By Wisconsin Public Radio
Nicknames, especially those aimed at opponents, have long been a part of politics, but with the campaign and presidency of Donald Trump, they are experiencing somewhat of a renaissance, and Wisconsin is certainly not immune. The 2018 governor's race is...
Just like Wisconsin Republicans did last month, state Democrats held their party convention this past weekend in Oshkosh. But instead of two U.S. Senate hopefuls sparring, 10 — count them! — 10 candidates for governor were trying to seize the...
As the wise and wonderful internet never fails to show us, different people can look or listen to the exact same thing and come away hearing or seeing something totally different. The same could be said when it comes to...
Lady Laurel White of WPR's Capitol Bureau unspools the tale of her journey to the magical land of Milwaukee, where state Republicans convened, declaring their loyalties, vying for the glory to carry their party's banner and rallying their spirits to...
This week U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan declined to make an endorsement in the Democratic primary contest for Wisconsin governor, saying instead that he'd take on the role of peacekeeper, stepping in if any attacks between fellow party members. For his...
It's time for a special in-the-field edition of the WPRPP's semi-regular segment "About That Thing We Said," where we take a look back at topics we've talked about in past episodes and see how things have changed. Also included: America's...
Promises were at the center of the news this week in Wisconsin politics — promises about money, promises made about the next four years, promises that were broken or not, depending which litigant you ask. Also: Dionne Warwick and imaginary...
Back in November 2016, we did an episode of the podcast talking about how the southeastern brand of Wisconsin Republicanism seemed to be on the upswing. Reince Priebus was White House chief of staff, Scott Walker was starting his tenure...
Despite what anyone says, it's impossible to tell if a blue wave is building for the November elections until ballots are counted in November. But that doesn't stop pundits, pollsters and politicians from both sides of the aisle predicting an...
Wisconsin's judiciary — the third branch of state government that quietly goes about its business while the governor and Legislature loudly engage in politics. One might almost forget it's there, until you have a week like this where politicians and...
Adjournments, deal-making, extraordinary sessions. County judge rulings on special elections. Will Wisconsin's legislative season ever come to an end? Or will lawmakers keep returning again and again? This week the podcast tries to get a hand on the end of...
Next week, the Wisconsin Senate calendar includes a request from Gov. Scott Walker for $6.8 million to expand an advertising campaign to lure Midwest millennials to Wisconsin. It's already being tested in the Chicago area with adds on public transportation...
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and his caucus are standing firm that they are done voting for the legislative session. Meanwhile, Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald and his Senate colleagues are still working and have a stack of more than 200 bills...
When you're running in a Democratic primary race for governor that's nine people deep (or 17, depending how you count,) it can be a challenge to stand out from the crowd. So what can you do? Promise to end school...
Sometimes when you're putting together a podcast about state politics, you find you can't just focus on one story. You might have one story about gun control that's just beginning, another about a state official that seems to be finally...
In a legislature controlled by one party, procedural action generally tends to follow a pattern. The minority party introduces legislation even though they know it has little chance of passing. The majority party dismisses it and pursues their agenda. But...
The end of Wisconsin's legislative session is near and that means CHAOS! With so many bills to consider and such little time to vote, lawmakers and journalists are left running ragged, trying to keep everything everything straight.
The prospect of bringing toll roads to Wisconsin has been a contentious subject for quite some time. Even with one party in control of all corners of the state Capitol, the most recent budget process included plenty of debate on...
To quote the immortal words of rock legend David Bowie: "Changes." A pair of prominent candidates in major 2018 Wisconsin races, U.S. Senate hopeful Kevin Nicholson and GOP Gov. Scott Walker, have drawn attention lately for changes they've made in...
Some things you don't see every day — like a determined effort by state senators to oust the leaders of Wisconsin's elections and ethics commissions or a candidate for the officially nonpartisan state Supreme Court attack his hosts and the...
It may only be January, but that doesn't mean it's not to early to speculate wildly about the potential for a partisan wave in the November general election. Does an unexpected Democratic win this week in a western Wisconsin Senate...
This week, Gov. Scott Walker's administration rolled out a marketing campaign aimed at luring young professionals to Wisconsin, relying heavily on rosy images of Madison. Also this week, Madison Mayor Paul Soglin announced his bid to run for Walker's job,...
What does it take to get blacklisted from your own political clique; to get ousted from the cool kids table? This week's political news saw a widening rift between President Donald Trump and his former senior advisor Steve Bannon, an...
It's time to get stoked for a super rad edition of the WPR Politics Podcast's periodic look back at all the developing stories and wild speculation that we were totally wrong about in past episodes. And what's even radder? We're...
The field of candidates for governor and U.S. Senate is always changing it seems. This week, we run through all the candidates the only way that makes sense: While walking through a winter wonderland, chopping down a tree.
The investigation into the investigation known in Wisconsin as John Doe 2 sounds complicated on the surface, but the podcast has you covered. Get to know Doe!
Legal fights, administrative rule making, jostling for political leverage in the 2018 Wisconsin gubernatorial race, letters, judges, prom dates ... yeah, it's complicated!
The budgetary turkey has already been roasted and dressed with a tax incentives package for Foxconn, but there are still plenty of legislative leftovers for Wisconsin lawmakers to chow down on before the end of the session sometime early next...
Some of the most significant political news in the last week or so had nothing to do with Wisconsin. Allegations surfaced about a heavily favored Republican U.S. Senate candidate in Alabama that he made unwanted sexual advances toward minors decades...
We the people, in order to form a more perfect podcast, discuss two historic documents this week: Wisconsin's Foxconn contract and the United States's Constitution. Put on your best powdered wig and give it a listen.
Some weeks the stream of political news is swollen but reporters have to keep on rollin'. This week on the podcast, we take those important Wisconsin political stories and rope 'em, throw, and brand 'em to help you understand them.
Are you ready to be scared to your very core? Brace yourselves for the WPR Politics Podcast Friday Night Zombiepocalypse: Wisconsin Political Stories That Just ... Won't ... Die!
Say you're looking for a new wood splitter or a bottle of perfume; Maybe a laser eye surgeon or a U.S. senator. But you're just not sure which to choose. Why not ask a famous person what they'd prefer and...
While most people in Wisconsin don't care about football at all and usually forget that there is an NFL team that plays in the greater Appleton metropolitan area, we at the podcast felt that given the recent political debate surrounding...
WPR's very own Capitol Bureau Chief Shawn Johnson spent much of the past week in the nation's capital, taking in the monuments, museum hopping and, in his bit of spare time, covering a landmark redistricting case from Wisconsin in the...
It's been a few months since our last semi-regular look back at all of the politics stories that have changed since we podcasted about them. On this episode of ATTWS, we hear about Wisconsin's upcoming SCOTUS showdown, some text message...
Old Man Shawn Johnson is away this week so it's our chance to crank up some hip-hop and talk about the governor's budgetary vetoes. If you're having fiscal problems, I feel bad for you son...
The WPR Politics Podcast is a year old. And oh has it been a wild ride. We planned to mark the occasion kicking back on the terrace with a pitcher of brewskies, the state budget finally in the rearview mirror....
After months of anticipation, social media teasers and personal feuds laid bare by the media, it's here. But it's not what everybody was hoping for. Some think it's great, while others think it's a step in the exact wrong direction....
A litmus test isn't just those little strips of paper you use to test the pH of lemon juice and soapy water (and let's be honest, your spit) during elementary school science class. It's also a somewhat clumsy metaphor used...
The Wisconsin state Assembly made quick work of the $3 billion incentives package to bring a Foxconn factory to the state, passing legislation in committee Monday and in the full chamber Thursday. By all accounts, a deal of this magnitude...
State lawmakers are working on an incentive package for Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Foxconn, and everything about it is big, from the manufacturing campus the company wants to build to the tax credits Republicans want to pass. What does the Foxconn...
With the state three weeks past its deadline for a new budget, Republicans controlling the various levers of state government still haven't come to an agreement on how to proceed. The governor, Assembly speaker and Senate majority leader all seem...
It may be summer of 2017 but it's not too early to be thinking about the 2018 Wisconsin governor's race. There are plenty of people out there that can already see themselves behind that desk — some of whom are...
For most Wisconsinites who don't follow state budget negotiations all that closely, the status of transportation funding negotiations Friday probably seemed pretty similar to where things stood last week and the week before that. But for those who do pay...
Politicians seem to love setting deadlines. Many times they're completely arbitrary. And often they get completely ignored. Take this week for example: Republicans in the Wisconsin Legislature blew past their June 30 fiscal year-end deadline to pass a new biennial...
When covering Wisconsin politics is your job, it's easy to start feeling like the state is the center of the news universe. But are our legislative sessions, elections or controversies any more significant than what goes on in any other...
With news developing as it does in 2017 — i.e. at a face-melting pace, with little to no discernible pattern — it's helpful for journalists to stop for a bit of self-reflection from time to time. That's why this week...
Not all legislative committees are created equal. In Wisconsin, the Joint Finance Committee is top of the pack. Not only do they get to control the purse strings and weigh in on most all budgetary matters, they get to have...
President Donald Trump gets all the attention when it comes to political Twitter use but at this point, government all the way down to the state and local level is saturated with social media as a means to spread a...