WisPolitics.com

With a new conservative justice in place, the WisOpinion Insiders, Jensen & Chvala, debate partisanship and the state Supreme Court.

Sponsored by the Wisconsin Counties Association and Michael Best Strategies.

Some Republican state lawmakers are suing Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul, saying he's not complying with laws passed during a lame-duck session late last year. The laws were designed to limit Kaul's powers, along with those of Democratic Gov. Tony Evers. The GOP has asked the Wisconsin Supreme Court to take the case directly, bypassing the lower courts.

In this week's Capitol Notes conversation, JR Ross of WisPolitics.com tells WUWM's Marti Mikkelson that both sides are commenting on the case.

With two sets of Democratic candidate debates in hand, the WisOpinion Insiders, Chvala and Jensen, consider which presidential hopefuls might win Wisconsin's April 2020 presidential primary.

Sponsored by the Wisconsin Counties Association and Michael Best Strategies.

A couple of Wisconsin politicians weighed in on President Donald Trump’s administration last week, taking starkly different stances on the Republican president’s performance.

Democratic Gov. Tony Evers blasted Trump over immigration policy, while GOP Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner defended Trump on the Mueller investigation.

Another big story of the week was a dispute between Brad Pfaff, secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, and Republicans, including Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald. They sparred on the subject of funding for mental health help for farmers.

Jeff Mayers of WisPolitics.com discusses the top stories of the week in Capitol Notes.

The WisOpinion Insiders, Chvala and Jensen, predict which budget issues will figure in the 2020 legislative elections.

Sponsored by the Wisconsin Counties Association and Michael Best Strategies.

Former Republican Gov. Scott Walker has accepted a full time job, running a national conservative youth organization. He begins the job in 2021, and says he won't run for office in 2022. He had been considering a run for governor or U.S. Senate.

So, which prominent Republicans might be interested in challenging Democrat Tony Evers? WUWM's Marti Mikkelson asked JR Ross of WisPolitics.com in this week's Capitol Notes conversation.

Wisconsin saw a whirlwind of political activity last week, and it was all focused on Milwaukee. President Trump visited Derco Aerospace on the city's northwest side, and urged support of his U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement. He also attended a fundraiser.

At the same time, the Latino civil rights group LULAC sponsored a town hall in downtown Milwaukee that featured several Democratic presidential candidates. Members of LULAC marched through the streets of downtown Milwaukee during the president's visit.

In this week's Capitol Notes conversation, WUWM's Marti Mikkelson asked JR Ross of WisPolitics.com what all the activity says about Wisconsin's importance in next year's presidential election.

This time, the WisOpinion Insiders, Chvala & Jensen, are in agreement: legislative Republicans won the battle of the budget.

Sponsored by the Wisconsin Counties Association and Michael Best Strategies.

After a months-long, bruising fight over the state budget, Gov. Tony Evers signed the document last week.

Republicans who control the Legislature are declaring victory because of the mark they put on the Democratic governor’s spending plan. They stripped his major policy proposals and made other big changes.

But Evers also considers the final document to be a success, according to JR Ross of WisPolitics.com. Evers was able to use his line-item veto power to alter the GOP version of the budget. Ross adds that some of Evers’ other goals were met, too – just not necessarily the way he planned.

“The one thing he didn’t get was the Medicaid expansion. However, Republicans did spend a lot more in state tax dollars to put more money into health care programs, so in a lot of ways he got some things he wanted,” Ross says.

Ross discusses both sides’ take on the final spending plan in this week’s Capitol Notes.

The WisOpinion Insiders, Jensen & Chvala, debate clean water, big dairy, and lead contamination in Milwaukee.

Sponsored by the Wisconsin Counties Association and Michael Best Strategies.