Capitol Notes
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There's never a shortage of political news in Wisconsin, from the governor's office to the Legislature to the state's elected officials in Washington, DC. Join WUWM host Maayan Silver and Wispolitics.com editor JR Ross as they highlight and provide context to the latest developments.
WUWM
There's never a shortage of political news in Wisconsin, from the governor's office to the Legislature to the state's elected officials in Washington, DC. Join WUWM host Maayan Silver and Wispolitics.com editor JR Ross as they highlight and provide context to the latest developments.
WUWM
Legislators in the GOP-led Joint Finance Committee are working to get a budget…
The GOP-controlled Joint Finance Committee is putting its stamp on the state…
The U.S. House passed a reconciliation bill in May. The U.S. Senate is taking…
Have you been thinking about how Wisconsin's going to pay for stuff, like…
What does a Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling upholding the governor's ability to…
Supporters of conservative-backed Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Brad…
Susan Crawford won the state supreme court race by nine percentage points. JR…
Hear about the donors, issues, ads and comments affecting Wisconsin's race that…
A look at the latest in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race, the race for…
On April 1, 2025 voters will go to the polls for yet another election for…
On this special edition of "Capitol Notes," learn about Season 2 of WUWM's…
This week, WUWM asks JR Ross how President Trump and Elon Musk's efforts to…
Republican President Donald Trump has signed a flurry of executive orders in…
Republicans want the electorate to weigh in on whether voter ID should be added…
This episode of Capitol Notes examines the future of Wisconsin's Act 10 law…
Some are thankful for what could be an interesting fight over reducing state…
“The signs were there:” Post-results analysis from JR Ross of WisPolitics.com…
We're in the thick of "worry season" — aka a big election — and while…
It's "worry season" for both parties, says JR Ross, editor of WisPolitics.com.…
JR Ross, brings us up to date, less than 30 days before the election.
A Team Trump bus is coming, Kamala Harris was just here, GOTV efforts are…
RFK Jr. left the race and is asking to be taken off the ballot in Wisconsin;…
Before there can be a presidential election this November, there are disputes…
This week's Capitol Notes is all about Tuesday's partisan primary and the…
From now-official Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's speech to the…
Delegates will officially nominate former President Donald Trump as the GOP's…
Tune in for a preview of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin's state convention…
It's the 34 convictions heard around the country. Or in some cases, muted. This…
Wisconsin Republicans hope to drum up the base at their state convention in…
What do protests on Wisconsin campuses mean for Wisconsin Democrats, and how…
On this special edition of Capitol Notes, learn about a new politics podcast…
Millions of dollars in state funding to clean up groundwater contamination are…
Do you want to know about the candidates for U.S. Senate in Wisconsin, what…
JR Ross, editor of WisPolitics.com gives the big picture on the upcoming…
Lawyers for former President Donald Trump and ten Wisconsin Republicans who…
Wisconsin's Ethics Commission referred former President Trump's joint…
Last week brought developments in the redistricting lawsuit in the state…
Divided Republican lawmakers attempt a referendum on an abortion ban and don't…
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Racine County) is in the thick of state political…
JR Ross of WisPolitics has been making a list of political stories to watch in…
Stories and people from Milwaukee were part of many big state stories in 2023.
Seven unions representing teachers and other public workers in Wisconsin have…
Wisconsin's state supreme court takes up a lawsuit that could affect how state…
Three important political stories in Wisconsin right now involve the courts,…
Freshman Wisconsin U.S. Representative Derrick Van Orden is likely to have a…
A new week brings new efforts to challenge the state's nonpartisan top…
Hear the latest on the GOP Brewers' stadium proposal and their "Iowa-style"…
Weeks into Justice Janet Protasiewicz's tenure as a state Supreme Court…
This Tuesday, the State Senate has scheduled votes to confirm or reject top…
Within a week of liberals taking control of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, law…
Liberal-backed State Supreme Court justice Janet Protasiewicz gets sworn into…
This week's Capitol Notes looks at taxes: Milwaukee's vote to raise sales taxes…
JR Ross, of WisPolitics.com, looks at how Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers might apply…
After baseless complaints of fraud by former President Donald Trump and a…
This week's Capitol Notes digs into the partisan discord over the state's…
Milwaukee is facing a fiscal cliff in 2025. What will the state government do…
It's all things budget and shared revenue in the Wisconsin state capitol as…
The end of April has been busy for state legislators, the Assembly and State…
This week's Capitol Notes looks at GOP attempts in the state Legislature to…
With the Supreme Court election over, JR Ross guides us through other big…
What is staggering spending telling us about the Wisconsin Supreme Court race?…
This week's Capitol Notes looks into Republican calls for a special election…
JR Ross, editor of WisPolitics.com explains why abortion law developments have…
Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and GOP Legislative leaders are pitching alternate…
Spending in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race is through the roof. JR Ross,…
Turnout, money and messaging, it's all at play in the Wisconsin Supreme Court…
Ahead of Election Day Tuesday, JR Ross, editor of WisPolitics.com lays out what…
Gov. Evers will unveil his full two-year spending plan to the GOP-controlled…
The ads buys are getting bigger in some key races ahead of voters going to the…
WisPolitics.com Editor JR Ross has his watchful eye on the Supreme Court race…
Mid-January doldrums? WisPolitics.com Editor JR Ross says not at the State…
Wisconsin voters may have some state constitutional amendments to consider this…
WisPolitics.com Editor JR Ross analyzes Tuesday's speeches and gets out the…
After Tuesday's swearing-in, comes the intrigue of speeches and future…
JR Ross, of WisPolitics.com, recaps the 2022 elections and the 2022 probe of…
State agencies and some members of the public are making their wish list for…
Plus, there are major changes in Wisconsin GOP leadership and in the race for…
Four candidates are now running for Wisconsin Supreme Court. JR Ross takes a…
River Hills GOP Sen. Alberta Darling leaves the legislature this week,…
State Rep. Janel Brandtjen (R-Menomonee Falls) and GOP Chairman Paul Farrow are…
GOP proposals for abortion restrictions and school vouchers may be headed for…
In this bonus edition of Capitol Notes, JR Ross looks at Tuesday night's…
This final Capitol Notes before the midterm elections looks into what to…
A former president visits Milwaukee, and current candidates fan out across the…
JR Ross of Wispolitics.com sorts out in-person absentee voting and why so many…
WisPolitics.com editor JR looks at recent developments in Wisconsin elections…
JR Ross, editor of WisPolitics.com, analyzes what's at stake for the candidates…
Five weeks ahead of Wisconsin's midterms, there are lawsuits over absentee…
We dive into how the candidates for Wisconsin governor are faring financially,…
In negative attack ads, incumbent GOP U.S. Senator Ron Johnson attempts to…
JR Ross, editor of WisPolitics.com, explains how the Wisconsin governor's race…
JR Ross, editor of WisPolitics.com, weighs in on President Joe Biden's order on…
JR Ross of WisPolitics.com addresses the week's big political news from the…
The primary is over, what's next? This week's Capitol Notes breaks down what to…
The Democratic U.S. Senate primary may have fizzled out, but the Republican…
WUWM speaks with the president of WisPolitics.com, Jeff Mayers, about…
This week's Capitol Notes takes on the debate between GOP candidates for…
On return of Capitol Notes this midterm election year, we hear about Sunday…
In this week’s Capitol Notes conversation, WUWM’s Marti Mikkelson asked JR Ross…
The latest Marquette Law School Poll shows the incumbents in Wisconsin’s most…
Former Republican Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, who has formally announced she is…
A nonpartisan audit of the 2020 presidential election in Wisconsin has turned…
Former President Donald Trump shook up the Wisconsin governor’s race over the…
There’s been a whirlwind of developments in former State Supreme Court Justice…
The investigation into the 2020 presidential election in Wisconsin is heating…
Republican state lawmakers have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to throw out a…
Former Wisconsin Commerce Secretary Bill McCoshen has decided not to seek the…
Former state Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman wants the Wisconsin…
It appears former Republican Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch is going to formally…
Sparks flew last week between Interim UW System President and former Republican…
Longtime Democratic Congressman Ron Kind of La Crosse shocked Wisconsin’s…
Democratic state Sen. Chris Larson of Milwaukee has dropped out of the race for…
Democratic Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes has made it official — he’s in the race for…
Campaign finance reports are out, and they show Republican Sen. Ron Johnson…
Democratic Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes is apparently getting closer to deciding…
Both houses of the Republican-controlled Wisconsin Legislature have approved an…
Over the weekend, former President Donald Trump threatened to find people to…
The joint finance committee has wrapped up its work on Wisconsin's next…
A group of Republican state lawmakers flew to Arizona over the weekend, to…
Gov. Tony Evers made it official over the weekend at the virtual state…
The list of Democrats who would potentially like to challenge Republican U.S.…
Republicans who control the Legislature seem to want no part of Democratic Gov.…
In this week’s Capitol Notes conversation, Marti Mikkelson asks JR Ross of…
Republicans in the Wisconsin Legislature will begin to craft a budget of their…
In this week’s Capitol Notes, JR Ross of wispolitics.com tells Marti Mikkelson…
Marti Mikkelson and JR Ross of wispolitics.com discuss the possible impact of…
State Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu told wispolitics.com that for the…
While Wisconsin U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson continues to say he is taking his time to…
The stakes are high in the race for Wisconsin’s U.S. Senate seat next year, as…
In this week's Capitol Notes conversation, WUWM's Marti Mikkelson speaks with…
As the race for Wisconsin state superintendent heats up, WUWM’s Marti Mikkelson…
Critics again called on him to resign, as they did a few weeks ago when Johnson…
Another hot button issue came up last week before the Wisconsin Legislature.
A big name came up last week as a possible candidate for Republican U.S Sen.…
Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson has been making national headlines. Last week,…
On Tuesday night, Joe Biden will make one of his first official trips as…
Democratic Gov. Tony Evers is set to unveil his biennial budget proposal next…
Last week saw a lot of activity in the Republican-controlled state Legislature.…
Republicans in the state Legislature have introduced a resolution to nullify…
Wisconsin’s Congress members broke along party lines last week when the House…
In this week’s Capitol Notes conversation, we look ahead to the political…
In this week’s Capitol Notes conversation, we’re going to look back at the top…
Newly elected Republican state Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu says he…
The Wisconsin Supreme Court is expected to issue a decision Monday on whether…
It’s shaping up to be another busy week for the Wisconsin courts. The state…
Milwaukee and Dane counties have finished their presidential recounts. It turns…
The presidential recount in Milwaukee and Dane counties is entering its fourth…
Democratic Gov. Tony Evers says he’ll introduce a coronavirus relief package…
With Democrat Joe Biden the president-elect, President Donald Trump is still…
A number of media outlets are declaring Democrat Joe Biden the winner of…
Tuesday is Election Day. In addition to the presidential race, Wisconsin’s…
President Trump worked in another visit to Wisconsin over the weekend. He drew…
The number of coronavirus cases and hospitalizations in Wisconsin continues to…
President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence are resuming in-person campaign…
President Trump’s COVID-19 diagnosis late last week thwarted the Republican's…
President Trump has announced his Supreme Court pick to replace liberal Justice…
Democratic Gov. Tony Evers has essentially fired Wisconsin Department of…
At least two major party candidates are heading to Wisconsin again this week.…
Last week saw historic visits to Wisconsin from President Trump and Democratic…
President Trump is expected to visit Kenosha Tuesday, nine days after the…
The mostly virtual Democratic National Convention is behind us now. Even though…
Monday marks the start of the long-awaited Democratic National Convention. The…
Voters will go to the polls on Tuesday to cast ballots for the August partisan…
Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ statewide mask requirement took effect over the…
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers has directed state agencies to slash $250 million…
Vice President Mike Pence was in the battleground state of Wisconsin last week,…
The Wisconsin Republican Party held its annual state convention over the…
A federal appeals court panel has upheld some voting restrictions in Wisconsin…
President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence made separate stops in…
Former Republican Gov. Tommy Thompson is back in the public eye. The Board of…
The Democratic Party of Wisconsin held its annual state convention on Friday…
Protests continue across much of Wisconsin, after George Floyd died at the…
Department of Workforce Development Secretary Caleb Frostman testified before a…
A group of Wisconsin residents filed a federal lawsuit late last week…
The conservative Wisconsin Supreme Court overturned Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’…
The Wisconsin Supreme Court is expected to decide soon whether to overturn Gov.…
The Wisconsin Supreme Court has agreed to hear a lawsuit brought by Republicans…
Police estimate that 1,500 people rallied at the State Capitol on Friday,…
Gov. Tony Evers has extended his safer-at-home order to May 26 due to fears…
The results of Wisconsin’s presidential primary, state Supreme Court race, and…
Wisconsin appears to be moving ahead with Election Day on Tuesday, April 7,…
Gov. Tony Evers and the Republican-controlled Legislature are still working on…
It was another week of major changes in lifestyle and in the workplace because…
The Democratic Party of Wisconsin has taken some dramatic steps to curb the…
Wisconsin's presidential primary will be held next month. When voters go to the…
It appears the Republican-controlled state Legislature is unwilling to enact…
The Republican-controlled state Legislature has passed a $250 million income…
The Republican-controlled state Assembly has passed a slew of tough-on-crime…
Gov. Tony Evers wants the Republican-controlled Legislature to spend a chunk of…
Republican Vice President Mike Pence apparently went where no other sitting…
Gov. Tony Evers is calling lawmakers into special session to pass a package of…
The voter purge case took some more turns last week. An Ozaukee County judge…
Republican and Democratic leaders met at the State Capitol last week to place…
For this week's Capitol Notes, we look ahead to the political stories that'll…
For this week's Capitol Notes, we examine the top political stories of the…
Foxconn is back in the news, with questions about whether it will qualify for…
The Wisconsin National Guard's top commander recently agreed to resign after a…
Concerns about school safety rocked Wisconsin last week. In both Waukesha and…
Results of the latest Marquette poll raised some eyebrows last week. It shows…
Last week saw a war of words at the State Capitol, at least on Democratic Gov.…
The Republican-controlled state Legislature last week essentially ignored…
Democrats at the State Capitol introduced yet another marijuana bill last week.…
State Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald joined the chorus of rebukes last…
The unprecedented powers of the Wisconsin governor went under a microscope last…
The Republican-controlled state Legislature got back into full swing last week,…
Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson is supporting President Trump in light of an…
House Democrats have launched an impeachment inquiry into Republican President…
Lawmakers at the State Capitol introduced a bill last week that would legalize…
A standoff persists between Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul and…
Longtime Wisconsin Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner says he won't seek reelection…
Republican Congressman Sean Duffy announced last week that he is stepping down…
Democratic Gov. Tony Evers doubled down on talk of gun control last week. He…
Mass shootings in Texas and Ohio drew a response again last week at the…
Talk of gun control surfaced in the State Capitol last week after mass…
Some Republican state lawmakers are suing Democratic Attorney General Josh…
A couple of Wisconsin politicians weighed in on President Donald Trump’s…
Former Republican Gov. Scott Walker has accepted a full time job, running a…
Wisconsin saw a whirlwind of political activity last week, and it was all…
After a months-long, bruising fight over the state budget, Gov. Tony Evers…
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled last week that it's not the place of the federal…
The Wisconsin Joint Finance Committee's version of the state budget is…
The Joint Finance committee wrapped up its work on Democratic Gov. Tony Evers'…
The Republican-controlled Joint Finance committee last week approved a funding…
Thousands of Democrats descended on Milwaukee over the weekend for the party's…
The Republican-controlled Joint Finance committee last week continued its work…
State Republicans held their annual convention this past weekend in Oshkosh,…
Republicans on the Joint Finance committee last week stripped many of Gov. Tony…
Gov. Tony Evers last week sought to clarify some comments he made about…
Gov. Tony Evers announced last week that he wants to renegotiate the state's…
The results of the state Supreme Court race were finalized last week when…
The Wisconsin Supreme Court election made headlines last week, with a race too…
News about the lame-duck laws approved in December dominated the headlines…
It was a wild ride at the State Capitol last week, as a Dane County judge…
After months of anticipation, Milwaukee was chosen last week as the site of the…
We've been talking about Democratic Gov. Tony Evers' proposed biennial state…
Gov. Tony Evers delivered his budget address late last week to rousing applause…
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said last week he gives Democratic Gov. Tony Evers'…
The Republican-controlled Legislature passed a middle class tax cut last week.…
The Republican-controlled legislature is moving ahead with its plan for a…
There was a lot of drama last week involving Foxconn. The Taiwanese electronics…
Gov. Tony Evers raised eyebrows last week when he announced in his first State…
New Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, is locking horns with Republicans in…
New Gov. Tony Evers got some help last week when a coalition of liberal-leaning…
Today is Inauguration Day in Wisconsin, and Tony Evers will be sworn-in as…
In this New Year's edition of "Capitol Notes," we look ahead to the stories…
For our "Capitol Notes" conversation today, we're going to examine the year in…
Often, political news slows as the holidays approach. But that hasn't been the…
Republican Gov. Scott Walker signed the lame-duck bills into law late last…
The legislative lame duck session dominated the news last week. The…
Republicans who control the Wisconsin Legislature released plans late Friday…
Last week saw more fallout from the Nov. 6 election. Republican Attorney…
Gov. Scott Walker avoided the public eye in the week following the election, in…
Update Nov. 16
Last week, Tony Evers cleared a huge hurdle, winning the race for governor. But…
Gov. Scott Walker conceded to Democratic challenger Tony Evers Wednesday after…
After weeks of attack ads and mailings, the candidates for Wisconsin governor…
Gov. Scott Walker and his Democratic challenger Tony Evers squared off for…
Gov. Scott Walker and his Democratic challenger Tony Evers, traded barbs in…
Last week saw two debates between Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin and…
After a bitter fight that culminated in sexual assault accusations and an FBI…
The Kavanaugh hearings took center stage last week in Washington, and both…
The candidates for governor traded more barbs last week. State School…
Gov. Scott Walker is imploring state senators to return to the capitol, and…
Last week, we saw Republican Gov. Scott Walker inserting himself into the…
Some heavy hitters are beginning to appear in Wisconsin on behalf of the…
The underlying theme of the midterm elections this fall is how voters feel…
It’s been less than a week since the fall primary elections and already…
Republican Gov. Scott Walker will face state School Superintendent Tony Evers…
Tuesday is Wisconsin's fall primary election. Among the races on the ballot is…
The Wisconsin governor's race is starting to draw broader attention. Some…
Wisconsin voters had a chance last week to vet the Republican candidates for…
Gov. Scott Walker spent much of last week trying to downplay some photos that…
The eight Democrats vying for the chance to take on Gov. Walker this fall…
Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin's campaign could get a shot in the arm, as…
The Foxconn groundbreaking last week on Foxconn's huge LCD screen factory in…
After months of anticipation, groundbreaking will be held Thursday on the huge…
A group led by former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder worked to elect…
Voters in De Pere, WI will select a new state senator Tuesday. Meanwhile,…
The August primary elections are coming up quickly. Yet there's still no…
Hundreds of delegates are expected to gather in Oshkosh this weekend for the…
The slate of candidates is set in special elections for two vacant seats in the…
After weeks of suspense, U.S. Senate hopeful Leah Vukmir won the endorsement…
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Kevin Nicholson caused a stir last week, when…
The contest between the Republicans hoping to unseat Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy…
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett raised many eyebrows last week when he said he's…
Speculation is swirling over who'll run for Paul Ryan's seat -- now that the…
The U.S. Senate race between Republican state Sen. Leah Vukmir and Delafield…
It was a wild week at the State Capitol, as Gov. Walker scrambled to get a…
After much hand-wringing, President Trump last week announced tariffs on steel…
Gov. Scott Walker says he opposes President Trump's idea to arm teachers.…
JR Ross of Wispolitics.com talks about developments in Madison each Monday with…
The state Senate could soon take up a sweeping welfare overhaul package. The…
Gov. Scott Walker continues to plug away in tax breaks for Wisconsin families.…
Some Republican lawmakers want to revive the I-94 east-west project in…
Gov. Scott Walker used last week's State of the State address to boast about…
Gov. Walker made headlines last week when he called for a special session to…
State lawmakers are holding a flurry of committee hearings this month, as they…
State corrections officials are busy working on plans for shuttering two…
For this edition of Capitol Notes, we look ahead to the big Wisconsin political…
For our Capitol Notes conversation today -- we examine the year in politics.…
The year is winding down, and so is activity at the State Capitol. Lawmakers…
A lot of people are wondering about House Speaker Paul Ryan's future, after…
Sexual harassment claims became public last week, regarding Democratic state…
Leaders in the state Assembly -- from both parties -- stated last week that…
The 2018 governor's race continues to take shape. Democrats are still entering…
Wisconsin U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson broke with fellow Republican lawmakers last…
The state agency tasked with overseeing the huge Foxconn incentives package is…
Wisconsin's troubled juvenile prison, Lincoln Hills, keeps making headlines.…
The race for governor is more than a year away. But, the field of Democratic…
Gov. Scott Walker had been expecting Foxconn officials to sign a deal with the…
Gov. Scott Walker signed two huge pieces of legislation into law last week --…
Gov. Scott Walker will sign the huge Foxconn incentives package in Racine…
Capitol Notes: DEI on the ballot in Wisconsin
January 26, 202616min 30sec
The Wisconsin GOP-led Legislature wants to put a constitutional amendment before voters that would change the state government's approach to diversity, equity and inclusion.