNUHOuA3Cg=/800x533/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/LANWGJMR6BC6FIBBLS2W7ZL2OU.jpg)
Democrats could change 'weaponized' California recall system
Hours after California Gov. Gavin Newsom beat back a recall election that could have removed him, his fellow Democrats in the state Legislature said they will seek changes to make it more difficult to challenge a sitting governor.
![Family seeks 2nd chance at charging officer in man's death](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/QMqxs52g9uNNIRC--wP8KpJ60Q8=/800x533/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/HYXQZ6NRYNCTVHWGQJ5XLC4PUM.jpg)
Family seeks 2nd chance at charging officer in man's death
A Wisconsin judge will decide whether probable cause exists to file charges against a police officer who killed a man sitting in a parked car using a rarely invoked legal process.
![Democratic Wisconsin Gov. Evers launches bid for second term](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/XDhsGGPCejJokgam7hCnrnBna5A=/800x533/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65):fill(FFF)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/W34RLE3HPVFJRBYZUMUGLLX6WY.jpg)
Democratic Wisconsin Gov. Evers launches bid for second term
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers is making it official, announcing his bid for a second term in the battleground state where he stands as a Democratic block to the Republican-controlled state Legislature.
![Foxconn deal with Wisconsin lowers tax breaks to $80 million](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/-yHYsaDwbyKXSicYpvsy6kj8i20=/800x533/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/XFOOQ57YP5EOPNN7DBM7XWJKUY.jpg)
Foxconn deal with Wisconsin lowers tax breaks to $80 million
Foxconn Technology Group will qualify for up to $80 million in state tax incentives under a new contract that downsizes the scale of credits as the size of the envisioned manufacturing facility has also shrunk.
![Trump's heir? Pence reemerges, lays groundwork for 2024 run](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/aAMU8h0FpDKq85Z1LjKGP3nNEG8=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/SG27DLVMWRFCHCDGFD64NBE5Q4.jpg)
Trump's heir? Pence reemerges, lays groundwork for 2024 run
FILE - In this Jan. 20, 2021, file photo, former Vice President Mike Pence and his wife Karen walk from the plane to greet supporters after arriving back in his hometown of Columbus, Ind. Conspicuously absent from the list: Mike Pence. The former vice president is steadily reentering public life as he eyes a potential run for the White House in 2024. AdโObviously Mike Pence has a very different persona, a very different tone. The anger at Pence took a dangerously personal turn on Jan. 6 when rioters paraded through the Capitol chanting โHang Mike Penceโ as a mob outside set up a makeshift gallows.
![Foxconn mulls making electric vehicles at Wisconsin plant](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/FqVHGpPx6I0dRW4_d3UJxR2jRIw=/1600x1158/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/HOGVRIFZK5CLZH3SGSPFJ4EELE.jpg)
Foxconn mulls making electric vehicles at Wisconsin plant
Foxconn Chairman Young Liu speaks in a press conference in Taipei, Taiwan on Tuesday, March 16, 2021. Foxconn Technology Group, the world's largest electronics manufacturer, is looking at making electric vehicles in its highly anticipated and controversial Wisconsin plant that has been scaled back since its announcement in 2017, the company's chairman said Tuesday. (AP Photo/Johnson Lai)TAIPEI โ Foxconn Technology Group, the world's largest electronics manufacturer, is considering making electric vehicles at its highly anticipated Wisconsin plant that has been scaled back since its announcement in 2017, the company's chairman said Tuesday. The decision will be between whether to go to Mexico or the U.S. for manufacturing electric vehicles, Foxconn Chairman Young Liu said at a news conference in Taipei, Taiwan's capital. The Wisconsin project was scaled back after Foxconn initially signed a contract with the state of Wisconsin under then-Gov.
![Wisconsin hunters exceed wolf target by nearly 100 animals](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/N3FZDAcxM25OUi0zeMvnvVnX5YA=/1600x1348/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/QNR3DM3MG5H5HEZAJ6PWETI3XQ.jpg)
Wisconsin hunters exceed wolf target by nearly 100 animals
Nontribal hunters and trappers registered 216 wolves as of Thursday afternoon, blowing past the state's kill target of 119. The wolf season began Monday and was supposed to run through Sunday, but the DNR shut it down Wednesday afternoon as it became clear hunters would exceed the target. Hunters and trappers also exceeded their kill targets in the three previous wolf seasons but never by more than 10 animals. The state sold 1,547 permits, which equates to 13 hunters or trappers per wolf in the target number, the highest ratio of any wolf season so far. Animal advocates have been urging the state to move quickly on reintroduction, but state officials say they want to move slowly.
![Trump returns to spotlight in trial โ but not on his terms](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/Oe2IcIix8hafyw2qk0M07J2DOsc=/1600x900/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/BWLLKCST7BEINBFKK3TH74MTB4.jpg)
Trump returns to spotlight in trial โ but not on his terms
More than three weeks removed from the White House, Donald Trump's voice is again permeating the nation's capital โ but not on his terms. AdStill, he argued that if Trump had access to Twitter, he would likely dig himself deeper into trouble. But Trump was quickly snapped out of that disengagement Tuesday as he watched the trial's opening arguments unfold. Trump's team and allies have assured him that he has more than enough Republican votes to acquit him of the Democratsโ charge that he incited the insurrection on Jan. 6. Trump is not expected to make any changes to his team, though David Schoen is expected to take the central role.
![Longtime Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Abrahamson dies](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/5let_eR1lJDMWgJke4Onuznn4MM=/1600x1089/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/7BYK4KVNAVCLPNZPIKINVOREZQ.jpg)
Longtime Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Abrahamson dies
FILE- In this Nov. 11, 2013 file photo, Wisconsin Supreme Court chief justice Shirley Abrahamson questions state attorney general J.B. Van Hollen, at the state Capitol in Madison, Wis. Abrahamson, the longest-serving Wisconsin Supreme Court justice in state history and the first woman to serve on the high court, has died. King /Wisconsin State Journal via AP, Pool, File)MADISON, Wis. โ Shirley Abrahamson, the longest-serving Wisconsin Supreme Court justice in state history and the first woman to serve on the high court, has died. Abrahamson, who also served as chief justice for a record 19 years, died Saturday after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, her son Dan Abrahamson told The Associated Press on Sunday. The voter-approved amendment enabled members of the court to choose the chief justice โ who oversees the state court system โ instead of requiring the title go to the most senior justice. Justice Patience Roggensack has served as chief justice since then.
![Biden shores up fragile 'blue wall' in industrial north](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/GaNeHSnEDTKV0In4Ohz5njLptvU=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/S6PRQVZNJ5AXFF4O4RSN35SXWU.jpg)
Biden shores up fragile 'blue wall' in industrial north
โItโs a mistake to ever have thought Wisconsin was a safely blue state,โ said state Democratic Chairman Ben Wikler. To reverse Clinton's losses in the โblue wallโ states, Biden benefited from both strong suburban turnout and in the urban centers of Philadelphia, Detroit and Milwaukee. Even in losing Republican-heavy Waukesha County, Wisconsin, Biden's suburban gains were part of his winning Wisconsin formula. Trump also lost Saginaw County, Michigan, a struggling former General Motors supply manufacturing county Obama carried before the president flipped. But we're still a manufacturing economy and nearly stagnant in our growth,โ Erie County Democratic Party Chairman Jim Wertz said.
![Biden narrowly wins Wisconsin; Trump to call for a recount](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/syAUKtJU7nDD4iLMVK_YlDzHWYQ=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/C4QPRCZ6GNHRZFRFWZCRP6JDZM.jpg)
Biden narrowly wins Wisconsin; Trump to call for a recount
(AP Photo/Stephen Groves)MADISON, Wis. โ Democrat Joe Biden narrowly won battleground state Wisconsin on Wednesday, edging out President Donald Trump in a state that was crucial to the incumbentโs victory four years ago. The last presidential recount, done in 2016, cost Green Party candidate Jill Stein $3.5 million. In the recount of the 2016 presidential race, the state elections commission ordered on Nov. 29 that the recount begin on Dec. 1. In the Wisconsin recount, Democrat Hillary Clinton gained 713 votes while Trump picked up 844, widening his lead by 131 votes. There were several reasons why some ballots were counted or not during the 2016 recount, said Scott McDonnel, the Dane County clerk, on Wednesday.
![Beyond November: At GOP convention, there's a 2024 subplot](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/GzRnqT5hU3YaOWi1X42z1RQwYsk=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/KPBGGCTZO5AP7PO5IO7YGVGGYM.jpg)
Beyond November: At GOP convention, there's a 2024 subplot
WASHINGTON Republicans this week are focused squarely on their convention's star, President Donald Trump, and securing his reelection in November. Theres a lot happening behind the scenes already," said Republican strategist Alex Conant, who worked for the 2016 campaign of Florida Sen. Marco Rubio. Also allotted time slots: Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Florida Sen. Rick Scott and Donald Trump Jr. "Theres others out there, but nobody else is even close in that stratosphere.Much will depend on whether Trump secures a second term. In her convention speech Monday night, Haley gave an unabashed endorsement of the president while spending time introducing herself to viewers.
![Pelosi tells fellow Democrats 'it's all riding on Wisconsin'](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/Kj5F3nCa5-LWpag8JdoJDdINUek=/1600x900/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/MSVC5MKJ4BGVDCTTUF3KS6BQGQ.jpg)
Pelosi tells fellow Democrats 'it's all riding on Wisconsin'
MADISON, Wis. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former Attorney General Eric Holder delivered a stark reminder to Wisconsin Democrats on Thursday about the importance the battleground state plays in the presidential election less than 11 weeks away. No pressure, its all riding on Wisconsin, Pelosi told more than 100 Democrats during a virtual meeting tied to the final day of the Democratic National Convention. No pressure.Democrats, as well as President Donald Trump, have made no secret how essential winning Wisconsin is to the race this year. Wisconsin did not get the national attention it hoped for when the Democratic convention originally planned for Milwaukee moved online. The road to the presidency runs through Wisconsin, said Holder, who was attorney general under former President Barack Obama.
![Why choice of running mate matters more than usual this year](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/Cu6uKUeHtE4GALBQXzhFbCPjBSk=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/XRT3QJRHTNBBJJRJGJNTB7JAPI.jpg)
Why choice of running mate matters more than usual this year
More fundamentally, the choice offers Biden an unusual opportunity to unify a party still reeling from Trump's 2016 win and solidify its future. While he promised months ago to pick a woman, the nation's reckoning with systemic racism has added pressure to pick a Black woman. There is a strong belief that after only a brief focus on Biden's running mate, the election would quickly return to being a referendum on Trump's presidency, which may be all the motivation Democrats need to drive massive turnout in November. โIt would be a reckless choice to pick a white running mate with a party thatโs as dependent on black and brown voters as it is,โ said Aimee Allison of She the People, a political advocacy network for women of color. Sarah Palin might be the most recent example of a running mate swaying an election.
![2020 Watch: Does Trump have a strategy to win in November?](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/bAxgXvELDOpf2OjJkMtCDEdKPbA=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/NCNPZIY2WVCXBI735SR2HT7R7U.jpg)
2020 Watch: Does Trump have a strategy to win in November?
FILE - In this Jan. 9, 2020, file photo, President Donald Trump points as he arrives to speak at a campaign rally, in Toledo, Ohio. Multiple polls suggest that a majority of voters, including many Republicans, simply don't believe what Trump says about the pandemic. Meanwhile, Trump also refused to say whether he would accept the results of the general election. Scott Walker, the former Wisconsin governor and a Trump ally, tells us that he sees no clear strategy coming from the Trump campaign. ___2020 Watch runs every Monday and provides a look at the week ahead in the 2020 election.
![Biden eyes GOP supporters while Trump focuses on his base](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/d7c2Afsmgf_jaQGbckK-2FOoE-o=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/J5LJUSDKGBGQ7AKVVE7T7SLORU.jpg)
Biden eyes GOP supporters while Trump focuses on his base
FILE - In this June 20, 2020, file photo President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally in Tulsa, Okla., Saturday, June 20, 2020. As the closing stretch of the campaign nears, that effort will expand to include Republicans disaffected with President Donald Trump. At the least, she said GOP backers could help mute Trumps efforts to paint Biden as a tool of the left. But Walker said he has no clear sense of Trump's campaign message or political strategy. Acknowledging concerns about his campaign, Trump named veteran GOP operative Bill Stepien as his new campaign manager.
![Democrats warn against overconfidence in fight against Trump](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/Rb9V4FJoCogNMZah_5nol6TxyKM=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/IYOM6U2FDJE2HJNU3MXZTWXCE4.jpg)
Democrats warn against overconfidence in fight against Trump
Biden and his leading supporters are stepping up warnings to Democrats to avoid becoming complacent. If the election were held today, I think Biden would win Michigan, said Michigan Rep. Debbie Dingell. Four years ago, Hillary Clinton was leading by wide margins nationally and in Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania -- the very states that ultimately put Trump over the top. Still, in Biden, Trump faces an opponent with a stronger standing among some groups of voters, especially independents, than Clinton had. While Trump animates the left, Dingell warned that Democrats havent closed the deal with alienated moderates and can unwittingly help Trump expand his white base.
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Joe Biden turns focus to Wisconsin with battle-tested hires
Wisconsin, where Trump won by fewer than 23,000 votes in 2016, joins newly emerging battleground Arizona as the first two states where Biden has named his campaign team. Two veterans of Sen. Tammy Baldwins successful 2018 reelection campaign will run Bidens Wisconsin operation. Shirley Ellis, a longtime adviser to U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore, will join Biden team as a strategic adviser focused on Milwaukee. She will join Bidens campaign formally after the August convention, according to the campaign. The Wisconsin team, especially, is intended to show that the Biden campaigns talk of a wide map isnt at the exclusion of traditional battlegrounds.
!['It's broken:' Fears grow about strength of US voting system](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/-vaBz7hgy3tv9MayPgDrKX3muS8=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/MAA5RN7X4BF2JOVZU6VRJ34UQQ.jpg)
'It's broken:' Fears grow about strength of US voting system
A person waits in line to vote in the Georgia's primary election at Park Tavern on Tuesday, June 9, 2020, in Atlanta. President Donald Trump is also fighting states' plans to expand voting by mail, raising repeated concerns with no evidence about voter fraud. Beyond lines, the mail voting boom has caused unprecedented reporting delays. Scott Walker, a Republican, said he's confident in the state's voting system and blames any issues on the incompetence of municipal election officials. Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, a Republican, said he's working to ensure Ohio has adequate poll workers.
![Wisconsin again? Swing state a hotbed of virus politics](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/NwYkT0SceIwkBV7wE5mrGo2izMY=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/LRVWLMLXOBC4BAGFHXCSXIXZEE.jpg)
Wisconsin again? Swing state a hotbed of virus politics
Now, six months before a presidential election, the state is on fire again some might say still. Now, six months before a presidential election, the state is on fire again. Scott Walker, perhaps the figure most closely associated with Wisconsin's political turbulence. But only in Wisconsin have Republicans gotten what they wanted, suddenly taking ownership of the state's coronavirus response and, with it, new political risk. By November, a significant fraction of Wisconsinites might be close to someone who has been hospitalized or even died because of coronavirus, Wisconsin Democratic Party Chairman Ben Wikler said.