Evers' efforts have put many hard-working Laborers to work and is a down payment for creating future jobs with good wages and benefits

Latest GOP crusade could put hundreds of thousands of Wisconsin seniors’ Medicare and Social Security on the chopping block.

"Why do Republican politicians want to take away money from millions of Wisconsin residents who rely on it and have paid into it throughout their working lives?” - Wausau Pilot

A pilgrimage to Mar-a-Lago has become a requisite for Wisconsin Republicans in 2022.

Travels to Oak Creek, Racine, Waukesha, Madison, Oshkosh, Reiterates Support for Organized Labor

Milwaukee - This week, new polling data from Marquette Law School showed Alex Lasry is gaining significant ground in the Democratic Primary, he also traveled to Racine and Oshkosh, and further demonstrated his strong support of organized labor by visiting Wisconsin’s first unionized Starbucks in Oak Creek.

The Marquette Poll showed Alex’s support continuing to rise, improving to just 3 points behind Mandela Barnes, 19% - 16%, well within the margin of error. This is an improvement from 10 points behind in last month’s Marquette Poll. No other candidate in the race received more than 7% of the vote.

The poll also showed Senator Ron Johnson is viewed unfavorably by 46% of voters, his highest unfavorable rating ever in the Marquette Poll.

“Alex Lasry is rapidly gaining support and has made this primary into a statistical tie,” said Garren Randolph, Alex’s campaign manager. “The more voters hear from Alex, the more support he gains. Wisconsinites want their next U.S. Senator to be someone with a proven record of delivering real results for working families. Alex will win this primary and be the Democratic nominee who beats Ron Johnson this fall.”

Alex Released a Statement on Starbucks Unionization Efforts In Dane County

Milwaukee – On Thursday, Alex Lasry voiced his support for the workers at the three Dane County Starbucks stores that filed for union representation Monday, throwing his support behind local workers fighting to make things better at their workplace.

“Since the very beginning of this campaign, I’ve told folks that I want to bring real change and real results to the people of Wisconsin. Supporting local unionization to make things better for people in the workplace is the perfect way to do that,” said Alex Lasry.

“I’m proud to stand beside these brave workers as they fight for change in their workplace. One step at a time, the Union Strong movement is making real change for workers across the state, and as Wisconsin’s next Senator, I will fight every day to help them.”

Alex has a proven track record of delivering real results for Wisconsinites – whether it’s creating good union jobs, paying a $15-dollar minimum wage, or investing in and helping grow Wisconsin’s economy. Alex led negotiations for a historic project labor agreement that included provisions to hire women and minorities that are often underrepresented among union workers, and he has been a leading voice in advocating for the ongoing unionization movement.

The Lasry campaign is also one of the only campaigns across the country and the only one in Wisconsin that has a unionized campaign staff.

Michels Corp. of Brownsville has received more than $660 million in payments from the state in the last five years, and GOP candidate wants the good times to continue even if he’s elected Governor.

MADISON - New reporting shows Tim Michels plans to continue his history of unethical business practices by encouraging his family’s construction business to keep seeking millions in state contracts if he’s elected governor. This despite there being a “state law bar[ring] officials from taking actions that benefit them financially,” creating “ethical challenges” for Michels.

Michels entered the Wisconsin GOP primary for governor this week after years of helping run a business with a record of being sued for shady business practices. He plans to run a “largely self-funded” campaign using the fortune he’s amassed from Michels Corp., which once scammed taxpayers by double-charging for a construction job and received millions of dollars in state contracts as Michels and his family donated thousands to former Republican Gov. Scott Walker’s campaigns.

Asked whether his company would continue to seek state contracts if he became governor, Michels said, “I certainly hope so.” In an attempt to tamp down the controversy, Michels has offered up an empty solution that would do nothing to stop a Gov. Michels from sending state tax dollars into his family’s coffers.

In the nasty, crowded GOP primary, Michels’ potential conflict of interest has already become a point of attack for his Republican opponents. A spokeswoman for Kevin Nicholson slammed Michels as part of the “Madison industrial complex.”

“Tim Michels is just another self-serving politician who would put his own business interests above the needs of working Wisconsinites,” said DGA Senior Communications Advisor Christina Amestoy. “Voters deserve to know that their tax dollars won’t go towards filling the next governor’s pockets, and Michels and his fellow Republican candidates for governor can’t deliver that promise.”

Read the full article below:

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Tim Michels wants his family’s construction business to keep seeking state contracts if he is governor, raising ethics questions

MADISON, Wis. – The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported yesterday that Rebecca Kleefisch is again casting doubt on the legitimacy of the 2020 election and is doubling down on lies that the election in Wisconsin was “rigged” against Donald Trump.

This conspiracy, which she now also compares to the NFL’s “deflategate” scandal, comes as a fourth candidate enters the Republican gubernatorial race in Wisconsin. With more candidates, and less attention on her from Trump, there is only one direction for Kleefisch to go and that’s further to the right. 

Even in his first interview as a candidate, Tim Michels began questioning the 2020 election. More on the issue can be expected soon as Michels continues pandering to Donald Trump to secure an endorsement.

The rest of the GOP field also continues to deny the facts around the 2020 election. Trump-wannabe Tim Ramthun has only entered the race with the goal of decertifying Wisconsin’s election results. And Kevin Nicholson has continually doubted the validity of the 2020 election and voiced his desire to dismantle Wisconsin’s bipartisan election commission in order to put politicians from his own party in charge of election administration.

The bottom line: all four want to undermine Wisconsin’s elections and find a way for Republicans to change the results when they don’t like the outcome. It’s clear that these candidates are too radical for Wisconsin. 

Read more about Rebecca Kleefisch’s recent comments about the 2020 election below.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Rebecca Kleefisch, Wisconsin candidate for governor, says 2020 election was 'rigged,' compares Biden win to NFL's 'deflategate' scandal

Republican candidate for governor Rebecca Kleefisch is escalating her criticism of how the last presidential election was carried out in Wisconsin, calling it a "rigged" contest that produced an illegitimate president.

The characterization comes as a fourth candidate enters the Republican primary with the ability to pour millions into his campaign and a backstory that could appeal to the head of the party, former President Donald Trump. 

Seventeen months after the 2020 election, grievances over its outcome loom over Wisconsin's 2022 races as Trump continues to pressure Republicans to keep alive his false claims of widespread fraud to build momentum for his expected 2024 campaign for president. 

Recounts, court rulings, state audits and a study by a prominent conservative group have confirmed President Joe Biden won Wisconsin in 2020 by nearly 21,000 votes. None of the reviews have shown fraud manipulated the outcome of the election.

Kleefisch on Tuesday compared decisions made by Wisconsin election officials to navigate the coronavirus pandemic to those of NFL quarterback Tom Brady in 2015 when he was accused of using deflated footballs to gain an advantage for the New England Patriots in a playoff game. 

"I often compare this to deflategate," Kleefisch said in a Tuesday interview on WTAQ.

"They won the game. Did they win legitimately? Did they replay the game? These are the questions that we are facing right now on the highest level of governance," she said. 

"I can't honestly tell you results in Pennsylvania and in Arizona and other states where there are questions. I am focused exclusively on Wisconsin. And what I can tell you about Wisconsin, is that I feel like it was rigged."

Kleefisch said candidates who don't address the 2020 election should be disqualified in voters' minds, referring to Tim Michels, a wealthy construction executive from Waukesha County who entered the race last week.

[...]

Kayla Anderson, a campaign spokeswoman for Evers, said Kleefisch's comments are injecting "more chaos and division into Wisconsin elections."

"We don’t need to waste more time and taxpayer money on this politically motivated exercise," Anderson said in a statement. "Governor Evers plans to continue doing the right thing and fighting to ensure every eligible voter is able to participate in safe, fair and secure elections.”

[...]

Trump successfully pressured Assembly Speaker Robin Vos this week into keeping open a taxpayer-funded review of the 2020 election overseen by former Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman. 

The review has a budget of $676,000 and has lasted six months longer than originally planned as Gableman has missed deadlines to produce a final report into his probe.

NEW BERLIN, Wis. — Thursday, the Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers District Council of Wisconsin announced their endorsement of Governor Tony Evers’ re-election campaign.

“We’re proud to stand with Gov. Tony Evers and announce our endorsement in this critical race,” said Jim Vick, Director of Bricklayers & Allied Craftworkers of Wisconsin. “We know Gov. Evers is committed to doing the right thing for working men and women across our state. Under his leadership, Wisconsin’s economy is growing, more people are employed than ever before, and working families have the voice they deserve.

During his first term, Gov. Evers defended the rights of Wisconsin workers and worked to expand job training and apprenticeship opportunities across Wisconsin. Our members are grateful for this leadership and look forward to working with Gov. Evers during his second term.”

“I’m honored to have the support of the Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers District Council of Wisconsin and the trust of their members across the state,” said Governor Tony Evers. “As Wisconsin’s economy continues to grow, we’re counting on skilled workers to help move our state forward. That’s why we’ll continue our work to expand job training and apprenticeship opportunities, and stand with workers in every corner of the state."

The Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers District Council is the first individual statewide building trade union to endorse Gov. Evers’ re-election. They represent and train highly skilled masonry-trowel trades craftworkers across Wisconsin. More information is available at bacwi.org or by calling (262) 827-4080.

MADISON, Wis. – Rebecca Kleefisch’s tax “plan” for Wisconsin is simple: give tax breaks to the wealthy, while making working families pay more. 

Calling it a “plan” is a bit of a stretch, as Kleefisch hasn’t yet offered any specifics, but in a new report from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, she recently appeared to stop just short of explicitly endorsing switching Wisconsin to a flat tax. Under a flat tax, the wealthy get a tax break at the expense of middle and lower income families, all while working families are facing rising costs. 

Stuffing the pockets of the wealthy and big corporations is emblematic of Kleefisch’s time in the Walker administration, where time after time the wealthy collected handouts and Wisconsin’s working families had to make up the difference. The 2011 budget for example, forced certain low-income families, renters, and homeowners to carry the burden of the Walker-Kleefisch budget of nearly $69.8 million over two years. Kleefisch also recently received a “Mostly False” by PolitiFact on her claim that as Lieutenant Governor she cut the taxes of Wisconsinites.

Walker and Kleefisch also gave away $366 million in cuts to multi-state corporations, $436 million in capital gains relief for the wealthy, and agreed to give Foxconn $3 billion in state tax dollars, which would have been the largest government handout to a foreign company in American history. Rebecca Kleefisch once even told a group of wealthy business executives, “We want to know how we can love you more.”

During Governor Evers’ first term, he has made sure tax relief goes to working families, 86% of Wisconsin taxpayers are seeing an income tax cut of 15% or more. Overall, 2.4 million Wisconsin tax filers will see relief. Taxes as a share of income in Wisconsin dropped to the lowest point since at least 1970. 

“Rebecca Kleefisch has no interest in cutting your taxes if you are a low income or middle-class Wisconsinite, period,” said Democratic Party of Wisconsin Rapid Response Director Hannah Menchhoff. “In fact, under the plans Kleefisch appears to support, working families could see their tax rates increase, all while the wealthy and big corporations reap the benefits. Kleefisch said it herself: she’s not on the side of everyday Wisconsinites, she wants to know how she can love big corporations and wealthy executives more.”

MADISON, Wis. – Wednesday, Wisconsin small business owner Melissa Bucholz penned an op-ed in the Cap Times slamming Ron Johnson for voting against crucial pro-business legislation like the American Rescue Plan while prioritizing tax handouts for the ultra wealthy.

The Cap Times: Opinion | Ron Johnson Votes To Help The Rich, Not Small Business

For many Wisconsinites, Tax Day is just the deadline to file your taxes and avoid any penalties from the IRS.

For small business owners, Tax Day is also a reminder of all the ways in which tax policies at every level play a crucial role in either increasing the likelihood of survival for our businesses or making it harder to succeed. As the owner of Odd Duck restaurant for nearly a decade and having recently moved to our new location at 939 S. 2nd St. in Milwaukee, I have experienced all the ups and downs of operating a business. And when facing those ups and downs, you come into direct contact with those policies that will affect the course of your business for better or for worse.

I know firsthand what it means to have a tax credit that is meaningful to my business as opposed to a tax giveaway to the rich that makes competing as a small business even harder. When Sen. Ron Johnson voted against the American Rescue Plan last March, he voted against expansions to the Child Tax Credit and the Earned Income Tax Credit. Both are important to the success of my restaurant and small businesses across this state.

The expanded Child Tax Credit made more Wisconsin families eligible for the credit, increased the size of the credit, and made payments to parents monthly, which was huge for my employees who are raising children. When their kids are not in school, these monthly payments made child care more affordable, making it easier on them to continue working. And as small businesses like mine can attest in Wisconsin and across the country, getting more people into the workforce is critical for our business and the economy as a whole.

Additionally, the American Rescue Plan temporarily made the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit more generous and potentially refundable up to $8,000 for two or more young children or other dependents for 2021. Combined with the temporary increase in the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for workers without dependents in 2021, and expanded eligibility for the EITC reaching younger and older workers alike, these tax credits are putting more money into people’s pockets at a time they need it most in the face of rising costs. This boost for families is often the difference between paying the bills on time or wondering how they will make ends meet, and our elected officials should be working to make these temporary provisions permanent.

In light of this, I cannot understand the great pride Johnson takes in voting against these policies while touting his support for the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, where the average tax cut amounted to $30 for the poorest Wisconsinites, less than $700 for Wisconsinites making up to $113,800 in 2020, but nearly $40,000 for the richest 1% in our state. For Johnson to stand behind these tax giveaways to the rich, pretend they are uniformly benefiting us all, then argue we can’t afford to make health care and child care more affordable and accessible for the parents on my team and the families we serve every day makes clear that his priority is not looking out for "Main Street," as he claims.

Too often, politicians use Main Street as a shield to pass policies that favor their wealthy donors while corporate interests use small businesses as pawns to protect their power and profits. As we marked another Tax Day this week, I wanted to be sure you all heard from an actual small business that knows it does better when the families that are just getting by can get a little more breathing room, not when the rich can buy a bigger yacht.