The midterm election in Wisconsin will take place Nov. 8, 2022. Across the state, individuals will vote on the next governor, lieutenant governor, U.S. senator, attorney general, secretary of state and state treasurer.
The candidates for governor include Democratic incumbent Tony Evers and Republican Tim Michels. Gubernatorial candidates Evers and Michels answered questions about election issues, sharing their stances and plans for addressing these issues if elected.
Diversity in Wisconsin
Since 2010, the population in Wisconsin has increased by 3.6%, according to the 2020 Census. Though white individuals still make up a majority of the population at 80.4%, this number has decreased by 3.4% from 2010.
Minority populations, however, have increased since 2010. In Brown, Winnebago and Outagamie County, three-fourths of the population growth from the past decade can be attributed to Black, Asian, Native American and Hispanic residents, according to Wisconsin Public Radio.
Wisconsin’s diversity index — which measures the amount of diversity in the state — was 37% in 2020, according to the Census.
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Q: As America becomes more diverse and minorities are no longer the minority, how will you make sure we are helping future generations become more culturally aware citizens, especially in a predominantly white state such as Wisconsin? How do you plan on supporting people of different identities across the state?
Evers A: Diversity makes us stronger as a state and that makes us stronger as a nation. We should be welcoming people from other countries. In Wisconsin, we have two or three towns that are now majority minority, some of our smallest towns in the state, so we just have to continue working to make sure they feel comfortable. And also, especially with some folks, provide resources for driver’s licenses, in-state tuition, things like that.
Michels A: The way I was born and raised, and the way I always operated in the army and at Michels [is] I treat everybody the same. I treat everybody with respect equally, and I think that’s what people want. So we’re going to have a better economy in Wisconsin. We’re going to have better education opportunities in Wisconsin. We’re going to have more money in people’s pockets here in Wisconsin and that is what is going to make everybody happy and responsible. Equal opportunity for everybody.
Education
The 2019 National Assessment of Education Progress’ “Nation’s Report Card” revealed that Wisconsin has the worst racial achievement gap of any state.
The 2022 Nation’s Report Card — the first since the pandemic — found that white students scored nearly 37% higher than Black students in fourth-grade math and 22% higher in reading. The difference in fourth-grade math scores exceeded the national average.
According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the gaps in test scores result from various things, including unequal access to opportunities and resources.
Q: Education continues to be an issue of equitable access. The richest counties continue to rank as the top K-12 schools in Wisconsin with those schools producing higher graduation rates as well as other better “measurable outcomes.” How do you plan to address this divide/segregation?
Evers A via an email statement to the Badger Herald: I am committed to closing the achievement gaps in schools. As a former teacher and superintendent, I believe what’s best for our kids is what’s best for our state. All kids deserve access to quality education, which is why I’ve supported increasing funding for our schools and initiatives to close these gaps. I have proposed the Urban Excellence Initiative, which would expand summer school, enhance early childhood education, support community engagement to improve academic achievement and assist principals in the state’s five largest school districts. I’ll also continue to support Wisconsin’s rural school districts through sparsity aid and transportation funding to give rural communities the support they need to deliver high-quality education. We have to make sure when we provide funding for education that no kid gets left behind.
Michels A: I’m gonna treat everybody equally in Wisconsin. I’m gonna treat every student the same, regardless of zip code. Of course, regardless of race and regardless of learning ability, everybody’s gonna get treated the same. Now, the one asterisk on that is I understand learning ability, that there are some special needs students, and they need more specialized education. But what I’m gonna do with universal school choice is gonna raise the tide, which is gonna lift all ships, and there’s gonna be better educational opportunities for all students across the state. The Evers administration is [saying] I want to take all this money from public schools and give it to private schools. That is not the case at all. My administration [is] gonna have more money for education than any government in the history of the state of Wisconsin. I also believe that having the parental ability — [that] their sons and daughters [can] be students at the schools of their choice — that’s gonna be a great motivator, that’s gonna give us greater competition, and I think we’re gonna do a better job of educating all students of Wisconsin.
Climate Change
In recent years, Wisconsin has seen an increase in intense and frequent rainstorms, according to the Department of Natural Resources. These storms can result in flooding, bodily harm and illness, dams breaking and soil erosion, among other consequences.
Changes in temperatures can impact both the survivability and habitat of wildlife, fish and plants in the state, according to the DNR. Wisconsin currently has a fishing industry worth $2 billion a year.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are man-made chemicals known for having water and stain resistant qualities. PFAS enters the human body through drinking water and has been linked to lower birth weights, certain kidney and testicular cancers, immune and reproductive system harm, along with altered hormones.
Voluntary testing of water utilities has found high levels of PFAS contamination in 14 locations across the state, according to Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Q: What are your stances on climate change and how will you address climate change concerns in Wisconsin as increasing temperatures impact plants, wildlife and fish in Wisconsin? How will you address water contamination issues in the state?
Evers A via an email statement to the Badger Herald: I am committed to protecting Wisconsin’s environment, public lands and natural resources while building a strong and healthy future for all. Climate change is real, and it’s one of the biggest issues at home and all around the world. That’s why I’ve created the Governor’s Task Force on Climate Change – which is a diverse, bipartisan coalition of farmers, environmental advocates, Indigenous leaders, utility companies and businesses. I also issued an executive order for Wisconsin to be carbon neutral in electricity generation by 2050 and announced Wisconsin’s first-ever Clean Energy Plan, which will serve as a roadmap for the state’s transition to a strong clean energy economy. As governor, I have prioritized safe drinking water accessibility, even declaring 2019 the Year of Clean Drinking Water because all Wisconsinites deserve access to safe drinking water and clean natural resources. I’m proud to say that Wisconsin has now adopted PFAS standards for drinking and surface water, setting clear guidelines to keep our communities safe for generations to come. I also introduced legislation that would provide funding and state support for communities dealing with PFAS contamination, created the Wisconsin PFAS Action Council and directed funding to communities to voluntarily test for PFAS.
Michels A: The PFAS issue — at Michels, we stand behind all of our work, and I will expect every corporation, every company in Wisconsin to do the right thing — like we do — if they make a mess, they have to clean it up. So, if these companies are gone, they can’t be found because they declared bankruptcy or whatever. Then, I do believe it’s the role of government to step in and put in water infrastructure so that people can have clean, uncontaminated water. It’s one of the most vital things needed in life. So if the corporations did the wrong thing and they can’t be found — if we can find them we’re gonna make them clean up the mess, first of all, even to this very last dollar. If we can’t find them, then I do believe it is a proper role of government to provide clean drinking water for people.
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In the Attorney General race, Democratic incumbent Josh Kaul will be opposing Republican candidate, Eric Toney. Toney and Kaul answered questions regarding polarization and crime in Wisconsin.
Polarization
According to Brown University, a 2020 study found that political polarization in America has increased in the last 40 years — surpassing the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Switzerland, Germany, Sweden, New Zealand and Norway.
Since 1978, negative feelings towards members of the other political party have increased an average of 4.8 points every decade, according to Brown University.
Q: America and consequently Wisconsin has become extremely polarized with the two-party system, with fewer people falling in between. People are now either firmly Democrat or Republican rather than having different viewpoints on different issues – what are your thoughts on this?
Kaul A: I think it’s important for people to find ways to work together wherever they can. One of the things that I’ve done as Attorney General is taking the approach that I will work with anybody to make our communities safer and to try to get results that help Wisconsinites. So for example, with the Sexual Assault Kit issue, we work with Democrats and Republicans to get the law changed to ensure that all kits are submitted to the state crime labs. It’s of course healthy to have debate in our democracy but making sure that we work together where we can and that people recognize at the end of the day, we are all Americans who are committed to democracy and freedom and the success of our country, I think is vitally important.
Toney A: I have bipartisan — Republican, Democrat and Independent — support from sheriffs and district attorneys across Wisconsin. They want an attorney general that’s going to enforce the rule of law, not just their political beliefs on others. That’s why I’m also the president of our bipartisan Wisconsin District Attorneys Association that represents prosecutors across Wisconsin. We need an attorney general that is actually going to enforce the rule of law, not just when they agree. That’s actually what my record is as a district attorney, that’s what I’ll do as our attorney general — we don’t pick and choose when to enforce the law and in this politically charged environment, to have bipartisan support from sheriffs and DAs across Wisconsin, they want a prosecutor and not a politician in our Department of Justice.
Crime
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A Marquette University Law School Poll from August found that Democrats and Republicans have differing top issues of concern with the upcoming election. Crime was the third biggest concern for Republicans at 74%, but the fifth concern for Democrats at 55%.
Compared to 2019, Wisconsin saw an increase in homicides — 321 compared to 187 — and motor vehicle theft — 18,105 compared to 7,432 — in 2021, according to the Department of Justice.
Other crimes remained steady or declined — like arson, burglary and robbery — from 2019 to 2021, according to the DOJ.
There are 20,328 people in Wisconsin prisons as of Oct. 21, 2022, according to the Department of Corrections. Wisconsin has the highest rate of incarceration among Black people in the U.S., with 1 out of every 36 Black Wisconsinites being in prison.
Q: What are you plans to address the increasing crime rate in Wisconsin?
Kaul A: In November of last year, [I] put out a plan called the Safer Wisconsin Plan. It would invest about $115 million in public safety, and that includes investments in community policing officer recruitment, retention and wellness, victim services, mental health programs, violence prevention programs and treatment programs. I think that making those kinds of critical investments will make our communities safer.
I think that there are a number of things we can do that both make the community safer and make our system more equitable. And one good example of that is treatment and diversion programs. If people end up within [the] criminal justice system because of [a] substance use disorder, for example, if that person goes into jail and comes back out shortly after that — without that underlying issues addressed — they’re much more likely to reoffend than if we get people into a treatment program to get them the help that they need and help them get into recovery. So there are a number of steps like that that I think can make our community safer and make our system more equitable.
Toney A: Public safety is my number one priority — to make sure that families are safe, that families are secure, that you can walk to campus and feel safe, that we are putting an end to the historic violence and the drug epidemic that we’re seeing in Wisconsin and fixing the failing crime labs that our attorney general has mismanaged, which was his number one campaign promise. What he had said was he was going to fix our crime labs and specifically attacked our previous attorney general over DNA — from the day it’s received to that day it’s tested — and it was 50 days under Brad Schimel, our prior attorney general’s last year in office. Our current attorney general, as I mentioned earlier, is over 100 days, it’s taken over twice as long and he’s taking in thousands less of those DNA items to test. And so, we need an attorney general that’s going to prioritize public safety, to be our top cop working with law enforcement and community partners to keep our communities and families safe.
The crime labs have the same or more resources that they had under Brad Schimel, but our attorney general is failing to manage our crime labs. I manage an office of prosecutors and support staff working with our law enforcement, and we’re gonna take that same approach to our Department of Justice of providing the great analysts and employees at our crime labs the leadership to improve the [efficiency]. And I’m never going to allow vacant agent investigative positions and prosecutor positions to go unfilled the way our attorney general has allowed that to happen. It’s providing that proper leadership at our Department of Justice and making public safety the priority. We’ve got fantastic employees to work with at our Department of Justice to keep our community safe, and it’s providing the proper leadership, which is failing under our current attorney general. That’s why I’m law enforcement’s choice, where our cops trust me to be our top cop with 83% of our sheriffs, over 100 sheriff, chiefs and DAs, former Dane County sheriff Gary Hamblin has endorsed me, police associations from across Wisconsin, Wisconsin Troopers Association, Wisconsin Fraternal Order of Police know that we need someone that going to be a prosecutor and not a politician leading our Department of Justice.
