MADISON, Wis. -- Yesterday, during stops in Milwaukee, Chilton, Stevens Point, and Holmen, Gov. Tony Evers announced that he has delivered on his promise to invest $110 million in federal funds to Wisconsin’s school districts.

That’s a $133.72 increase in per pupil funding delivered directly to every single school district in Wisconsin. This funding will allow schools to hire additional educators and staff, provide more educational and extracurricular opportunities, invest in mental health supports, buy art supplies or computers, or keep the lights on — whatever each school needs to do what’s best for our kids.

For Gov. Evers, a strong education system is the key foundation for a vibrant Wisconsin. A former science teacher, principal, district superintendent, and Superintendent of Public Instruction, Gov. Evers has long said that what’s best for our kids is what’s best for our state. 

Gov. Evers’ student-first education policies stand in stark contrast to Scott Walker and Rebecca Kleefisch’s radical cuts to education. During his first term, Gov. Evers has increased funding for public schools, stood with teachers and students throughout the pandemic while Republican legislators sat out of session for 300 days, and supported Wisconsin’s vibrant universities and technical colleges.

Gov. Evers continues to clean up the previous administration’s neglect of Wisconsin public schools. In 2011, Walker and Kleefisch passed a budget that cut public education funding by $800 million, and in 2015, their budget failed to increase K-12 funding and slashed the University of Wisconsin’s funding by $250 million. Walker and Kleefisch also supported legislation that attacked educators and led to a historic teacher shortage. 

See below for a roundup of coverage on Gov. Evers delivering on his promises. 

Channel 3000: Evers follows through on promise to give Wisconsin schools $110 million in federal aid

WISN: Gov. Tony Evers delivers $110M in COVID-19 funds to Wisconsin schools

Fox 6: Wisconsin invests $110M in kids, schools via federal COVID relief funds

TMJ4: Gov. Evers announces $110 million in additional education spending

CBS 58: Gov. Evers announces $110 million of federal coronavirus relief funds will go to Wisconsin schools

WKBT: Evers announces $110 million education investment

WKBT: Watch: Gov. Evers talks education in Holmen

WLUK: Evers directs $110 million in COVID relief to schools

WFRV: Gov. Evers visits Chilton school, touts $110M headed to schools statewide

WMTV: Over $100 million in COVID-19 funds going to state schools

WKOW: Gov. Evers announces $110 million in new funding for Wisconsin schools

WPR: Gov. Evers announces $110M in additional funding for schools

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Gov. Tony Evers directs $110 million in pandemic relief funds to Wisconsin school districts, with $9 million going to MPS alone

Wisconsin Examiner: Gov. Evers announces $110 million for Wisconsin schools

Tomahawk Leader: Evers directs federal coronavirus relief funding to state schools; Tomahawk to receive $152,000.00

Wisconsin State Journal: Madison School District to receive more than $3.5 million in federal funds

MADISON, Wis. -- Today, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers vetoed the GOP’s partisan redistricting plan, defending our democracy and right to vote in a free and fair election. Wisconsin’s GOP-controlled legislature passed rigged maps, in an attempt to cement their legislative majorities for another decade.

Wisconsinites overwhelmingly support nonpartisan redistricting. Over the last several years, 55 Wisconsin counties, representing nearly 83 percent of Wisconsin residents, have either held referendum votes or have had resolutions approved by a county board supporting nonpartisan redistricting.

Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Ben Wikler released the following statement:

“With Governor Evers’s veto, the Republican attempt to re-gerrymander our state and thwart our democracy has slammed into a brick wall. Governor Tony Evers has demonstrated once more that he is the last line of defense against anti-democratic attacks. Republican legislators in Wisconsin have lost sight of how a democracy works — voters are supposed to choose their elected officials, not the other way around. The process of drawing legislative maps should be fair, transparent, and nonpartisan, but as we’ve seen, Republicans will stop at nothing to hold onto power.

“We’re still paying the price for last decade’s rigged Republican maps, which were drawn behind closed doors by GOP politicians without any public input. Ever since the people of Wisconsin elected Governor Eversin 2018, Republican legislators have used their gerrymandered majorities to block and obstruct the people’s agenda — and at times have not even shown up to their jobs as legislators.

“A decade of life in Wisconsin under Republican gerrymandering has made clear that it’s time that Wisconsin receives the fair maps it deserves. Gov. Evers vetoed these bills because he is committed to fair maps that are crafted transparently — not maps created by political insiders and lobbyists that allow Republicans to maintain their gerrymandered grip on Wisconsin.”

MADISON, Wis. -- Wednesday, Gov. Tony Evers traveled across Wisconsin to announce $15 million in grants to local tourism organizations as the Badger State’s tourism and entertainment industries continue to rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Thanks to Gov. Evers, 120 destination marketing organizations from every corner of the state are receiving grants that will help them attract more visitors to explore all that Wisconsin has to offer.

Wisconsin’s tourism industry contributes over $17 billion to the state’s economy, and a new report released last week showed the industry is experiencing a strong economic rebound. Gov. Evers’ continued investment in Wisconsin tourism and bold action to respond to the pandemic is spurring economic growth and ensuring that Wisconsin’s tourism and entertainment industries bounce back stronger than ever before.

See below for a roundup of coverage on Gov. Evers’ tourism investments. 

Oshkosh Northwestern: Oshkosh, Fox Cities convention and visitors bureaus get $1.1 million in state destination marketing grants

Milwaukee Business Journal: Wisconsin Gov. Evers awards Rescue Act funds for tourism, including $1M to Visit Milwaukee

Eau Claire Leader-Telegram: In Eau Claire stop, Gov. Evers announces tourism grant

Racine County Eye: Real Racine Receives State Destination Marketing Grant

Channel 3000: Gov. Evers hails tourism rebound, announces local investments

WKBT: La Crosse County Convention & Visitors Bureau gets $451,500 grant among $15 million statewide

WLAX: “Visit Eau Claire” receives tourism grant

WEAU: Gov. Evers announces $15 million in tourism grants

WAOW: Governor Evers awards $140 million in grants to tourism industry

WSAU: Evers Uses Statewide Tour to Announce $15 Million in Tourism Grants

WQOW: Gov. Evers awards grants to local tourism organizations

WBAY: Area tourism organizations receive $15 million in grant

Uses his Veto Pen as last line of defense against Republican legislative overreach.

MADISON, Wis. -- During his first term, Governor Evers has been the last line of defense against Republican attempts to take Wisconsin backward by passing egregious legislation. From attacks on voting rights and reproductive freedom to attempts to slow down federal aid to businesses, the GOP’s agenda for Wisconsin would deeply hurt our state, underscoring the importance of re-electing Governor Evers in 2022.

GOP gubernatorial candidate Rebecca Kleefisch has said she will sign voter suppression legislation, called for wasting taxpayer dollars on sham election reviews, and refused to rule out overturning the results of a democratic election should she not like the outcome.

Read more about how Governor Evers has protected our state from harmful legislation below.

UpNorthNews: Voting Rights, COVID Safety, and Abortion: Evers Has Vetoed Numerous Harmful Bills

One year from now, Wisconsin voters will have chosen to either re-elect Democratic Gov. Tony Evers or elect his Republican opponent, currently expected to be former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch.

As legislative Republicans move forward with their proposed gerrymandered maps, entrenching their advantage in the Assembly and Senate, the governor’s race will mean the difference between having a balance of power between the parties in a decidedly purple state and allowing Republicans to run the state unchecked.

As the Democratic governor to a Republican-led statehouse, one of Evers’ powers has been the veto pen, blocking legislation that would have exacerbated the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic—especially on the un- or under-employed—made voting more difficult, and restricted abortion rights.

But with control of all three branches of state government in Wisconsin, what would be Wisconsin Republicans’ priorities? And what would they push through if unhindered?

While Kleefisch has not provided a plan for how to guide the state through the ongoing pandemic and doesn’t even mention COVID-19 on her campaign website or her priorities for the state under the 1848 Project, she spoke before an anti-vaccine organization before coming down with COVID-19 herself, and has said that she does not support vaccine or masking requirements, despite their effectiveness with reducing the spread of COVID-19.

The priorities she does list include funding charter schools, pushing back against police reform, and so-called election security, a phrase legislative Republicans have used to justify legislation that would make it harder for lawful voters to access the ballot box. Kleefisch has also said she would sign a Texas-style “heartbeat” abortion restriction and declined to say whether she would sign a bill allowing the Legislature to overturn elections.

[...]

Republican Priorities

The first legislation out of the gate in the 2021-22 legislative session was the COVID-19 package put forward during the winter 2020 special session. After 300 days of inaction in the Statehouse chambers and a litany of lawsuits against public health measures, Assembly Republicans unveiled a COVID-19 relief package that was short on relief and loaded with mandates, punitive measures, and requirements that public workers return to offices despite the obvious dangers.Senate Republicans reached a compromise with Evers, but it was shot down by Assembly Republicans. Even after weeks of negotiations, and a veto, Evers said the bills that were finally passed fell well short of expectations and the need across the state.

Legislators then introduced some of the toxic provisions from the first bill—such as micromanaging federal COVID-19 relief funds, banning private workplaces from setting vaccine requirements (against the protests of healthcare facilities), banning public health officials from setting safety requirements at houses of worship, and requiring public employees to stop working from home—as separate bills that Evers then vetoed.

The next big priority for statehouse Republicans was so-called election reform. Based on the “Big Lie” that former President Donald Trump actually won the 2020 election, legislative Republicans followed suit with their counterparts around the country and rolled out several bills that would limit ballot access or result in more ballots being disqualified.

Several of them would have set limits on absentee ballots: how people could receive them, how they could return them (particularly limiting municipalities to one ballot drop box), and prohibiting clerks from making corrections on addresses so ballots wouldn’t be thrown out. Disability advocates in particular argued the bills would limit their community from exercising their right to vote.

Evers stated publicly that he would veto any bill that restricts voter access, but Republican lawmakers still passed several restrictive bills. Evers followed through and vetoed them.

[...]

Legislative Republicans have introduced bills to limit abortion access as well. They have not made their way to Evers’ desk, but are moving along through the legislative chambers. Four of them are almost exact copies of four bills that Evers vetoed in 2019.

MADISON, Wis. -- With exactly 365 days until Election Day, the Democratic Party of Wisconsin is celebrating a successful 1Year2Win Weekend of Action, with more than a thousand volunteers, surrogates, and organizers reaching out to voters in every corner of the state to ensure we defeat Ron Johnson, re-elect Gov Evers and Attorney General Kaul, and grow Democratic strength down-ballot.

Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Ben Wikler issued the following statement:

“This weekend, Democrats across Wisconsin reached out to more than 100,000 voters to grow our best-in-class organizing program that will power us to victory exactly one year from today. Volunteers spent the weekend knocking on doors, making phone calls, and talking with voters about the issues that matter most to them and paved the way to re-electing Governor Evers, defeating Ron Johnson, and then winning Democratic victories up and down the ballot.

“While Republicans continue to obstruct and divide, President Biden, Governor Evers, and Democrats up and down the ballot are delivering on the priorities that matter for Wisconsin’s working families, from investing in our infrastructure to delivering the American Rescue Plan to ensure our communities build back better from the pandemic. Every day between now and next November counts, and after this weekend, we can be sure that Wisconsin Democrats won’t waste a single moment.”

http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/door-county-people-s5.jpgIt doesn't matter if your area is red or blue, families will benefit, but every single Republican in Congress is opposed.

Kleefisch says She Needs to “Hire Mercenaries” to Win in Wisconsin, say Democrats

MADISON - Rebecca Kleefisch supports making it harder for Wisconsinites to vote — but only after she uses the voting rights protections enshrined by Gov. Tony Evers to win the election.  

At a secret campaign strategy rally over the weekend, Kleefisch told supporters behind closed doors that despite her frequent calls to restrict the right to vote, she’ll need to use the same pro-democracy measures she’s vowing to repeal and limit if she wants a shot at winning the governor’s race. 

However, if elected, Kleefisch promised to strip away those measures and limit Wisconsinites’ access to the ballot box the moment “after swearing in.”

Kleefisch is so disgusted by policies that make voting easier, she said she would have to “shower with steel wool” after helping people maximize their constitutional right to vote.  

If elected, Kleefisch supports limiting ballot drop boxes and restricting who can return absentee ballots for others. The GOP-controlled state legislature recently passed a series of anti-democratic bills with similar restrictions — only to have them shut down by Gov. Tony Evers, whose defense of the right to vote has been a sea wall against the GOP’s voter suppression tactics. 

“‘Voting rights for me — but not for thee’ has always been the GOP’s strategy to winning elections,” said DGA Senior Communications Advisor Christina Amestoy. “Now, Rebecca Kleefisch is simply saying the quiet part out loud. Gov. Evers has successfully protected the right to vote for all Wisconsinites, and if Kleefisch is elected, she’ll undo that progress and strip away access to the ballot box.”

Kleefisch says "If you are recording, I don't want you to put this part online to share with Democrats, OK? It is about election strategy” according to Milwaukee Journal Sentinel report.

Madison, Wis. -- Radical Rebecca Kleefisch is so desperate to be governor - she’s willing to say or do anything. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported today on Kleefisch’s suggested strategy for the upcoming election, including a plan to “hire mercenaries” and doing “laundry bags full of ballots.”

Kleefisch is apparently so disgusted with her own plan, that she said she will need to “take a shower with steel wool” following the election. And then after that, she vowed once again to sign the Wisconsin GOP’s voter suppression bills into law.

Earlier this month, Kleefisch refused to rule out overturning the results of a democratic election if she were governor in 2024. Kleefisch also supports the Republican-led sham “investigation” despite multiple reports showing Wisconsin’s 2020 election was fair and secure.

Wisconsinites can’t trust Radical Rebecca Kleefisch to have the courage to do the right thing when it matters.

Read more about Kleefisch’s radical plan below.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Rebecca Kleefisch says Republicans need to 'hire mercenaries' to win 2022 race for Wisconsin governor

Rebecca Kleefisch over the weekend told Republicans they needed to "hire mercenaries" and engage in "ballot harvesting" to help her win next year's race for governor — a practice she has said she wants to ban.

In a Saturday speech to Republicans in Door County, Kleefisch said the methods she needs to use to win bother her so much she will need to wash herself with steel wool. If her campaign strategy works, she said she would quickly sign legislation overhauling how elections are conducted.

"We execute with excellence, we will beat them at their own game. And the next morning, we all wake up, take a shower with steel wool, and then, after swearing in in January ... (the Legislature) is going to pass all these bills again, and then I'm going to sign them all. And we will never do elections like that again, but this is how we win," Kleefisch said, according to audio of her speech obtained by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Kleefisch, who served as lieutenant governor for eight years, made her comments as she gears up her campaign to take on Democratic Gov. Tony Evers next year and as Republicans call for tighter voting laws.

After a 20-minute speech, Kleefisch told the crowd she would run down her campaign strategy but asked those present not to share it publicly.

"If you are recording, I don't want you to put this part online to share with Democrats, OK? It is about election strategy," she said.

"What I'm about to say may feel ugly to you guys," she added.

Then, she talked about "ballot harvesting" — a phrase disparagingly used by Republicans to describe groups gathering absentee ballots from voters and returning them to municipal clerks on their behalf.

"Ballot harvesting in Wisconsin is not technically illegal," Kleefisch said. "Democrats do it non-stop and they go hard. Republicans must go harder."

There were few reports of groups affiliated with either party gathering absentee ballots from voters in the last year's presidential election.

Republicans have taken a hard stance against the practice and Kleefisch has called for banning it. Democrats have said people should be allowed to deliver ballots to city hall for family members and neighbors, particularly if they have difficulty getting there themselves.

Next, Kleefisch said, Republicans need mercenaries — by which she appeared to mean paid workers.

"Democrats hire mercenaries," Kleefisch said. "Republicans rely on sweet little volunteers to do the exact same things. We must hire mercenaries."

Kleefisch said she wanted Republicans to adopt programs similar to one held last fall in Madison known as "Democracy in the Park.” At those events, voters were able to return absentee ballots they had received in the mail to clerks who were stationed in more than 200 parks.

"(The Wisconsin Elections Commission) has ruled that you're allowed to do the laundry bags full of ballots in the parks," Kleefisch said. "If Democrats are going to do laundry bags full of ballots in parks, then we need to do the laundry bags full of ballots in all the places."

[...]

Kleefisch's comments in Door County came two weeks after she declined to tell WKOW-TV in Madison whether she would sign legislation that would allow the Legislature to overrule election officials in deciding how to cast the state's Electoral College votes for president.

Evers spokeswoman Britt Cudaback said Kleefisch's weekend comments showed she was planning to defy her own plans by engaging in election tactics she says she opposes.

"Rebecca Kleefisch is so radical she can't commit to not overturning election results or even to her own campaign platform," Cudaback tweeted. "Wisconsinites just can't trust Rebecca Kleefisch will have the courage to do the right thing when it matters."

Kleefisch faces political newcomer Jonathan Wichmann in the August 2022 primary for the Republican nomination. State Rep. John Macco of Ledgeview and Marine veteran Kevin Nicholson are also considering runs.

Adam Jarchow, a former state representative running for the Republican nomination for attorney general, on Twitter declared that Kleefisch's comments showed she was "a real conservative fighter."

"We have someone who is willing and able to use the same tactics as the Dems," he tweeted. "No more fighting with one hand tied behind our backs. Let’s roll!!!!"

Gov. Evers has been a “sea wall for fair elections”, says national association of governors.

WASHINGTON, DC - Gov. Tony Evers continues to be the last line of defense for democracy in Wisconsin. Republicans hoping to disenfranchise voters through gerrymandered districts will have to start over after Gov. Evers rejected their redistricting proposals last week.

The GOP-proposed maps feature the same gerrymandered lines that Republicans drew a decade ago to grab power and would make a western Wisconsin congressional district even more favorable for the GOP.

“It’s unconscionable and insulting to the people of this state, frankly, that Republicans think they can pass another set of gerrymandered maps modeled after the same gerrymandered ones we’ve had for a decade,” said Gov. Evers. “Wisconsinites won’t stand for it, and I won’t either — it’s just as simple as that.”

During his time in office, Gov. Evers has been a “sea wall for fair elections.” Earlier this year, Gov. Evers vetoed anti-voting bills that would have discriminately impacted ballot access for people of color, people with disabilities, and senior voters. He also established the nonpartisan People’s Maps Commission, which has held listening sessions across the state to guide them as they draft fair, nonpartisan, and transparent redistricting maps.

Meanwhile, in the Republican gubernatorial primary, Rebecca Kleefisch is siding with conspiracy theorists and threatening democracy by refusing to say whether or not she’d sign a bill allowing the state legislature to overturn election results.

“Gov. Tony Evers’ rejection of the GOP’s gerrymandered maps proves once again that he’s the only thing standing in the way of a Republican assault on our democracy,” said DGA Senior Communications Advisor Christina Amestoy. “Wisconsin Republicans, including Rebecca Kleefisch, will do whatever it takes to overrule the will of Wisconsinites. The stakes couldn’t be higher, and Gov. Evers is committed to protecting the right to vote and fighting for fair maps.”

WASHINGTON - Donald Trump stirred up the Wisconsin GOP primary for governor this week by encouraging a run from Sean Duffy, snubbing Rebecca Kleefisch. The aftermath of Trump’s statement has been disastrous for Kleefisch, who earlier said, “I hope that Donald Trump gets involved in this race.” Kleefisch and her campaign have yet to comment on Trump’s statement.

Here’s just a sample of what local media in Wisconsin are saying:

• Wisconsin Right Now: “President Donald Trump dropped a grenade into the middle of the Wisconsin governor’s race.”

• Wisconsin Examiner: “It seems Rebecca Kleefisch cannot get a break with her fellow Republicans … Trump’s praise and his message urging Duffy to run in a primary against Kleefisch to challenge Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, comes despite the fact that Kleefisch’s far-right stances already mimic Trump.”

• Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: “Former President Donald Trump’s plea to former congressman Sean Duffy to mount a run for governor has scrambled the race and raised the possibility of an intense Republican primary.”

• WISN 12: “Whether Duffy runs, the statement may offer a blow to other Republican campaigns, most notably former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch.”

• Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: “Trump’s statement could signal hurdles for Kleefisch as she works to unify the Republican grassroots with whom Trump remains popular.”

“A Donald Trump-endorsed bid from Sean Duffy would spin the Wisconsin GOP primary into chaos,” said DGA Senior Communications Advisor Christina Amestoy. “If Duffy jumps in, he and Kleefisch will be forced into a brutal battle for the far-right base. The chaotic race to the right will expose Kleefisch’s out-of-touch policies and prove that she’s radically wrong for Wisconsin.”