The Bend Theater was the site of a healthy display of American democracy at the local level last week. Six Democratic candidates for Wisconsin governor showed up in one of the state’s reddest counties for a forum to lay out general outlines of their campaigns.
Amidst a wide range of commentary, health costs and access to care got the most attention.
The candidates were given only two to three minutes to put forward their positions on the biggest issues facing Wisconsin. So, by the very nature of the forum only highlights of their platforms were aired in front of crowd of about 200 and a half dozen media reporters. It’s impossible in a column to cover the wide range of commentary from the candidates, but it is possible to expose the highlights from the six Democrats.
Two candidates were missing from the forum: U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, the only Republican in the race, and Joel Brennan, a seventh Democrat. Tiffany has a clear path to the GOP nomination, following the withdrawals of two WOW candidates, Josh Schoemann and Bill Berrien. All three have been Trump loyalists.
The six Democrats were articulate and respectful of each other’s viewpoints, though the campaign will probably get more aggressive and adversarial as the Aug. 11 primary approaches.
Here are highlights that paint the general strategies and positions on where the Democratic Party stands today:
Rising Health Costs Hurting Widely
In the face of an 8.5% projected increase in insurance premiums in 2026, all six politicians pushed for lower costs and better access. State Sen. Kelda Roys, former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez and Rep. Francesca Hong are proponents for allowing Wisconsin individuals and businesses to use a “public option.” That means opening up the health plan that covers state employees to the private sector.
There was also a consensus that Wisconsin should expand BadgerCare, the state’s Medicaid program, to cover more people in the state. Wisconsin Republicans have long stonewalled that expansion because Medicaid is jointly paid for by federal and state governments.
The Democrats also lined up in opposition to just-passed reductions in federal subsidies by the Republican Congress for policies purchased through the Obamacare exchanges.
Barnes pointed to the experience of a constituent whose monthly premium had jumped from $175 to $1600. “That is the norm right now,” he said.
Taxes and Public Spending
David Crowley, former legislator and Milwaukee County executive, called for a Blue Ribbon Commission to look at the big picture of public finance and strategic spending in the state. He said that no such commission has examined the public side of the state’s economy since 1984.
Other Public Programs and Spending
In general, the Democrats supported much higher public funding, including for public education, more affordable child care, better compensation for teachers, more affordable housing and paid leave for new mothers.
Crowley said his county had invested $45 million in affordable housing.
There was a consensus on higher taxes on billionaires as the way to pay for the wide range of public service expansions and additions.
However, economic reality is that high taxes on the rich alone don’t yield enough new revenue to pay for ever-more expanding public programs. Even taking all the money from the likes of Warren Buffet aren’t enough to cover more spending in the trillions.
Broad-based taxes are still necessary for broad public programs.
Response to ICE
Hong took the strongest position by calling for the elimination of ICE. “ICE is not welcome here,” she said.
Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriquez said the ICE operations, including raids against immigrants, are “incompatible for a free society. It’s not about border control. Every day we are less safe and less free,” she said. “We need a governor who will do everything in her power to prevent harm from ICE.”
There was consensus among the six that ICE operations had to be sharply curtailed to protect human rights.
Minimum Wage
Sen. Roys called for a $15 minimum wage, up from $7.50, while aiming at $20 per hour. Hong called for increasing the minimum wage of $2.33 per hour for jobs with tips.
Economic Progress
Missy Hughes, former executive of Organic Valley Cooperative in southwest Wisconsin and secretary of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, came off as the most centrist of the Democratic candidates.
She cited her record of supporting 9500 small businesses across the state. The governor should be able to roll up her sleeves and work with each community in the state to improve their business dynamic as a way of raising wages. (WEDC put $250,000 toward the restoration of the Historic West Bend Theater.)
AI/Data Centers
All six candidates supported stronger regulation of giant AI corporations and their supporting data centers that are exploding across Wisconsin.
Rodriguez called for a regulatory floor that incudes significant community input on the data centers, payment of all the energy costs by the companies and a requirement to send back water they use in better condition.
Barnes added the centers must be “good neighbors.” Hong called for a moratorium on new data centers.
Long and short, the six Democrats had a long list of government programs to enrich the lives of poor and average citizens. Not all will be affordable, but the coming governor campaign will help to sort out which programs are strategic winners.
