Governor’s race
Tom Barrett (Democrat)
Current mayor of Milwaukee
Advocates spending cuts through his “Put Madison on a Diet” program to reduce budget deficit
Will increase funding for K-12 education by using income levels to determine state funding, not just property values
Supports the high-speed rail project as a way to spur long-term economic growth
Scott Walker (Republican)
Current Milwaukee County executive
Won state GOP endorsement with over 91 percent of the vote
Vehemently opposed to the so-called “boondoggle” of a high speed rail project
Wants state workers to pay into their own pensions and allow school districts to buy into state health care to save money
Mark Neumann (Republican)
Wants to hold schools and students accountable for yearly progress
*Plans to allow home owners to pay no property taxes in 2011, if they promise to pay property taxes every month in 2012
Strong supporter of the Second Amendment and voted to repeal assault weapons ban
Claims his reduced spending plan will reduce taxes by 24 percent over eight years
Senate race
Ron Johnson (Republican)
Won state GOP endorsement less than one week after entering race
Wants to bring control of schools back to the local level and reform the No Child Left Behind Act
Plans to reduce and simplify taxes and regulations to encourage business growth
Dave Westlake (Republican)
Strong proponent of gun rights
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Wants to bring all education decisions down to the state and local level and believes there is no role for the Department of Education in the federal government
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Believes strongly in the Constitution and carries a copy with him at all times
Russ Feingold (Democrat)
Wants to return to a focus on the fundamentals in education, such reading, writing, science and math
Voted for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
Introduced the Control Spending Now Act into the Senate and claims it will reduce deficit by $500 billion in 10 years
Lieutenant Governor’s race
Spencer Coggs (Democrat)
Current Wisconsin state senator
Has worked to help unemployed and under-employed reenter the work force
Tom Nelson (Democrat)
Endorsed by Rep. David Obey, D-Wis.
Believes investments in job training programs and infrastructure projects will help economy grow
Henry Sanders (Democrat)
Biggest priority will be creating new jobs
James Schneider (Democrat)
Believes “green” should be the driving force for Wisconsin’s economic future
Brett Davis (Republican)
Endorsed by former Gov. Tommy Thompson
Advocate of school choice and eliminating Milwaukee Public School’s residency requirement
Rebecca Kleefisch (Republican)
Wants merit pay for teachers and to break the Milwaukee Public School system into more manageable districts
Robert Gerald Lorge (Republican)
Advocates budget cuts, tax cuts and tax credits
Dave Ross (Republican)
Supports both “open carry” and “conceal and carry” gun laws
Nick Voegeli (Republican)
Believes personal experience as CPA will help him balance budget