GOP Senator has manufactured not one, but two delays in the release of funds to prevent suicides, all for partisan points.

MADISON – In an effort to reduce the suicide rate in Wisconsin, Governor Tony Evers allocated $220,000 over the biennium in his 2019-2021 state budget for the Hopeline, a suicide prevention hotline. However, Joint Finance Committee (JFC) Co-Chair, Senator Alberta Darling, and JFC Republicans delayed the release of those crucial funds in the name of politics. Despite the urgent need for suicide prevention funding, Sen. Darling waited months to release funds available for Hopeline that provides counseling to those contemplating suicide.

“According to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, suicides in Wisconsin spiked 40 percent between 2013 and 2017. For months, Sen. Alberta Darling ignored a dire need throughout the state for urgent action on the suicide epidemic that grips communities of all kinds in our state,” said Katie Iliff, SSDC Executive Director. “Providing the necessary resources to prevent Wisconsinites from taking their own lives shouldn’t be subject to partisan politics. This is a crisis facing people in every corner of the state and the funds for the suicide prevention hotline should have been released months ago.”

This is the second instance of Sen. Darling playing politics with funds available in the state budget to prevent suicides. Governor Evers’ budget included $200,000 in mental health funding for farmers burdened by the challenge of President Trump’s trade war with international partners. Darling and JFC Republicans delayed the release of those funds for months - even as Wisconsin’s family farmers demanded assistance from state lawmakers.

“Sen. Darling has manufactured not one, but two delays in the release of funds to prevent suicides -- all for partisan points. Time and time again, she has shown that she values political games over doing what is best for the people of Wisconsin,” concluded Iliff.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The impeachment inquiry into President Trump has shaken up the Democratic race for the White House.

Democratic consultants and strategists say the impeachment inquiry could help some candidates like Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who got on the impeachment train early and has been climbing in the polls.

The impeachment proceedings could also boost former vice president Joe Biden — who found himself at the epicenter of the controversy which launched the inquiry — underscoring his claims that he’s the candidate Trump is most wary of facing in a general election.

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NEW YORK - New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio exited the 2020 presidential race on Friday.

"I feel like I have contributed all I can to this primary election. It’s clearly not my time, so I’m going to end my presidential campaign," de Blasio said in an interview with on MSNBC's "Morning Joe."

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MADISON, WI - The Democratic Party of Wisconsin (DPW) will be moving forward with its delegate selection plan for the 2020 Democratic National Convention today by providing the media with attached information on how interested Democrats can apply to become delegates. It is the goal of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin that its 2020 delegation reflect the diversity of its broad coalition.

The 2020 Democratic National Convention will be held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on July 13 to 16th, 2020. The convention is a major event in the life of a political party and convention delegates are at the heart of all decisions made. In addition to voting for the party’s presidential and vice presidential nominee, delegates to the Democratic National Convention have an opportunity to vote on the party’s platform and resolutions, as well as the rules that govern the party.

Wisconsin will select a total of 90 delegates and 6 alternates for the 2020 convention.

Any qualified Wisconsin elector who subscribes to the beliefs of the Democratic Party is eligible to run for a spot as a convention delegate to the National Convention.

There are four types of delegates:

• - Congressional District Level Delegates
• - Pledged Party Leader and Elected Official Delegates (PLEO)
• - At-Large Delegates
• - Automatic Delegates

In addition, the party will elect members to serve on the convention’s three standing committees: Credentials, Platform and Rules.

For more information on how to apply, contact Courtney Beyer, Communications Director, Democratic Party of Wisconsin at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for an overview on how people can apply to become delegates to the 2020 Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee.

Will be at Wisconsin Maritime Center of Excellence--WMCOE, 1320 Main St, Marinette, on Monday September 16th, 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) are battling to be seen as the main alternative to former Vice President Joe Biden in the Democratic presidential race.

Warren has been climbing in polls in recent weeks, surpassing Sanders in some surveys.

But Sanders, who in 2016 was the progressive alternative to front runner Hillary Clinton in the Democratic presidential race, is holding relatively firmly in the polls. He’s been ahead of Warren and in second place in some surveys, and his team continues to believe it is being underestimated.

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NEW YORK - Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) announced Wednesday she is dropping out of the presidential race after failing to qualify for the September primary debate.

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Democrats wish the Duffy family well as they face the medical challenges ahead.

MADISON - The following is a statement from Democratic Party of Wisconsin chair Ben Wikler on news that Rep. Sean Duffy will be resigning from Congress:

“The Democratic Party of Wisconsin sends its well wishes to the Duffy family as they face the medical challenges ahead. During the fight against the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, I worked closely with the families of children born with congenital heart defects. Nurturing these children is a full-time job, and one that takes great emotional strength from the families who love them. I will be hoping for the best for Sean and Rachel as they prepare to welcome their child to the world.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Joe Biden's electability argument is increasingly showing signs of weakness.

A Monmouth University national poll released Monday found Biden falling by 13 points and in a three-way tie nationally with Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).

Democrats say it’s the latest piece of evidence that the former vice president can’t expect to win, simply by running on the idea that he is the candidate best positioned to defeat President Trump in a general election.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. - The quest for the Democratic presidential nomination is becoming a four-horse race.

Marginal candidates at the bottom of the large field have begun to drop out — Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) became the latest to do so on Friday — and a deadline is looming this week to qualify for the third round of debates in Houston in September.

Meanwhile, at the head of the pack, only a major surprise would deliver the nomination to anyone outside the top quartet: former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.).

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