WASHINGTON, D.C. - Michigan is headed for a hotly contested Senate race next year as Sen. Gary Peters (D) faces off against Republican John James, a 38-year-old African American military veteran who’s widely seen as a rising star within the GOP.

The Senate race will take place in a crucial battleground state that will be heavily fought-over in the 2020 presidential election after President Trump narrowly edged out Hillary Clinton in the previous contest.

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Bi-partisan effort to designate and mark STH 33 in Columbia County as the Staff Sergeant Daniel D. Busch Memorial Highway.

MADISON - When you hear or read the news, everything can seem like it’s in freefall. From partisan bickering, to major disagreements on issues that have an enormous effect on Wisconsinites. However, it is important to remember that a majority of the laws that are passed are able to move through the legislature with bipartisan support. That was the case with a simple, yet important bill that was introduced earlier this year. On March 7, 2019, Senator Jon Erpenbach and Representative Dave Considine introduced a proposal to designate and mark STH 33 in Columbia County as the Staff Sergeant Daniel D. Busch Memorial Highway.

On May 21, 2019, Senator Erpenbach and Representative Considine had the honor of submitting testimony to the Senate Committee on Transportation, Veterans, and Military Affairs on Senate Bill 84/Assembly Bill 77– the Staff Sergeant D. Busch Memorial Highway Bill. They were able to share the story behind the proposal in front of the family and friends of this Wisconsin hero, and with this bill, his story will be marked in Wisconsin history for years to come.

The bills honors the service and heroism of a young veteran who gave his life for his country. It does so by directing the Department of Transportation (DOT) to designate 9.5 miles of State Highway 33 that lie in the 81st Assembly District and the 27th Senate District as the Staff Sergeant Daniel D. Busch Memorial Highway.

Staff Sergeant Daniel D. Busch was a U.S. Army Ranger and a member of the U.S. Army Special Operations Delta Force. He was posthumously awarded the Silver Star Medal for gallantry in action against a hostile enemy force on October 3, 1993 for his actions while serving with Task Force Ranger in Mogadishu, Somalia.

During the operation, the helicopter that Staff Sergeant Busch was in was shot down by enemy fire. He immediately exited the aircraft, took control of a key intersection, and provided suppressive fire against overwhelming enemy forces. In the course of these heroic actions Staff Sergeant Busch received his fatal wound while ensuring the survival of his fellow team members. A hero to not only his fellow Rangers, Staff Sergeant Busch left behind a wife, child, mother and a mourning community.

With this bill, we have publicly honored this Wisconsin hero who sacrificed his life for his fellow soldiers, and for his country. Staff Sergeant Busch was a service member of tremendous character and integrity who deserves to be honored with this public road naming.

Thanks to our veterans, we are able to maintain our freedom and safety here in America. This bill is one small way to memorialize a true hero’s legacy. Yet, there is still legislation that we need to pass to give back to those who give so much for our country, such as access to quality health care – including mental health care, programs to transition veterans back into our workforce, and veteran housing.

Staff Sergeant Daniel D. Busch is a hero to both Senator Erpenbach and Representative Considine, the community, and our country. On Tuesday, November 19, they joined the family of SSG Daniel D. Busch for the bill signing of AB 77 at Portage High School. The bill was signed by Governor Evers during a ceremony that morning.

Bill was co-introduced by Senator Erpenbach.

WEST POINT – On Tuesday, November 19, Senator Erpenbach and Representative Considine joined Governor Evers for the signing of Assembly Bill 77, the Staff Sergeant Daniel D. Busch Memorial Highway Bill. In attendance was the family of SSG Daniel D. Busch, including his widow, Traci Winius, his son, Mitchell, his mother, Ginny Johnson, and his cousin Brian Wheeler, Brian’s wife, Staci, and their kids, Sidney and Walker.

Introduced by Senator Erpenbach and Representative Considine, the bill directs the Department of Transportation (DOT) to designate 9.5 miles of State Highway 33 that lie in the 81st Assembly District and the 27th Senate District as the Staff Sergeant Daniel D. Busch Memorial Highway, and publically honors the service and heroism of a young veteran who gave his life for his country.

The bill was passed through the Senate and the Assembly with bipartisan support and was signed into law by Governor Evers at a ceremony this morning. Senator Erpenbach gave the following statement:

“Staff Sergeant Daniel D. Busch is an American hero, who gave his life to protect his fellow U.S. Army Rangers in Mogadishu, Somalia on October 3, 1993,” said Senator Erpenbach. “He was a man of tremendous character and integrity who deserves to be honored. Thank to our veterans such as SSG Busch, we are able to maintain our freedom and safety here in our country, and I am glad that we are publically honoring the service of this Wisconsin hero.”

MADISON, WI - Today, Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Ben Wikler released the following statement on American Education Week:

“We are grateful to have a Governor in Tony Evers who values public education so highly, especially at a time when our education system is systematically under attack by Donald Trump and his Secretary of Education Betsy Devos. Trump broke his promise to deliver “great education” to our children when he made it his administration’s policy to strip our public classrooms of funding and hand it to unaccountable voucher schools.

“We know that a quality education is instrumental for an individual’s future success -- especially when they aren’t born into the families of billionaires. Public education built our middle class and gave millions of Americans the ability to live a comfortable and fulfilling life. That tradition is being shredded in front of our very eyes, and is a threat to future generations and the overall health of our nation.

“If we are serious about reviving the middle class, creating the next generation of entrepreneurs and skilled workers, we need to invest in our public education system, not strip it to the bone. Democrats will continue to fight to ensure every child receives a quality education, and we will continue to oppose any effort by Trump and DeVos to belittle public education in Wisconsin and across the country.”

37-year-old South Bend, Ind., mayor has become an alternative choice, tapping into a desire for a fresh face in Washington.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Pete Buttigieg is surging in the 2020 primary, capitalizing on a Democratic Party wrestling with its political identity.

In a year when Democrats are struggling to choose between a string of septuagenarian candidates, strategists say the 37-year-old South Bend, Ind., mayor has become an alternative choice, tapping into a desire for a fresh face in Washington.

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Republican Rejects Her Own Bill to Fund Wisconsin Homeless Centers

MADISON – On the last Senate session day of the 2019 fall floor period, Senate Republicans blocked action to fund homeless shelters across Wisconsin. Assembly Bill 119 (AB 119) is a bipartisan bill that passed unanimously out of both Assembly and Senate committees and passed before the full Assembly. Despite being a co-author of AB 119, Senator Alberta Darling (R-River Hills) voted against the bill jeopardizing funding for Wisconsin’s most vulnerable residents.

“How can voters trust Senator Darling to do the right thing when she is willing to vote against her own bill,” said SSDC Executive Director Katie Iliff. “It is unconscionable that she is willing to leave children and families out in the cold while prioritizing tax breaks for her wealthy donors. To make matters worse, Senator Darling and the rest of the Senate Republicans called it quits until next year, further delaying action on AB 119.”

AB 119 would have provided $500,000 for homeless shelters across Wisconsin and was voted down on a party-line vote. The Senate isn’t expected to reconvene until January 2020.

Last minute entry greeted with consternation and anger by some Democrats.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Michael Bloomberg’s possible entrance into the presidential race sent shock waves throughout the Democratic primary field this week, as campaigns scrambled to size up a potential rival whose high profile and vast personal fortune threatens a major shift in the contest.

News of the former New York City mayor’s plans were greeted with consternation and anger by some Democrats, who see the move as late-breaking and disruptive, coming less than three months before the first votes are cast in the nominating contest.

At the same time, Bloomberg’s centrist views and personal wealth would likely put him in direct competition with former Vice President Joe Biden and South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg, the leading moderates in the Democratic race.

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MADISON, WI - On Wednesday, Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Ben Wikler hosted a press call to reveal the number of doors knocked, the amount of money raised, and the digital impact the state party made during the one year out weekend of action. He was joined by State Senator Patty Schachtner and Assemblywoman Robyn Vining who discussed issues they heard the most about in rural and suburban Wisconsin, respectively.

Schachtner won a seat that had been held by Republicans for 17 years and Vining picked up a seat that previously belonged to Scott Walker. Winning back voters in rural and suburban Wisconsin will be crucial for Democrats winning back the state in 2020.

WHAT: Announcement about DPW’s Weekend of Action success, discussion on issues facing voters in rural and suburban Wisconsin.

WHO: Ben Wikler, DPW Chair

Patty Schachtner, State Senator for the 10th District

Robyn Vining, Assemblywoman for the 14th District

WHEN: November 6, 1:00 PM CT

State Democrats begin campaign to knock on 50,000 doors before the 2020 presidential election.

MADISON, WI - This weekend, the Democratic Party of Wisconsin set out to knock 50,000 doors a year out from the 2020 presidential election. Thousands of volunteers blanketed the state, communicating with infrequent, independent, and disgruntled Republican voters, breaking the goal that was set out for them.

“We knocked more doors this weekend then in the entirety of 2015 leading up to the 2016 election,” DPW Chair Ben Wikler said. “We haven’t stopped organizing since the year leading up to the 2018 election, when we saw our hard work payoff as we won every statewide election. We are continuing that work, making sure that voters know Donald Trump has broken his promises, leaving them with higher health care costs, stagnant wages, and a trade war that is crippling our farmers, manufacturers, and small businesses. We’re mobilizing every Wisconsin voter possible by ensuring they know they can’t afford four more years of Donald Trump in the White House.”

See below for coverage of the Wisconsin Democrats efforts.

La Crosse -- WKBT

Eau Claire -- WEAU

Wausau -- WAOW

Superior -- WDIO

Green Bay - WBAY

Sun Prairie -- WMTV

Milwaukee -- WDJT

Waukesha -- CNN

INDIANOLA, Iowa - There may be no surer sign that a campaign is gaining traction than when its opponents begin to attack.

And the attacks are beginning to come against South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg, until now virtually unchallenged in his improbable rise through the crowded field of Democratic presidential candidates.

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