Capitol Notes

It appears former Republican Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch is going to formally announce her bid for governor on Thursday. She sent a notice to supporters that she’ll make a “special announcement” in Waukesha County.

Sparks flew last week between Interim UW System President and former Republican Gov. Tommy Thompson and GOP leaders in the state Legislature. Republican Sen. Steve Nass, who co-chairs the Rules Committee, threatened to file a lawsuit if Thompson doesn’t first get permission from the panel to enact any COVID-19 mandates on the campuses. Thompson rebuffed Nass' demand.

Longtime Democratic Congressman Ron Kind of La Crosse shocked Wisconsin’s political world last week when he announced he won’t seek reelection next year. In this week’s “Capitol Notes” conversation, WUWM’s Marti Mikkelson asks JR Ross of wispolitics.com what he thinks are the chances of the GOP flipping this seat now that Kind has bowed out.

Democratic state Sen. Chris Larson of Milwaukee has dropped out of the race for U.S. Senate. In this week’s Capitol Notes conversation, Marti Mikkelson asks JR Ross of wispolitics.com if he was surprised by the development.

Democratic Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes has made it official — he’s in the race for Wisconsin’s U.S. Senate seat next November. Barnes has the highest political profile so far and joins a crowded field of Democrats who have either announced they are running or are thinking of running.

Campaign finance reports are out, and they show Republican Sen. Ron Johnson raised more money between April and June than any of the Democrats who would want to run against him. But at least one potential Democratic challenger is close behind. Johnson hasn’t decided yet whether he’ll seek a third term next November.

Democratic Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes is apparently getting closer to deciding whether he’ll run for Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson’s seat next year. Barnes has reportedly begun fundraising for a run, and would join a growing, crowded field of Democrats wanting to take on Johnson in 2022.

Both houses of the Republican-controlled Wisconsin Legislature have approved an $87 billion spending plan for the next two years. Now, it heads to Democratic Gov. Tony Evers. A handful of Democrats in both the Assembly and Senate crossed over and voted with Republicans to approve the plan.

Over the weekend, former President Donald Trump threatened to find people to run against Wisconsin Republican legislative leaders Robin Vos, Devin LeMahieu and Chris Kapenga in Republican primaries next year.

The joint finance committee has wrapped up its work on Wisconsin's next biennial budget and now it’s expected to go to the full Legislature for a vote. Republicans who control the committee finished by proposing a $3.3 billion income and property tax cut.

A group of Republican state lawmakers flew to Arizona over the weekend, to observe the recount of two million ballots that’s taking place in Phoenix.

Gov. Tony Evers made it official over the weekend at the virtual state Democratic convention, he is running for a second term in November of next year. Several Republicans have indicated they’d like to challenge Evers next year, but none more so than former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch.

The list of Democrats who would potentially like to challenge Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson in November of next year is growing. Johnson hasn’t announced yet whether he’ll seek a third term.

Republicans who control the Legislature seem to want no part of Democratic Gov. Tony Evers' special session to expand Medicaid programs in Wisconsin.

In this week’s Capitol Notes conversation, Marti Mikkelson asks JR Ross of wispolitics.com if he thinks Gov. Tony Evers will stop providing the extra $300 in federally-funded unemployment benefits.

Republicans in the Wisconsin Legislature will begin to craft a budget of their own, after they removed nearly 400 policy items from Democratic Gov. Tony Evers' proposed budget. GOP leaders have indicated that their version of the budget may include a tax cut.

In this week’s Capitol Notes, JR Ross of wispolitics.com tells Marti Mikkelson that it’s important for the president and vice president to keep the state on their radar.

Marti Mikkelson and JR Ross of wispolitics.com discuss the possible impact of Go. Tony Evers' new tax incentive deal reached with Foxconn Technology Group.

State Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu told wispolitics.com that for the most part, his caucus doesn’t support legalizing marijuana for either medical or recreational purposes.

While Wisconsin U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson continues to say he is taking his time to decide whether or not to run for a third term in 2022, on Thursday he received the endorsement of former President Donald Trump, if he decides to enter the race.

The stakes are high in the race for Wisconsin’s U.S. Senate seat next year, as Republican incumbent Ron Johnson decides whether to bid for a third term. Milwaukee Bucks Executive Alex Lasry, who is running as a Democrat, says his campaign has raised $1 million since he got into the race in mid-February.

In this week's Capitol Notes conversation, WUWM's Marti Mikkelson speaks with wispolitics.com editor JR Ross about Gov. Tony Evers' approval of a large casino and entertainment complex in Beloit.

As the race for Wisconsin state superintendent heats up, WUWM’s Marti Mikkelson talks with JR Ross of wispolitics.com about what he expects to see moving forward in the race.

Critics again called on him to resign, as they did a few weeks ago when Johnson said the riot at the Capitol “didn’t seem like an armed insurrection” to him. There have been repeated calls for a while for Johnson to step down.

Another hot button issue came up last week before the Wisconsin Legislature.