Tonight, a WISN
12 Commitment 2026
election special.
An unprecedented race for Wisconsin
governor.
State Democrats in a hellstorm.
What does that say about you as a
leader? Money troubles.
Scandal.
Upheaval.
We want to just kind of,
all right, Rodriguez just dropped
out.
Five candidates remain in
a fractured Democrat field,
just days from the primary to decide
who will take on likely Republican
nominee Tom Tiffany.
Tonight, their first and
only televised debate at
a critical juncture in Wisconsin
history.
Former Lieutenant Governor Mandela
Barnes.
We've been all across Wisconsin
taking the fight directly to Tom
Sithley.
The former Tony Evers Cavalier.
Member Joel Brennan.
I am in this race and I'm committed
to continuing in this race because
Wisconsin values are at risk.
Milwaukee County executive David
Crowley.
Listen, you deserve
a true dinner.
Democratic candidate.
I'm not!
In this race.
State Representative Francesca
Hahn.
I am the only candidate
in this race who takes income
and power inequality seriously
as the most urgent crisis
of our times.
State Senator Kel DeRoyce.
That was not the time to move
backwards and be in more disarray.
And now, live from the campus
of Marquette University in downtown
Milwaukee, tonight's
moderators, WISN
12 political director Matt Smith
and upfront co-host,
12 News Anchor, Jaren Jordan.
Good evening everyone and welcome.
We are live tonight from the
Marquette University campus.
We thank our audience across
Wisconsin for joining us for the
first and only televised debate
between the Democratic candidates
and the primary for Wisconsin
governor Mandela Barnes,
Joel Brennan, David Crowley,
Francesca Hong and Kel DeRoyze.
We thank you all for being here with
us tonight.
The top vote getter in the August
primary will take on the likely
Republican nominee Tom Tiffany
in November.
With Tony Evers not seeking
reelection, it is the first
wide open race for governor since
2010.
First tonight, a few ground rules.
This is a debate, but we'll be
having a conversation.
We'll be discussing some of the key
issues facing Wisconsin.
Candidates are asked to state their
positions, stay on topic,
and to be concise.
The candidates may speak to each
other, but we will manage the time
on any given topic and
move the conversation along if
necessary.
At the end, each candidate will make
a brief closing statement, and it's
fair to say that this race has been
chaotic over the last few weeks, so
let's get right to it.
Mr. Crowley, three weeks ago, you
dropped out of this race saying you
couldn't see a path to victory.
11 days ago, the primary upended
when Sarah Rodriguez dropped out,
and you made the unprecedented move
of re-entering the race with an
immediate endorsement from Governor
Tony Evers.
Since then, you have been linked to
a social media account that includes
offensive posts.
You've said you didn't write any of
those, and some have accused you of
being the latest prop for the
Democratic establishment.
So, are you, and why should
Voters now trust your judgment and
ability to win.
Well, first and foremost, thank you
for having us.
But I was never born into the
establishment. I was actually born
into struggle.
I grew up in the 5-3-2-06 zip code
where I had to work extremely hard
for everything that I have.
And so I'm not here to protect the
establishment, I'm here to deliver
real results for Wisconsinites
all over our state.
And I like to make decisions based
off of the data, based off the
facts. And we learned ever
since that day that a lot of things
have changed and we were going off
of false data.
And so we know that the stakes are
too high this upcoming election, and
that's why I got back into this
race. And I'm honored to not only
have the endorsement of Governor
Tony Evers, but labor unions
and leaders all across this state
who believe in my leadership.
And I am looking forward to
delivering for all of Wisconsin.
Ms. Fong, you are the Democratic
Socialist who is leading in all of
the polls, yet some Democrats are
attempting to stop you from winning,
fearful that you cannot beat
Republican Tom Tiffany.
Just this weekend, the co-chair of
the Democratic socialists of
America, which you are a member,
reaffirmed the DSA's position of
abolishing the Senate, prisons,
and replacing the presidency and the
Supreme Court as we know it.
Do you fully back the DISA platform,
and why should primary voters trust
your judgment and your ability to
win statewide? Bye.
Well, first, thank you so much to
the team at WISN and Marquette
University for hosting this
important debate.
I do not support the full platform
of the national DSA and
I'm not endorsed by DSA
national.
What democratic socialism is,
is a form of government that puts
working class people first, that
puts work first.
The policies that we have been
working on, permanent affordability,
has broad bipartisan support
in every corner of the state.
Well, things like fully
funding our public schools, ensuring
that we are doing right by our kids
and cutting property taxes,
taxing the ultra wealthy and mega
corporations, ensuring that we
can invest in free childcare and
that everyone has access to
affordable housing.
And we are the only campaign to
support a moratorium on AI data
centers, and we have found broad
bipartisan support.
I am looking forward to helping
the Democrats become the big tent
party that they've aimed to be for
many years.
Mr. Barnes, you were once seen as
the clear front runner in this race.
You previously lost a statewide
election for US Senate when the
field cleared for you.
In fact, last year, the Milwaukee
Courier said, we need a candidate
who can unite the state and win.
Mandela Barnes already showed us he
can't. And Governor Tony Evers
recently endorsed David Crowley over
you. So why should primary voters
now trust you that you can win
statewide this time?
Well, thanks so much for the
question. And thanks so much for
having me. There's not a single
person on this stage who's united
all shades of blue of the Democratic
Party as I have before.
Now that race in 2022,
it was the closest US Senate race in
the state in over 100 years.
It was the closest challenge to any
incumbent across the entire country,
no incumbent law statewide.
Now, while DC insiders like Chuck
Schumer didn't see the race as
winnable, Republican billionaires
certainly did.
They spent over $50 million
to defeat me and I only lost
by one point, 26,000
votes.
Now I can tell you, having been the
only person on this stage who's
actually won statewide in 2018
when we kicked Scott Walker out of
office for good, that race was also
decided by one-point.
Now I've been on both sides of the
coin and you learn a whole lot more
when you lose.
When you win, you think you did
everything right.
But when you come up that short, you
have a whole lotta time to think
about the things that went wrong.
You learn about the devastating
impact of big money in politics.
You also learn about how low
Republicans can get.
And I can tell you, right now we
have the resources and we have the
support to get it done. And on the
terms of Governor Evers, I have zero
interest in upholding the status
quo. I have 0 interest in being the
establishment candidate.
That is the difference right here on
the stage. Because I am pushing
the envelope to make sure that we
are as bold as we can possibly
be in the Donald Trump era.
Because that's what people have been
calling for Democrats to be all
along. We have not truly met the
moment.
At the moment. Thank you.
Mr. Brennan and Ms.
Royce, you are both polling in the
single digits and have been since
the start of this race.
At this point, are primary voters
wasting their vote on a vote for
you? Mr. Brinnan.
Well, here's what I would tell you,
is I don't think primary voters have
been paying much attention until the
last two weeks and all the upheaval
that you have seen.
This is what I find when I am going
out around the state is that, you
know, and this has been verified by
polls that was done here by
my alma mater at Marquette, because
about half the people at
this point haven't made a decision.
And so that is the lane that's
opening up. The challenge that I
have had from day one is not that
anybody thinks I'm unqualified for
the office. I have, I served as
the top appointee to Governor Evers.
We created the largest budget
surplus in state history.
We increased the rainy day fund.
We got millions, billions of dollars
out to family farms, to
small businesses, to renters who
needed it during COVID.
So all of that stuff puts me in good
stead. The challenge I have had is
that people don't know me as well as
they know some other candidates
around the state. And so what I
have found in recent days is that
the disruption, the upheaval,
somebody putting their thumb on the
scale, it has gotten people much
more engaged and much more
interested in this race.
And day by day, I am feeling that
momentum and I'm feeling people who
want somebody who can beat Tom
Tiffany in the fall and who can hit
the ground running on day one.
And I will put my qualifications
on those issues up against anybody
in this rate. Mr. Brendan, thank
you.
Ms. Royce, you are continuing to
poll in the single digits as well.
At this point, our primary voters
wasting their vote on a vote for
you.
If you want the best public schools
in the nation for your children, if
you want to open up the state's
healthcare plan so that everyone can
buy in and we can lower costs for
all Wisconsinites, if you a
candidate who is going to stand up
and fight Donald Trump and bring an
end to this authoritarian regime,
then you should vote for me.
I am the candidate in this race that
brings the most experience in and
around state government with 10
years of service in the legislature
and the only one who served on the
state budget committee.
I've also been an executive in the
private and nonprofit sectors.
And for over 20 years,
I've been the candidate that has
turned progressive ideas, like
the kind that all of us have on this
stage, into law.
That kind of experience is
absolutely essential.
And voters need to think about not
just who can beat Tom Tiffany,
although that is important, not just
who can deliver a democratic
legislature, although that's vitally
important, but who can actually
do the job on day one.
And I am proud to have earned by far
the most endorsements of any
candidate in this race, including
the most endorsements in Milwaukee
County, the most largest
labor union endorsement with WEAC,
the state teachers union.
And the endorsement of former
Lieutenant Governor Barbara Lawton.
Thank you all.
Last week, a Madison police officer
shot and killed a man.
Tonight, the investigation and the
protests continue.
Governor Tony Evers has called for
transparency and accountability and
urged for peaceful protests.
Miss Hong, in the hours following
the shooting, standing alongside
protesters, you said, quote, this
state sanctioned violence was an
execution.
Would you make those immediate
declarations as governor even
though an investigation had not yet
started.
You know, the governor has the
largest microphone in the state, and
there comes deep responsibility with
that. But what we saw in
videos and what I had talked
to folks who had witnessed
that, I think what
we it was clearly the
type of violence where no
one's life should have been taken.
And my thoughts are with
Corey Ruiz and his family,
and I hope that the
accountability and transparency that
both the Governor Evers and I have
called for the independent
investigation, the investment
in body cameras.
We want local governments to be able
to invest in public safety,
to be serious about public safety
and I plan to be a partner in that.
You have also called to defund and
abolish police before while saying
your ideal world is one without
prisons.
Would you sign a bill or budget that
cuts funding for police departments?
No.
No. Why not?
The governor cannot defund
police, and I'm not here to
govern by slogan.
I'm here to make sure that I am the
governor that is most serious about
public safety, and that means
investing in the things that we know
prevent crime, and getting resources
to victims, and ensuring that
the people who are incarcerated and
the folks who are working in our
prisons are able to live a life
of dignity and work with
dignity. I think it's important that
we invest in communities, including
our public schools, out of
school programs and mental health
resources and attacking the opioid
epidemic.
These are things that are proven to
prevent crime and this is what will
help to make sure that we have a
government that is serious about
public safety.
Mr. Barnes, you have previously
shown support for reducing police
funding and abolishing ICE following
the Madison shooting You said you
were deeply disturbed and pained.
Would you sign a bill or budget that
cuts funding for police departments?
So first of all, we should all be
very disturbed by what we saw in
those images, what we saw in the
video, and we should
fight as hard as we possibly can
as a state, as a people, as society
to make sure that never happens
again.
And body cameras, of course, are
the norm, it should be the norm.
And I wish that the Madison Police
Department did have those body
cameras. So of course I would not
sign a budget that reduced funding
because obviously that The police
department needs the funding to have
body cameras.
Ms. Royes, after the Madison
shooting, you said, we do not have
to accept this as inevitable.
We can create a more fair, safe
world.
Would you sign a bill or budget that
cuts funding for police departments?
No, but I think we need to actually
fund local communities so that
we can do evidence-based programs
that actually reduce and prevent
crime.
At the end of the day, I'm a mom and
stepmom of five.
I want my kids and every kid to
be safe in our communities, and I
want law enforcement officers to be
safer in our community.
That means that we have to invest in
proven strategies that actually do
that, unlike what Republicans like
Tom Tiffany have done, which is cut
funding to local governments and
take away local control so that
communities don't have the resources
to be able to actually solve these
problems effectively.
I am really proud as the only
attorney on the stage to be someone
that has fought for and passed
criminal justice reforms to make us
more safe and more just.
I have taken on racial disparities
in areas from health to criminal
justice and I believe
that Wisconsin can be a place where
everyone has the freedom to thrive
but not if we aren't willing
to tackle these really tough issues.
Mr. Brennan, after the shooting in
Madison, you are also calling for a
full DOJ investigation.
Would you sign a bill or a budget
that cuts funding for police
departments?
Of course I wouldn't, and I think as
others have said here, there has
been a generation of disinvestment
and a broken system between
the state, the broken partnership
between state and local government.
So we need to make sure that we're
robustly funding that.
It has been demonstrated, this
115-year-old contract that we have
had between state and local
governments worked pretty well for
the first 80 years, and then the
Republicans just turned off the
spigot and stopped funding local
government, so we need make sure we
do that. On the larger issue of
criminal justice reform, we need
look a little bit to our neighbors
to the west.
In Minnesota, they spend about $215
per capita on criminal
justice in that state.
They're about the same size, they
have about the crime rate.
We have about three times as many
people incarcerated.
In Wisconsin, we spend about 315
per capita on that.
As a long-term target,
spending that $600 million
difference that they spend on
other things in Minnesota, spending
those on early childhood,
on K-12 education, on other
programs in Wisconsin, that would be
the kind of investment over the long
term that would put us in better
stead and keep us from having fewer
of these incidents because they
should outrage all of us.
But there are ways that we can make
a difference on those by spending
our money differently.
Mr. Brennan, thank you.
Mr. Crowley, without first seeing
any video, you said that you were
horrified by the reports of the
shooting and immediately pointed to
other police shootings in Kenosha
and Minneapolis.
Did you rest your judgment with your
comments and would you sign a bill
or budget that cuts funding for
police department?
No, I did not rush to judgment with
my comments. My thoughts and prayers
are not just with Corey and his
family and friends, but with the
entire Madison community and
everybody who's been affected and
traumatized by this.
Again, we have seen these types of
incidents happening here locally
with Jacob Blake, as well as George
Floyd in Minnesota.
And so it's extremely important that
we have transparency.
We cannot defund the police.
We should be investing in public
safety. And that doesn't mean more
money to police officers.
That's like investing in
systems like the community violence
interruption.
Milwaukee County, we have been a
leader in actually helping to reduce
a violent crime here in in Milwaukee
County working directly hand-in-hand
with not just police departments but
also community organizations.
And so we have to focus on not just
investing upstream but making sure
we wrap around services around
families so they don't have to go
down the road of criminality in the
first place.
Madison police currently do
not have police body cameras,
raise your hand if as governor you
would sign legislation requiring all
police and sheriff's departments in
Wisconsin to have body cameras.
All of you. All candidates.
Let's move on to the economy.
Tonight, Wisconsinites
overwhelmingly say inflation and
the cost of living is the most
important issue ahead of this
election.
The failed tax relief deal
negotiated by Governor Tony Evers
and Republican leaders would have
delivered rebate checks to
Wisconsinites, directed money to
local schools to lower property
taxes, increased special education
funding, and eliminated taxes on
tips and overtime.
It failed in the State Senate.
I'd like you to raise your hand if
as governor you would have signed
that into law if it
passed.
If it passed?
If it past, would you have signed it
into law?
One, Mr. Crowley.
Ms. Royce, you were one of the 15
Democratic senators who helped kill
the deal. Why?
Because at the end of the day, my
job is to be a responsible steward
of taxpayer dollars.
And this would have created a $2.9
billion deficit down
the road, which our schools and
our health care system and our local
governments cannot afford.
It also would have spent
the surplus before it had even
materialized.
Look at what is happening with the
economy.
When we are spending money that we
do not yet have and
spending it in ways that do
not actually help us solve the
long-term problem of getting more
money into our public schools,
giving property tax relief to
property taxpayers, and making sure
that we have a more fair, just tax
system.
All we are doing is throwing that
money away on a political gimmick
that was frankly cooked up by Robin
Voss as he sees the blue wave
coming and wanted to do anything
that he could to either protect his
members from losing their seats and
run away from their terrible record
on public education, which Tom
Tiffany is partially responsible
for.
Quickly, that projected deficit
factored in zero economic growth,
would you consider zero economic
growth? Would that be part of a
Roy's administration if you cite
that deficit?
I'm looking at having a president
who is hell-bent on making things
as expensive and challenging for
families across the state,
and a congressman running for
governor who has done nothing but
stamp Trump's agenda 100 percent.
Thank you, Mr. Crowley, you're the
only one who raised your hand to
sign the deal. Why would you have
signed it into law?
Well, I would have signed it into
law because we would have gotten a
bipartisan deal and actually done.
I think folks understand here in the
state of Wisconsin when you have
divided government, it can be a
bit chaotic.
Were there things in this bill that
I did not like?
Absolutely. I love the fact that we
were going to give relief
to our schools and property tax
relief, and there are other things
in his bill that are didn't like.
At the end of the day, we know that
there are many Wisconsin families
who are desperate.
We should be focusing on how we lift
them up and not playing politics.
And so I would've signed that bill
because that means it would have
passed with bipartisanship.
Congressman Tom Tiffany is
campaigning on the fact that he
would return the entire surplus, he
says, to taxpayers.
Ms. Hong, would you return the
surplus to taxpayers or how would
you spend the projected $2.5
billion?
Those are the taxpayers dollars
but investment is what we need
thinking about our shared future our
kids it is an investment
when we invest in public schools
and ensuring that we are cutting
property taxes but doing right for
our kids our campaign is
about permanent affordability and
putting all of those surplus dollars
um back into uh
taxpayers money i think that
it would be irresponsible and
the reason why that surplus deal was
so problematic is that those
who are fixed income would not have
received that check.
Folks who are lower income would
have received less.
I think it's important to think
about some of the working class
families across our state that
deserve real relief, durable
relief, and that deal
was not it.
We should mention you did vote
against that in the assembly.
Quickly, what would you spend the
surplus on?
Public education and health care.
Mr. Brennan, would you return
it to the taxpayers or would you
spend it and how would you?
I think Tom Tiffany and the
Republicans have already shown their
hands about how they'd return it to
the taxpayers.
There are three sections in the
studio audience here tonight.
If the poor people and the people on
fixed income and social security
were sitting over here, they would
get nothing.
The rest of us who are doing okay
would get the $300 and $600.
By the way, if you want a
stimulating effect by putting money
into the economy, you put it in the
hands of people who are going to
spend it. That was part of the deal.
The thing that I would have
exercised in all of this is caution,
because we live in a Trump economy.
I put together, as the Secretary of
Administration, two budgets for
Governor Evers, and we need
to make sure that we are doing
everything possible to be cautious
in this time of Trump.
The way that I would spend it, you
know, one, it would be cautious, but
the first thing that I will spend,
the first $100 million, which I
will do in January, will go into
childcare and early childhood
education.
It is a system that is broken.
A billion dollars of productivity
sits on the sidelines every year,
especially from women, mainly from
women who can't find affordable,
accessible, or high quality child
care. It is a K-12 and workforce
issue. That's the first place I'd
spend $100 million.
Then I would restart the Knowles
Nelson Stewardship Fund with another
$100 billion.
Those are the types of things that
we can do that's bipartisan
effort. Those are bipartisan things
that have been successful.
The Knowles-Nelson Stewardships
Fund, 90% of us
live within a mile of a project
that's been enhanced by that over
the last 40 years. It's as
bipartisan as it gets.
And it now, as of July 1, doesn't
exist anymore.
Those are the types of things that
we should be investing.
Thank you. Mr. Barnes, would you
send it back to taxpayers or spend
it and how would you spend it?
Well, let's first talk about how we
got here.
Now, the reason there is a surplus
is because Republicans in the
legislature have failed the people
of Wisconsin.
Our school districts are going to
referendum every single year just to
keep the lights on.
And we also see gaps in healthcare
because we are one of 10 states that
has yet to extend our,
excuse me, expand our Medicaid
program under the Affordable Care
Act. We are in a world of trouble.
And Robin Voss has never been
a good negotiating partner.
So no, I certainly wouldn't have
signed the deal. But the way we give
more money back to people, the way
actually return money to folks
is by taxing the wealthy, taxing
the billionaires, tax in these
corporations that have been getting
over on us, making money hand over
fist while communities continue to
starve for resources.
This is how we can most effectively
return money back to folks.
And on the issue of affordability,
the best way we can close the
affordability gap is to put
more money in the pockets of
hardworking people. Our minimum wage
is still $7.25.
Since costs have gone up, wages have
not. But returning that money to the
people, that means making the right
investments in public education,
making the investments in health
care, taxing the wealthy and
implementing a working class
tax cut for folks who work hard
every single day and don't get the
benefits that corporations get.
So quickly, what are you doing with
the surplus?
Well, with the surpluse, like I
said, it's just reinvesting back
into education.
Education. And also now, and also
because of Trump's big ugly bill,
there's going to be some stresses
when it comes to expanding badger
care, which I still support.
It is the right thing to do for us.
So many folks are staring down,
medical debt, medical bankruptcy,
and we need to put money into
healthcare.
We're gonna move on to taxes.
We did bring up taxes so let's move
on to taxes you all in some degree
have used phrases like making the
wealthy pay their fair share and
discussed raising taxes on the rich
to fund your priorities.
Wisconsin already has the second
highest top income tax rate in the
Midwest at 7.65 percent
so we want to know what all of you
define as rich.
So Mr Barnes under your plan what is
the specific income level where
taxes would go up and what
percentage would that top tax
bracket pay?
Yeah. So I think that incomes over a
million dollars should be taxed a
little bit higher, even if it's
temporary. The fact is we are in a
real crisis right now and
our necessities have
not been seeing the resources,
have not been seen the funding.
Again, there's no reason these
school districts should be going to
referendum every single year just to
fund basic services.
And if we increase that
tax rate by less than 1%, 0.9%,
0,8%, we do a
great deal to able to provide much
more funding to our school districts
and also help close
the share revenue.
Is that what you're proposing, 0.8
or 0.9%?
Well, I'm saying this is all I'm
happy to negotiate.
This is what we need to negotiate,
but this is the arena where I'm in
right now.
Ms. Hong, the income level that you
would raise taxes on and how much?
Those who are making the millionth
and one dollar.
I think that the billion as
well to increase that to 0.9%.
It is incredibly disappointing
that some of our lowest income
earners are paying a higher tax
rate than some of the highest income
earner. We need to return to
a progressive income tax rate.
It is how we build sustainable
revenue and ensure that we're able
to actually increase our tax
base across the state as more
working class people are going to be
attracted to coming to Wisconsin to
live, work, and play here.
I think that the legislation that I
introduced that would tax
the billionaire and add millionaire
tax bracket with lower property
taxes by up to 44 percent
and we could put that funding into
special education funding which we
have neglected to actually honor
the budget amount and we must bring
that back up to 90 percent
reimbursement.
And the percentage for those
millionaires?
I would increase that by about one
percent.
You would increase that to about so
about 8.65 correct Mr.
Crowley your income level and
how much would you tax them?
Well, let's be very clear, it's just
not the income tax, but it's
also the property taxes that are
also extremely high in the state of
Wisconsin. And we'll talk about that
next. Okay, well, when we talk about
income taxes, what we really need to
be focusing on is how do we actually
fix this system moving forward?
What we need to do is take a
holistic view of our taxes here
in the State of Wisconsin?
The last time that we took a
holistic view of how we spend our
money and bring in revenues was in
1986, when Governor Tommy
Thompson was actually governor.
And so we need bring academics,
We need to bring labor, we need
to bring business owners and
community members to the table, and
let's actually have a real
discussion about the entire system.
I don't think that we should be just
focusing on how we can increase
taxes just particular for
certain income earners when
we haven't looked at the entire
system. When it comes down to those
who are making hand over fist, we
absolutely need to tax the ultra
wealthy, but we need to be smart
about how we're doing things
long-term.
Do you have an income level or a
percentage for that?
Well, I think we've always got to
look at those who are making more
than a million dollars or more.
Absolutely.
Do you know how high you'd like to
tax them?
No, I think that we have to look at
the entire system holistically.
Ms. Royce, your income
level and percentage you would tax
them looking to raise taxes.
I agree with my colleagues that
anyone who's earning over a million
dollars a year should pay a slightly
higher tax rate, but we also
need to look at the corporate tax
giveaways that have run rampant over
the last 15 years of Republican
rule.
We have rolled out the red carpet
for Foxconn.
The AI data center tax
breaks are estimated to cost us
$2 billion.
All that at a time when we
are spending zero dollars on
early childhood education, when
our public schools have been starved
of resources, jacking up people's
property taxes just to help our
kids keep teachers in the classroom.
So as a small business owner, it
offends me that the largest
businesses in the state are not only
not paying their fair share of
taxes, but they're often getting
public resources.
These are going to big polluters,
big corporations, out of state
corporations.
They're not tied to job creation And
we need to not just tax the wealthy,
but make sure that big corporations
pay their fair share too.
Do you have a specific percentage in
mind?
I think it's concurrent with what my
colleagues have talked about.
Mr. Brennan. We're going to find
that I have general agreement that
people making over a million dollars
should pay a little bit more, and we
could talk about what that is, but I
also think that there are other
things, the manufacturing and
agricultural tax credit, which is
generally not paid to farmers and
which has continued to increase to
the tune of about $400 million.
I would like to continue, you know,
we're talking about raising taxes on
the rich. One of the real successes
of Tony Evers is making sure that
we have had middle-class tax cuts
and ensuring that we can continue to
do that. Now, the other thing about
this, however, is that I like to
win. And we are losing right now to
Ohio, we're losing to Michigan, we
are loosing to Minnesota when it
comes to economic development.
And so if we're truly going to get
to the Wisconsin that we need, if we
are going to increase our
population, if were going to
increase what we're getting out of
our government, it's going to come
from economic growth.
And I think we need to make sure
that we are aggressive in those
things. You don't need to tell me
about Foxconn. I spent the first
year of the Evers administration
trying to figure out how do we get
out of that $3 million obligation.
Ultimately, we brought that down to
$80 million, and we were able to
invest and treat them like virtually
every other company, and then be
able to investment Main Street
businesses. So this is not just
about how do we raise revenue, it's
how do how do raise revenue by
taxes, it's, how do you raise
revenue through growth and making
sure that we are growing our own and
investing in economic development
in our state.
Real quick before we move on, what
if all the millionaires leave the
state and go to a state near us that
has a flat tax rate or a lower tax
rate, then all of these plans
collapse, correct?
I think that's why you need that.
That's why this needs to be a
holistic strategy.
You know, there's a whole bunch of
ways in which people don't trust
government and don't trust
Democrats. And we better be in a
position where we can demonstrate to
them that when we're spending these
things, they're also getting some
benefit on it. So if all we're
talking about is raising taxes, and
if this is all going to be about how
do we make sure that we are, you
know, doing that to people
penalizing, if it's just going to
penalties, then we are going to
start to lose. We need to make sure
we're growing with everybody.
Ms. Hong, do they leave the state?
You know, discussing that
hypothetical is a little
bit.
I'm confused about that, however,
let's look at all the other policies
that we have talked about that we've
been fighting for with our campaign
when there is free childcare, when
there is fully funded public
schools, when we see some of these
corporate loopholes in corporate
welfare come to an end,
when uh we have investment in rural
roads, when there's uh legalization
of cannabis, I think that we
can improve the quality of life for
millionaires and ensure that they
too will be able to live, work,
and thrive here in our state.
Let's talk about property taxes.
This past year, Wisconsinites saw
the highest property tax increase in
three decades.
School property tax levies increased
on average nearly 8%.
Raise your hand if you as governor
would commit to an across-the-board
property tax decrease.
All candidates agreeing to a
across-a-board property tax
decrease. We'll start with you, Mr.
Barnes. How would you make that
happen?
Well, first of all, we have to get
school funding off of the property
tax rolls. That's the biggest thing.
The reason we have seen these
historic property tax increases is,
again, because communities all
across the state of Wisconsin have
voted to raise their own property
taxes just to keep the doors
open. It is a very irresponsible
way to fund education,
to fund our future, to prioritize
our children. When I talked about
Robin Voss not being a good
negotiating partner, when I talked
about the priorities in Wisconsin
missing the mark, This is how we end
up with a surplus because our
schools don't have this funding and
the resources that they need.
So what we need to immediately do is
get to the states.
Constitutional commitment of
two-thirds funding.
We have to make sure our schools are
fully funded.
When our schools our fully funded,
that burden doesn't fall on the
property tax rolls.
And then gradually over time, we'll
be able to decrease property
taxes.
We are there right now at
two-thirds, roughly.
We are not, we're not there yet.
We are there yet, we are not there,
yet.
Mr. Brennan, how do you
make an across-the-board?
Yeah, well, again, it was mentioned
a little bit by Mandela, but this
spring, when we all celebrated Chris
Taylor's win, that night,
that same night, 72 school districts
went to referendums, 60 of them for
operations, just to keep the lights
on, not to build a new middle
school, not build a new science
classroom. That is as
big a condemnation as we can get in
Wisconsin, and so I would
immediately scrap that funding
formula, which is under a lawsuit
right now, but it's probably going
to take three years for that to work
its way through the courts.
Our kids don't have three more years
to wait. I would create a
child-centric formula where every
kid has value regardless of where
you live. You add on for special
needs. You add for urban rural
poverty.
You add-on for English language
learners. That's how most other
states have done this, and if you do
that and you recommit to that
two-thirds from the state,
immediately that brings down
property taxes for people, and it
gives kids and teachers and
parents what they need in the
classroom. This is where we have
failed. That student,
the school funding formula has been
around since 1993.
It didn't work then, and it doesn't
work now. So that's the first thing
that we've got to do that would meet
the needs of kids but stop hitting
property taxpayers against kids.
Ms. Hong, how do you bring property
taxes down across the board?
As I mentioned that we have already
introduced legislation that would
add a tax to the millionaire and
increase the millionaire tax
bracket as well as a billionaire
tax.
This would help us fund special
education while lowering property
taxes by up to 44%.
It is essential that we return to
two-thirds funding and make sure
that we are bringing a responsible
end to the voucher program.
This is a program that currently
the state is spending over
$1.2 billion and I I think
that it is not just public
school funding that is raising
property taxes.
Robin Voss and the Republican-led
legislature has been decreasing
shared revenue, and it is
a deep, inadequate funding for our
local governments, and they, too,
have had to go to referenda, and
many are increasing property taxes,
so increasing the levies and giving
our local government the ability to
raise more revenue, I think this
is how we're and make sure that
communities can invest in
the things that and the programs
that they absolutely deserve.
And we're gonna get to education and
vouchers here in just a second, Ms.
Roy. So I do wanna ask about
property taxes.
How do you bring property taxes down
across the board?
The most important thing that we can
do is appropriately fund our
local governments and our public
schools at the state level.
That means getting to the two thirds
funding commitment that was made but
has never been met.
But it also means fixing the way
that those dollars are distributed
because right now it's deeply
inequitable.
My family moved to rural Taylor
County. That's where I was a little
girl. And they moved because
of the quality of the public
education system here in Wisconsin
47 years ago.
Now raising my kids in Dane County,
I can see that we have been
shortchanging our kids, and that is
not okay with me.
So we do need more state resources
to end this divisive cycle of
referendums that are pitting
neighbors against one another,
grandparents against their
grandkids' schools.
I also am the only candidate in this
race that actually has a plan,
not just a wish, but an actual
plan to bring that private voucher
scheme to a responsible end,
because the actual number is closer
to $1.8 billion in each budget
that is going directly out of
the coffers of our local school
districts into these private
schemes, and they are unaccountable
and they can discriminate against
kids, and none of us as taxpayers
should find that acceptable.
Mr. Crowley, how do you bring
property taxes down across
property taxes are extremely high
here in the state of Wisconsin.
It's not just affecting the senior
who's on a fixed income, it's also
affecting that young person who may
want to buy a home and everybody's
getting squeezed in every direction.
It is not just affecting homeowners,
it is also affecting renters as well
because when property tax go up,
landlords quite frankly pass those
down to those renters as well.
And so we have to tackle property
taxes by one, investing in our
education system, increasing the
reimbursement rates as well for
special education because our school
districts shouldn't have to choose
between mandated services and
whether or not they're going to have
teachers.
But as the only elected official who
runs, you know, county government
representing 19 different
municipalities, close to a million
people, we have a lot of state
mandated services.
And with those state mandated
services, those resources don't come
down the pipeline.
And so it's extremely important that
we work out the state toe make sure
that we are getting the local
governments are getting enough
resources to invest in things like
public safety because the state of
Wisconsin is near the are dead last
when it comes down to investments
and such.
We brought up vouchers, so let's
talk about vouchers.
Right now, about 30,000 Milwaukee
children attend private schools
using taxpayer-funded vouchers
Milwaukee was the first school
choice program in the nation to help
families who felt failed by the
public school system and still do
so today.
The program has since expanded
statewide.
As we've heard, some of you are
calling to end the voucher program.
Mr. Crowley, do you support
eliminating or reducing vouchers
in the city of Milwaukee?
Look, I am a proud MPS
graduate. Went to Milwaukee Public
Schools, all three of my daughters
go to public school, so I believe in
the power of our public education.
I think to say that we're gonna
fully eliminate the
voucher system overnight really
doesn't take into account the impact
towards our family, towards our
teachers, and quite frankly, toward
the public school system.
You know, we've talked about how we
went to referendum to make sure our
public schools have what they need.
And if we're going to referendum for
the current capacity of students
that they have now, how will we
be able to bring on those students
and make sure that we have great
public schools moving forward?
And so I don't think the question is
whether or not we should have
vouchers. The question should be how
do we continue to invest in our
public schools to make sure they're
the school of choice.
So would you sign a bill that
eliminated or reduced vouchers in
Milwaukee?
To eliminate or reduce vouchers, no,
but I don't believe in expanding
vouchers in the state of Wisconsin.
Mr. Barnes, you're proposing a
multi-year sunset of the program,
as you've described it.
What does that look like
specifically in the city of
Milwaukee?
Well, let's first talk about the
reason why parents feel failed by
public schools.
This all goes back to the lack of
funding. This goes back the state
not meeting its two-thirds funding
requirement, and schools have been
starved of resources.
So it would only be natural for
parents to feel that way.
I am also a proud Milwaukee
public school graduate, but I know
having gone to a school that was
starved with resources, what that
impact meant on a lot of my
classmates. I was very fortunate to
know where I was going to go home at
night. I was very fortunate to not
have to worry about where my next
meal came from.
But that's not the reality that far
too many of our students face.
And when we're talking about
education, we truly have to
talk about the societal factors that
impact how our students do or
do not learn.
If we have these exorbitant rates
of child poverty, it is gonna impact
the way that they learn. And as I
have talked about vouchers,
the main line is accountability
because we have seen horror
stories where voucher operators.
Closed doors overnight.
These operators moved to Florida on
the public dime.
And so we have to first get the bad
actors out of the system.
Now, I believe public dollars belong
in public schools.
And if you receive a dime of
public money as a private school
operator, you should have to operate
by a uniform set of standards.
That means public governance, that
means public accountability, public
scrutiny. And, if you cannot meet
those standards, you should be taken
out of this system.
I can tell you-
I can tell you. But do vouchers go
down or are they eliminated in the
city of Milwaukee?
Well, I think that the income caps
being lifted is a travesty because
that is what makes it a scheme.
This no longer becomes a program for
lower income parents to put their
children in private schools.
So there could be less vouchers in
Milwaukee. It becomes a handout.
And we can no longer, there's no
justification for expansion
of vouchers or lifting the caps if
we have not fully funded our public
schools. So yes, I would sign a bill
that reduced them because
we have seen so
much chaos with
this system. We have seen, and
look, a lot of students, and this is
a, this is not an overnight thing by
any means, but we do have to get
serious about the delivery of
education, specifically here in
Milwaukee. But we also have to get
serious, about the societal issues
that continue to plague our systems.
We always have the conversation
about education, but never about
poverty. Thank you, Mr. Bowman.
Thank you, Mr. Barnes. Miss Royce,
at what point in your plan do
vouchers go away for tens of
millions of
children in Milwaukee, tens of
thousands of children in Milwaukee?
No student in Milwaukee or Racine
who is currently enrolled in a
voucher program and is happy there
will be displaced and they will be
allowed to continue their education
until they graduate as will their
siblings.
However, all programs
that take public money need to be
subject to the same rules and
regulations that public schools are.
Right now, you can do corporal
punishment in a Voucher School.
You don't have to have licensed
teachers that undergo background
checks.
You can discriminate against
teachers and against students,
including cherry-picking students
and saying, no, we don't want a
student with a disability.
I think that's totally unacceptable
as a taxpayer and certainly as
a parent.
Every single child deserves a high
quality public education.
And what we have with the statewide
expansion is essentially a
program that has subsidized
the private choices of wealthy
parents. The vast majority of
students in the statewide expansion
were already in private school at
their parent's expense before
taxpayers started picking up the
tab.
I believe that public dollars belong
in public schools and if you take
even one dollar of public money you
need to be subject to
accountability.
And yes, over time I am going to
bring the private voucher scheme to
an end as we increase the
quality and the capacity of our
public schools because the most
important thing to me as a parent
and what I hope my legacy will be
as governor is to restore
Wisconsin in our rightful place as
the best public education state in
the nation.
So a three-year-old child, for
example, in the city of Milwaukee
would not qualify for a voucher
under your plan.
Correct unless they were enrolled in
a 3k program or if their sibling
was already in one.
Thank you. Mr. Brennan, do you
support ending or dialing back the
state's voucher program?
And specifically, what does that
look like for Milwaukee?
Yeah, and I do support
some putting back the cap on for
the statewide program, which has
come off. I think that there are,
we've already talked about some of
the accountability. There's a
transparency issue.
We should pass a state law that says
on your property tax bill, you can
see how much the city, the county,
the public schools, and how much
vouchers are costing.
Like all of those things are
important. I'm a proud parent.
My kids went to Milwaukee public
schools for about 22 years.
But let me add a dose of reality
here. There is not going to be
a bill that passes in the
legislature that is put on the
governor's desk right now to end
vouchers in Milwaukee.
You know why? Because there are
representatives in Milwaukee who
represent the city of Milwaukee for
whom more than half of the people
who live there are sending their
kids to private schools.
We have to live in the real world.
This is an issue that is dividing
Democrats because in Milwaukee,
what parents deserve is a great
option. And I want to make sure our
public schools are better than any,
bar none. And we have the largest
achievement gap in the country right
here in my hometown.
That's not acceptable.
So the results aren't what we want.
We need to hold everybody
accountable. You know who doesn't
like accountability?
Lousy schools, no matter what kind
of school they are. So we need to
make sure we are holding ourselves
accountable. But we need also make
sure that we are, you
know, living in the real world here
because I wouldn't put
legislators in a position where
they're going to have to
tell parents that they can't send
their kids to school. To your dad.
Let's say a bill got to your desk. Would you sign
a bill that reduced vouchers in the
city of Milwaukee?
I wouldn't right now because I think
we need to make sure that we are
doing right by everybody in the
city of Milwaukee. There are changes
to be made. The largest recipient of
vouchers in the state, $44 million
to a virtual school.
Thank you, Mr. Rodney. Those are the types
of things we can change.
Miss Hong, you are calling for a
responsible transition away from
the, quote, unfair voucher program.
Does that include fully eliminating
vouchers in Milwaukee?
You know, I'm a very proud daughter
of immigrants, a single mom
where my son is going to the same
public school district that I came
through in my hometown of Madison.
I believe that public dollars not
only belong in public schools,
but one of the reasons that
privatization has grown across the
country is that, you know, it's
public institutions of education
that are one of our last remaining
democratic institutions.
And if we don't have strong public
schools we can't have a strong
democracy. Our plan would
ensure property tax
transparency.
I was in Luxembourg, Wisconsin
at the dairy breakfast talking
to a gentleman who had no idea about
the voucher program and when he
found out that the statewide program
is where some of the public
dollars were going into private
schools, he was shocked.
Ending that statewide program and
implementing property tax
transparency, and then moving
to Milwaukee and Racine and
looking at accountability and
transparency measures that is
uniform across what public schools
are having to be audited
for and the different regulations
that public schools are responsible
for. And I will say I introduced
the Healthy School Meals for All
legislation, and that is a
bill that would include all students
in K through 12.
It includes vouchers and includes
private schools, schools for the
visually impaired.
And this is a type of bill that not
only helps to reduce costs for
families, but would help all
students across the state.
Just to the point of fully
eliminating vouchers in Milwaukee.
Your plan?
It has to be a responsible
program and process where
we work directly with the families
and the different schools where
the voucher program, depending on
how expansive it is in the
school, but it would need to come to
an end and I can see, I don't want
to put a firm number on it,
but I do believe that, again,
public dollars coming in public
schools, understanding that we
have built this system where it's
deeply inequitable and I think that
it's important that we put in the
responsibilities of working with our
partners to end the program in
Milwaukee.
Eventually a full end in the city of
Milwaukee
I believe that that is what
bringing a responsible end
to the voucher program is, Matt.
Thank you.
Let's talk about data centers, and
Marquette's latest poll, 76%
of Wisconsinites say they believe
the costs outweigh the benefits.
And that includes a majority of
Democrats, independents, and
Republicans.
You've all outlined varying plans on
how you would approach the boom in
data centers from new regulations to
construction moratoriums.
State lawmakers recently attempted
to pass a series of regulations, but
they failed to pass the full
legislature.
If lawmakers can't agree and if you
believe in local control, what
really can you do as governor, Mr.
Crowley?
Well, one, we need to,
it's unfortunate that the
legislature actually left session
without actually putting any guard
rails in place.
And so as governor, we needed to
make sure that we're protecting
ourselves from the data centers that
are currently here.
I do have the same concerns that
many folks have across this state,
but I think a moratorium, a
short-term moratorium doesn't
address the long-term concerns that
we have.
And so, as governor we will make
sure we hold these data centers
accountable, that they pay for the
energy used, they pay the grid
upgrades, and they bring the
approach to bring your own new clean
energy.
We need these data centers to be as
close to 100% renewable energy as
much as possible.
But they can go anywhere in this
country. But we have to understand
that our clean air, our clean water,
it doesn't stop at the borders of
Wisconsin. And so as county
executive we have put in place a
climate action plan to reduce our
carbon emissions and we're 50% of
the way there.
And we need to make sure that we're
having that same level of
accountability here in the state of
Wisconsin.
But if they are going to be here,
let's make sure we're utilizing
union labor.
Let's see project labor agreements,
prevailing wage, and community
benefit agreements across the entire
state because we're all going to be
affected and I believe they should
be subsidizing our energy
use if they're going to be here.
You said they could go anywhere, do
you want them here?
I can hear you.
You said, they could, go anywhere.
Do you want, them here in Wisconsin?
Well, we need to make sure that we
have a framework in place to protect
ourselves moving forward because
right now we don't have anything
right now with what's already here.
Ms. Hong, if lawmakers, they
can't agree on any regulations, if
you believe in local control, what
can you really do as governor?
I introduced the legislation
that puts a moratorium on the
construction of new AI data centers
and I would call a special session
into play so
that the legislature can take up
that legislation or the other
democratic legislation that
had been introduced by my colleagues
and yet Robin Voss ended session
early.
I think it's important that we have
enforceable regulation, that we
bring union workers to the table,
that this is very similar to what
I believe could be seen as more
bargaining to make sure that we're
protecting union jobs and that
you know the natural resources
we're letting some of the big tech
companies know that they are not for
sale and until we fully fund
the Department of Natural Resources
and we have the actual regulations
to hold polluters
accountable that we are including
in the Public Service Commission you
know different types of phases where
we have stricter legislation and
clear definitions of how data
centers can actually move forward
this moratorium is necessary
so that we can responsibly and
put in enforcement mechanisms
to protect communities and
seeing local governments already put
moratoriums into play.
We want people to have local
control, but we also want to make
sure that there are the guardrails,
the legal resources, and that
if data centers are going to come
here in our state, that they pay
their own way and actually pay up
front. And I think it's important to
say that, you know, the data centers
that currently exist in our state
you know there is a sales tax
exemption with over 2.1
billion dollars that could go back
into infrastructure for clean
renewable energy green union
jobs
Thank you, Mr. Brennan, if
lawmakers can agree and you believe
in local control, what can you do to
address the data centers?
Three words to start with, get new
lawmakers. That's why the stakes
are so important this year.
That's we need a nominee who's going
to win down ballot and
make sure we can have a majority in
the state assembly and the state
senate. Once we do that, what people
think about when they think about
data centers, they are angry.
They're angry because government has
failed them. The state got into the
data center game and they put no
guardrails on.
And I have not called for a
moratorium, but I have said that I
would put a pause on the
construction of new data centers.
Not for a year, but in the first
hundred days, we can do four things.
We can make sure that nobody
watching tonight pays for the
construction, the operation, the
transmission, the ultimate
retirement of these.
Make sure that there are real teeth
in the environmental regulations,
making sure that they're having to
do renewables.
Make sure there are Wisconsin union
workers who are building these if
they happen here.
And number four, make sure that
there never going to be the
nondisclosure agreements that are
the reason why people don't trust
government, why they're so
angry about these things.
If we can demonstrate in that first
hundred days, and there's good
legislation that's gone through 12
drafts and Democrats and Republicans
both and stakeholders have had
involvement in that, if we can do
that in the first hundred days, it's
not going to make everybody happy,
but it's going to set the bar and
take away that uncertainty and take
away another reason why people
distrust government and why they're
so angry. Like, that's, I think,
what gov-
Mr. Lawrence.
So, as a governor, the
response has to be bigger than
buzzwords.
Now, I do think that there should be
no new data center construction
without those guard rails in place.
If a community rejects
a data center proposal, then there
should no new datacenter
constructed.
And with the guard rails, with the
framework that protects our natural
resources, that makes sure that
water quality, air quality is
protected, that also makes sure
people's utility rates aren't
increasing. If that framework is
in place, it also needs to be
retroactively applied to existing
data centers.
And we also have to have a renewable
energy mandate to make sure that
they are contributing energy back to
the grid. And I want us all to, you
know, caution especially, you
because I do, again, no new data
center construction without those
guardrails in place.
But even as the representative
mentioned, a full in urban Milwaukee
was reported that a full data
center moratorium may face legal
repercussions. Those were the words
of the representatives, not mine.
And it is important for us to
empower the Department of Natural
Resources to make sure that they
have the funding to engage
in the ongoing quality monitoring
of these data centers to ensure that
they aren't negatively impacting air
or water quality.
Mr. Barnes, thank you. Ms.
Royce.
Something that none of my colleagues
have mentioned, even though we are
all running for governor, is using
executive power against the
existing projects that are under
construction and were put under
construction over the strenuous
objections of those communities.
We have a Department of Natural
Resources that should be protecting
our air and our soil and our water.
We have a public service commission
that needs to be much more
aggressive about making sure that
the big guys are not
asking us to subsidize
them. I have put forth the strongest
legislation and the strongest plan
of the candidates in this race to
actually address and stop
the unregulated development of data
centers because I believe the status
quo is totally unacceptable.
The moratorium bill has very little
support and is unlikely to pass, but
the strong regulation bill that many
of my colleagues have described is
poised to pass in January.
But I will not stop there.
I will also establish a public
negotiating team so that any
community that decides it would like
to engage with a data center has
the opportunity to have expert
negotiators.
I will increase shared revenue so
that communities don't feel
desperate like they have to.
I will end the subsidies for
data centers because they should be
paying us and not the other way
around. And when a community
decides, yes, we've reached
agreement, I will charge an
upfront fee that they will pay to
the state on the order of hundreds
of millions of dollars to finance
a clean infrastructure public
bank.
I apologize if I cut you off here,
we are kind of running up against
time. Everything you've talked about
tonight relies on a democratically
controlled legislature.
Miss Hong, what happens if there's a
divided government or Republicans
control the legislature and your
governor?
You know, I have passed bipartisan
legislation, the one where
it would require K-12
schools to teach Asian American
history. So much of
working in government has to
do with building strong
relationships, and I have done that
with Republicans.
I am willing to work with anyone at
the table who wants to actually
deliver for working class families
and improve lives and work on
policies that are going to be
deliverables. And I believe that
shared revenue, health care,
and public education are three areas
and some of my top priorities where
Republicans have shown some
support. And I've talked to them
about these issues.
And so I believe, that even with the
split legislature, my focus and my
leadership will ensure that we are
governing to actually deliver for
working class families across the
state.
Thank you, Mr. Barnes.
How do you get anything done with
Republicans?
Well, I can tell you that's why this
race is so important.
That's why rejecting this broken
system matters so much.
That's, why rejecting the status quo
is so important when people go to
cast the ballot.
Look, we'll never be as bold
as we need to be as a state if we
continue down this path that we've
been going. And it's been mentioned
that the county executive had his
campaign resurrected by special
interests in a dark room with people
with their thumb on a scale.
This means things will always
be the same with that sort of
leadership. We should be asking for
more. We should be demanding more.
And if we lead with a bold platform,
we implement a mandate.
We have a mandate to govern in
the interests of people in a way
that we have never done before, and
that's what this race is about.
Thank you Mr. Crowley, how do you
work with Republicans?
Get anything done.
You know, I served in the state
legislation, like many of my
colleagues here, but none of them
have actually run local government.
You know I'm the county executive of
the largest community and when I was
elected in 2020,
we had to work to get Act 12 passed
and we worked with Democrats and
Republicans and we've done it in
Republican controlled legislatures
and I do believe that we'll get a
lot more done.
Thank you, believe it or not, it is
now time for closing statements.
We did choose randomly with
the campaigns present to determine
the order.
Each candidate will have 30 seconds
for a final thought and we will
begin with Mr. Brennan.
Thank you very much.
While you've seen differences
amongst us today, we
have a common threat.
It's losing to Tom Tiffany and
Donald Trump.
And the stakes have never been
higher. We can build 100,000 new
homes. We can expand badger care.
We can stop having property
taxpayers pitted against kids in
Wisconsin, but we have to win in
order to do that.
For 25 years, I have been somebody
who has solved problems.
I'll be a governor who's more
interested in results than rhetoric.
I hope that I can get your
support on August 11th and November
3rd. Thanks for tuning in tonight.
Mr. Crowley.
I want to first and foremost thank
our moderators for hosting us,
and I want to thank all of you who
are tuning in today.
You know, my story is like
Wisconsin's story.
I grew up learning the values of
hard work, resilience, and
to stand up when somebody tries
to knock you down.
But people all across this state are
struggling every single day.
And I know what that feels like.
They need a governor who's going to
deliver for them on day one.
And that's why I have received the
endorsements of folks like Tony
Evers, Governor Evers our labor
unions, and folks all across our
state because they know I will be
delivering the results that's going
to make a great impact.
I look forward to having your vote
on August 11th.
Ms. Royce.
All of us on this stage are good
people.
For 25 years, I have
been turning the good ideas that
we've shared into state law
in the toughest of political
environments.
I've stood up to bullies and
billionaires just like Donald Trump.
And I will never stop fighting to
build the Wisconsin that all of us
deserve working alongside you as I
have throughout my career.
We need all hands on deck in this
high stakes moment to protect our
rights and freedoms, to deliver
health care for all, and to make
sure that every child has a great
public school.
I ask for your vote on August 11th.
Mr. Barnes.
To everybody watching at home, I
want you to know that the
establishment is trying to rig this
election. They want you choose
between their preferred candidate
and also Republican billionaires are
lining up to the tune of $3.5
million to choose a Democratic
nominee in this race.
I'm here to say that's BS.
I've been a progressive fighter
who's taken on the tough fights, but
also the only candidate on this
stage who's actually defeating Tom
Tiffany according to the most recent
Marquette poll.
We can get things done, but it
starts on August 11th.
I'm asking for your support so that
we can go into November with the
strength and that we can into
January with the mandate to govern
in the interest of people.
Ms. Hall.
Thank you so much to the viewers
this evening.
I am your fighter, fighting
alongside you and fighting for you.
And this is a movement moment.
Our campaign is a one that has built
a bipartisan coalition where we
have reached voters in every part
of the state.
Republicans, independents,
democratic socialists, and
democrats, they have come together
and already uniting.
We are already beating Tom Tiffany,
whether it comes to the number of
donors, whether it come to the
individual donations.
I think it's time for this moment of
unity and I'm the leader to meet
that moment.
That was quick and we did it.
We made it. Our sincere thank you to
the candidates this evening for
being here tonight and thank you to
everyone watching at home.
If you missed any part of tonight's
debate, it will be available on the
12 News app, YouTube and streaming
on Very Local.
You can look for post debate
analysis Sunday on Upfront.
Election day is Tuesday, August
11th, early in person voting already
underway. Thanks so much for your
time tonight.
Have a good night.