Madison Attorney wants to ensure courts are fair for everyone, not just special interests and wealthy donors.

MADISON - On Monday, May 1st, 2017, Madison attorney Tim Burns announced his candidacy for Wisconsin Supreme Court, almost one year out from the 2018 election when Justice Gableman's term is set to expire.

This announcement comes just two weeks after Justice Gableman and four other justices on the Wisconsin Supreme Court refused a proposal requiring judges to recuse themselves from cases involving their big campaign donors. The Court's decision violates citizens' rights to a fair and impartial court.

The following is a statement from Tim Burns:

"I'm running for Supreme Court because I believe in our democracy. I believe our country works best when everyone has a voice in governing, not just special interests and wealthy donors. I believe in democracy because it affirms the dignity and value of each person, no matter how wealthy or how poor, no matter their education, no matter their race, no matter their creed. I also believe that the strength of our economy is inextricably tied to the strength of our democracy. When our democracy is strong, our economy is strong.

"When I was young our courts were the great equalizer. They made sure that everybody got a fair shot. Now our courts have become the tools of special interests and their efforts to obtain opportunities for themselves. Those special interests are now getting a free ride, and they are weakening our democracy to make sure their free ride continues. That has to stop."

****

Tim Burns is a partner at a law firm in Madison, WI. He is a former co-chair of the Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee of the American Bar Association.

A graduate of University of Missouri-Columbia Law School, Tim is licensed in Wisconsin, Illinois and Missouri. Tim's national practice focuses on making insurance companies live up to their obligations to their policyholders. Tim also serves on the national board of the American Constitution Society and he chairs the Fair and Impartial Courts Committee of the Civil Rights and Social Justice Section of the American Bar Association.

Tim and his wife Pam, have chosen Middleton to raise their family. Married for over 20 years, they have three children.

MADISON - After failing to pass a health care bill and avoiding speaking with his constituents all year, Speaker Paul Ryan will finally return to his district today to receive an award for his "Excellence in Leadership" at Celebrazione Italiana in Kenosha this evening. 

Since 1999, Speaker Ryan has only passed three bills that have become law where he was the lead sponsor, and this year, he's been the poster boy for Republican's legislative failures in 2017 - including an embarrassing failure to pass a Republican health care bill to replace the popular Affordable Care Act. 

Furthermore, the Speaker has drawn criticism from his own constituents for failing to hold a town hall in 2017. Speaker Paul Ryan has only hosted one town hall in 2017... on CNN, where his dance moves got more attention than anything else. During the last Congressional recess, Ryan failed to make a trip to visit his constituents in a town hall setting, declining invitations from local grassroots organizations. Ryan's ducking of his constituents led his hometown paper, the Janesville Gazette, to opine that the Speaker of the House was detached from his district.

"Speaker Paul Ryan's definition of leadership is trying to kick 24 million people off of their health care and give huge tax giveaways to the richest people in the country - all while avoiding his own constituents," Democratic Party of Wisconsin spokesman Brandon Weathersby said on Friday. "Ryan wants all the prestige of someone who does the hard work on behalf of his constituents but doesn't want to get his hands dirty. The next piece of recognition he'll receive from the people of the First Congressional District is a pink slip in 2018."

Super PAC Attacks Get Pulled

MADISON -  Only days after a super PAC, funded by Illinois multi-millionaire, Richard Uihlein, launched a $650,000 radio ad buy, stations were compelled to pull the false attacks from the air because of the ad's unfounded lies.

"Wisconsinites are tired of the faceless political attacks filling the airwaves instead of candidates addressing the real issues facing our state. This grave issue was exploited by partisan political groups in the last election, and those same groups are trying to revive these kinds of attacks against Tammy. A shady, out-of-state super PAC will not be able to spread falsehoods and buy a seat in the Senate because the facts just aren't on their side: a Senate Select Committee on Ethics reviewed the complaints and concluded these attacks are not grounded in the truth." said Democratic Party of Wisconsin Communications Director Brandon Weathersby.

At least two stations have already pulled the ad from circulation.

Some taking heat, others want to avoid speaking face-to-face to their constituents.

MADISON - Democrats are riding high off the energy of progressive grassroots activists getting more engaged on the ground and Sen. Tammy Baldwin successfully standing up to President Donald Trump and bending his will to supporting her "Buy America" legislation. The momentum follows incredible swings in special Congressional elections held in Kansas and Georgia this month. It also comes as Democrats finished criss-crossing the state speaking to their constituents at successful local town hall meetings. Republican members of Congress, on the other hand, are limping back to Washington after a disastrous Congressional recess. 

When meeting with constituents, Sen. Ron Johnson, Rep. Sean Duffy, Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, and Rep. Glenn Grothman heard an earful from their constituents on everything from health care to immigration to the president's travel ban. Other Republicans, like Speaker Paul Ryan and Rep. Mike Gallagher, chose to avoid speaking face-to-face to their constituents altogether. 

Take a look at the coverage on their troubled two weeks out of Washington: 

Speaker Paul Ryan
Janesville Gazette: Our View: Detached from his district: "Paul Ryan, your constituents have waited long enough. It's time for a town hall, even if it's only the telephone kind. Something. Anything to show your constituents that you—not only your staff—are hearing their concerns. [...] Why are we so insistent about holding town halls? Because they're especially important during the transition from a Democratic to Republican presidency and the resultant policy upheaval. Voters in the 1st Congressional District deserve the opportunity to question their representative in a public setting to gauge his intentions. That you failed to hold a town hall before unveiling a monumental change in health care law was—to be blunt—galling." 

Representative Mike Gallagher
WPR: Wisconsin Freshman Congressman Says He's On A Reluctant Recess: "A Wisconsin freshman congressman has introduced a bill that would cut back on recesses for Congress. [...] Gallagher has no public listening sessions scheduled during the recess. Instead, he says he will meet with local businesses and employees."

Senator Ron Johnson
Isthmus: Madison students grill Sen. Ron Johnson: "Johnson struggled to answer questions relating to a number of key areas. When asked — as Education Secretary Betsy DeVos was in her confirmation hearing — whether he believed in using standards of proficiency versus growth to measure student achievement, he — like DeVos — was unable to differentiate between the two. 'You’re getting into some pretty esoteric educational pedagogy,' he told the student who asked the question. 'I’m an accountant, a plastics manufacturer.'"

Isthmus cont'd: "Johnson also struggled to articulate clear views when a student asked if Johnson would vote to go to war with North Korea. 'I can’t answer the question,” Johnson said. “I don’t know the exact circumstances.'" 

Representative Sean Duffy
Barron County Democrats: VIDEO: Sean Duffy's Rice Lake Town Hall: "Congressman Sean Duffy (R-Wausau) held a town hall in Rice Lake on Wednesday, April 19th. Despite less than 24 hours notice given to the public, the room was full of constituents who were eager to share their views on the direction of our country. He chose to double-down on his bizarre argument that any form of government assistance --including public schools and healthcare-- somehow robs us of our freedom as Americans. He also regaled us with tales of Donald Trump's work ethic and explained why Gerrymandering is good for us." 

Representative Glenn Grothman
WBAY: Environmental issues dominate town hall led by Rep. Glenn Grothman:
"The first question specifically asked about the management of the Great Lakes region.'So given the proposed cuts to EPA, what is your position on the Great Lakes Restoration project funding, and the proposed cuts to that?' asked a woman in the audience.Grothman responded saying, 'I don't blame the Appropriations Committee if they don't bring everything back up to the level it was before Donald Trump proposed these cuts, because we are broke out of our mind, but I'm confident that the program will not be gotten rid of, and I think I'm confident most of it will survive the budget process.'"

Representative Jim Sensenbrenner
Shareblue: GOP Rep defends Trump attack on internet privacy: “Nobody’s got to use the internet” (with video): "Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI) offered a strangely antiquated defense of Donald Trump’s recent decision to roll back an Obama-era protection that stopped internet providers from selling information about their customer’s browsing habits. When a concerned voter at Sensenbrenner’s town hall asked about Trump’s assault on internet privacy, Sensenbrenner told her 'nobody’s got to use the internet.'"

The Courier: Sensenbrenner constituents concerned about health care: "Affording health care was still a pressing issue at Congressman’s Jim Sensenbrenner’s town hall meeting held at the Waterloo Municipal Building Tuesday morning, April 11. About 15 constituents were in attendance. Many voiced concerns about the increasing price of Medicaid and Medicare, the American Health Care Act (ACHA) and the rising cost of premiums.  The town hall meeting kicked off with a constituent asking, 'Is healthcare a right or a privilege?' 'A privilege,' Sensenbrenner said. Even with Medicare, Sensenbrenner explained, that people have paid into it their whole lives."

"With the growing unpopularity of President Trump's agenda, It's not a surprise that Wisconsin Republicans are having a hard time trying to defend, or avoiding talking about altogether, a President who in his first 100 days attempted to impose a Muslim Ban and kick 24 million Americans off of their health insurance," Democratic Party of Wisconsin spokesperson Brandon Weathersby on Monday. "While Republicans continue to sink under the proverbial albatross that is the extremity of the Trump agenda, Democrats are energized, organized, and in great shape heading into 2018."

MADISON - For the second week in a row, President Donald Trump agrees with Senator Tammy Baldwin on a major policy issue. 

Shot: For months, Senator Baldwin urged President Trump to support her "Buy America" legislation which would require American-made products to be used in certain water infrastructure projects. Last week, during an interview with WTMJ political reporter Charles Benson, Trump announced his support for the Senator's common-sense legislation. 

Chaser: Sen. Baldwin is a champion for Wisconsin dairy farmers and she knows just how crucial they are to our made-in-Wisconsin economy. Earlier this month, she visited Five Star Dairy, LLC in Elk Mound and discussed an issue she called "front and center" on her agenda which are concerns about unfair trade practices in Canada. Baldwin called for fair rules and a level playing field for Wisconsin dairy farmers. Today, in a tweet, President Trump once again agreed with Sen. Baldwin that something must be done to level the playing field for Wisconsin dairy farmers.

Record-breaking fundraising and grassroots activism in support of Senator Tammy Baldwin's re-election makes Democrats feel ready to Win in 2018.

MADISON - Joining a chorus of stories across the country, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel published a Sunday story highlighting activism across Wisconsin that has translated to a record-breaking fundraising and grassroots activism in support of Senator Tammy Baldwin's re-election campaign.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin Democrats see new energy, challenges
By Jason Stein and Patrick Marley
April 22, 2017

MADISON – In the first three months of this year, Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin got money from twice as many new donors as she did in all of 2016 — more even than she did in her first full quarter as a Senate candidate in late 2011. She’s done it while decrying President Donald Trump and while meeting with new liberal groups that didn’t exist last fall when Democrats were dealt a bitter defeat by Trump and other Republicans.

Read more here.   This story adds to a clear trend in Wisconsin and nationally: Democrats are ready to win in 2018.   Read more about this nationwide movement that has found a stronghold in Wisconsin: Wisconsin State Journal: New faces fuel Wisconsin's 'resistance' movement, hope to achieve what past uprisings could not Politico: Republicans sound alarm on Trump's troubles ahead of 2018 Washington Post: Wisconsin Democratic senator echoes Trump’s economic message in her reelection bid Politico: Dems show surprising strength at start of brutal 2018 midterm The Hill: Picking 2018 candidates pits McConnell vs. GOP groups
RealClear Politics: Slow Pace of 2018 Senate Bids a Growing GOP Concern

Resisting Trump in Kenosha, Tammy Baldwin's "Buy American" Legislation, Wisconsin Supreme Court kills reform on recusal rules, Tammy Duckworth to speak at State Convention, The State Budget, and more...

MADISON - Welcome to the latest installment of my chair update.

Resisting Donald Trump's Extreme Agenda in Kenosha

Thank you to everyone who organized and participated in the protests ahead of President Trump's visit in Kenosha last week. There was a huge turnout of grassroots activism and the energy at Sunnyside Park was unbelievable.  

Our collective voice was heard loud and clear. Check out some of the great news coverage from the protest:

WTMJ-TV: Demonstrators called the President the "Outsourcer in Chief" skeptical of Trump's Buy American Hire American Executive Order. "It's not going to do anything to protect American jobs and we know from the way Donald Trump does business that he doesn't care about American workers," said Scot Ross of One Wisconsin Now.

Fox6 Now: "I don't really understand this buy American, hire American. He spends lots of time investing in foreign companies. His hats are made in China. Most of his clothing line is made in other countries. The same countries he vilifies he uses for his business," Brian Eisold said. "We want good, living wage jobs with wages and benefits where people can come to work and support their family and work and retire and do so with dignity," a protester said.

WISN12 (via AP): The president's refusal to release his taxes was at the center of the protest, with Americans facing the deadline to file their own. "Release Your Tax Returns! What or Who Are You Hiding," read one sign. "Grab him by the 1040," read another, a reference to raunchy comments Trump made about women during a 2005 taping of "Access Hollywood.

Sen. Tammy Baldwin's "Buy American" Legislation Takes Center Stage

While Donald Trump touted a pair of toothless Executive Orders during his visit last week, Senator Tammy Baldwin challenged the President to put legislative muscle behind his "Buy American" promise and publically support her "Buy American" legislation in the Senate. 

Senator Baldwin has long been a champion of Buy America legislation. She passed a Buy America provision last year to the Water Reinvestment Act that would have required American iron and steel to rebuild the country's water infrastructure to be built with American iron and steel.

It was stripped from the final bill by Speaker Ryan and GOP leadership. Now, she's reintroduced the legislation as the Made in America Water Infrastructure Act at the legendary Neenah Foundry and highlighted how buying American would be a boon for Wisconsin companies like the Neenah Foundry and their workers who famously assist in the building of our water infrastructure.

Her pressure worked, and President Trump told WTMJ's Charles Benson that he supported her common-sense "Buy American" legislation. It's a step in the right direction of holding Donald Trump accountable for the promises he made on the campaign trail to American. Those promises must be kept by taking real action and demanding real results. We're lucky to have someone like Sen. Baldwin who has the courage to stand up to the President and demand he keep his promises to American workers. 

I spoke with Joy Cardin on Monday about Trump's visit and Baldwin's stellar "Buy American" legislation. Listen to the entire interview on wpr.org.

Conservatives on the Wisconsin Supreme Court Kill Common-Sense Reform On Recusal Rules

Last week, the conservative majority on the Wisconsin State Supreme Court voted to kill a petition endorsed by 54 retired jurists to require judges and justices to recuse themselves when hearing cases involving groups or individuals who supported their campaign and helped get them on the bench.

The high court's decision lets the current rules stand which doesn't include a distinction for conflicts of interest to make it clear when judges cannot hear cases. The move to reject reform comes after years of large contributions from special interests groups flooding the high court and assisting mightily in crafting the current conservative majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

I am very disappointed by the court's unfair decision that protects the people who fill their campaign coffers and rejects the opportunity to clean up the court's ethical reputation.Their actions show that the five conservatives on the Supreme Court who voted against reforming recusal rules value their ties to wealthy special interests far more than preventing corruption and honoring the public's trust.

Senator Tammy Duckworth to Attend State Convention as a Special Guest Speaker

Last week, I was proud to announce Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Illinois) as this year's state convention special guest speaker in Madison on June 2nd. 

Senator Tammy Duckworth’s strong economic record makes her a perfect fit for this year’s convention. The Illinois Senator won her 2016 election for Senate by promising to fight tooth-and-nail for American workers. Sen. Duckworth has kept that promise by urging President Trump to enforce trade laws that protect American steelworkers, pushing for policies to improve workforce development efforts and make higher education more affordable, as well as supporting major investments to rebuild our nation's infrastructure.

You won’t want to miss what she has to say. Register for the convention online at http://www.wisdems.org/2017-state-convention.

We are also looking for volunteers to help us make this year's convention a success. Please consider giving your fellow Democrats a hand to make this year's convention one of the best ever. Sign up to volunteer: www.wisdems.org/2017stateconvention

State Budget Hearing Update
The Joint Committee on Finance is finishing up their traveling public hearings. On the road, the committee heard about many issues affecting Wisconsinites. Citizens have many concerns with the Governor Walker's Executive Budget, you can listen to some of their testimony on the Wisconsin Democrats YouTube channel.

Save the date for an additional Democratic budget listening session coming up in Wausau on April 29. More details are below.    Saturday, April 29th Marathon County Public Library, Wausau Community Room 2nd Floor  300 1st Street, Wausau
10:00 AM to 12:00 PM    Weekly Democratic Radio Address: Drain the Special Interest Swamp in Madison, Not Our Lakes, Rivers, and Streams Senator Janet Bewley (D-Ashland) offered the weekly Democratic radio address last week. 

The audio file of this week’s address can be found here: 
http://media2.legis.wisconsin.gov/multimedia/Sen16/bewleyradio041917.mp3 A written transcript of the address is below:    “Hello, this is State Senator Janet Bewley with the weekly Democratic Radio address. “Our memories can be short, but I’m guessing that most people haven’t forgotten our newly elected President’s pledge to drain the swamp of government corruption in Washington DC.  Many of the people who voted for him had high hopes that the tide had finally turned and that ordinary Americans would have a champion in the White House.  Even those of us who didn’t vote for him looked forward to the end of special interest giveaways. “It’s still too early to tell if that optimism was misplaced.  The outlook here in Wisconsin isn’t very good.  Just two weeks ago, the State Senate voted to give corporate farms unchecked access to your groundwater.  And it’s not just your groundwater, it’s your children’s and grandchildren’s as well.  The bill allows high capacity well permit holders to keep pumping out large volumes of water forever. “Instead of protecting your rights to safe drinking water or the public’s rights to enjoy our lakes and rivers, my republican colleagues sided with big business donors and insiders.  The facts are clear, these high capacity wells are causing nearby lakes and rivers to dry up.  How many of our friends and neighbor have to wake up to find nothing coming out of their tap before we do something? Earth Day, I’m asking my colleagues to make a similar pledge – let’s drain the special interest swamp in Madison, not our lakes, this Saturday’s“In honor of ”rivers and streams.  Let’s start putting people first, the special interests can take care of themselves. Debunking Myths About Raising The Wage
As Democrats, we believe anyone who is willing to work hard and play by the rules should have a fair shot at the American Dream. The fact is that no one who works full-time in America should have to raise their family in poverty, but wages and incomes haven’t kept pace with the rising costs for working families. 

Raising the minimum wage would give 28 million workers across the country a raise, and lift nearly a million people out of poverty. These workers aren’t just teenagers at their first job—nearly two-thirds of workers who earn the minimum wage are women, and the average age of workers who would benefit is 35 years old.   Raising the minimum wage helps more than just the wage earner – it helps every taxpayer in the state. Across the country, state and federal governments spend over $150 billion helping workers who earn substandard wages at places like Wal-Mart. By raising the minimum wage, we could stop subsidizing greedy companies and instead invest in schools, roads, and critical safety services. 
In Seattle, they gave workers a raise and despite the fear-mongering from their critics, the unemployment rate in Seattle is at a near-record low of 2.9 percent. Read more from SEIU 775 President, David Rolf, about how raising the minimum wage has helped both workers and the city of Seattle.
Get Your Tickets For The 2017 Founder's Day Gala Featuring Congressman Keith Ellison

If you haven't purchased your ticket to hear Congressman Keith Ellison at this year's Founders Day Gala in Milwaukee on May 6th, now is the time to do so. By joining us for the evening, you not only have a great night with other Democrats, but you support the work our team is doing to build our grassroots efforts around the state. Tickets are going fast, so get yours before they sell out! As always, we have a great event planned so we hope you can make it.

Things You May Have Missed But Need To See Now

Donald Trump in Wisconsin: I support Tammy Baldwin 'Buy America' bill
Baldwin’s bill would require only U.S.-made iron or steel be used in projects funded by a federal program that gives low-interest loans for water infrastructure projects.

Sen. Baldwin: A Rare Day
It’s not too often that President Trump fully agrees with me on something, so it was a rare day this week when he came out in support of my Buy America legislation. In fact, he said he agreed with my bill 100%.

Dairy Experts: Trump's Promised Trade Changes May Not Come Soon Enough
President Donald Trump has promised action on Canadian dairy policies he says are unfair to Wisconsin farmers. But as Trump talks about renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement, some policy analysts aren’t expecting immediate improvements to dairy exports.

Donald Trump gets his 100-day report card
As Donald Trump nears the 100-day mark in the White House, voters are grading his performance on a partisan curve.

Ryan: GOP putting 'finishing touches' on healthcare bill
"We’re in the midst of negotiating sort of finishing touches, because our members want to make sure that we lower premiums,” Ryan said Wednesday during a question-and-answer session during a trip to London.

Paul Ryan’s image worsens after healthcare flop
Amid the collapse of the Affordable Care Act repeal in the U.S. House of Representatives, Paul Ryan's image is taking a hit -- 39% of Americans have a favorable opinion of the House speaker, down nine percentage points from November.

Trump probably won’t defy midterm gravity
The midterms will probably be rough for Donald Trump and Republicans next year.

‘Pivotal Moment’ for Democrats? Gerrymandering Heads to Supreme Court
"Now the Wisconsin case is headed to a Supreme Court that has repeatedly said that extreme partisan gerrymanders are unconstitutional, but has never found a way to decide which ones cross the line."

Wisconsin lawmakers clash over proposal to block state health plans from covering abortions
Supporters say the legislation is one more step to prevent taxpayer money from directly or indirectly funding abortions, while opponents argue it is an overreach that would interfere with women's access to reproductive health care.

Editing the Constitution: Wisconsin conservatives are pushing for a constitutional convention. What are their motives?
A narrow band of special interests could soon succeed in forcing a constitutional convention where more than 200 years of legal precedent that has formed the definition of civil rights in America could be under review by delegates selected by state lawmakers.

Bill could help residents pay for lead pipe removal
With thousands of water service lines containing toxic lead still in Racine’s infrastructure, a bill in the state Legislature could make it easier for residents to remove lead pipes.

County Conservationists Ask Joint Finance Committee To Restore Their Funding
Gov. Scott Walker's budget proposal provides $8 million for the state's 72 county conservation offices. That's around 14 percent less than before he took office. Pepin County Conservationist Chase Cummings said they need more support in working with farmers to reduce runoff.

Our Views: Detached from his district
Paul Ryan, your constituents have waited long enough. It's time for a town hall, even if it's only the telephone kind. Something. Anything to show your constituents that you—not only your staff—are hearing their concerns.

Editorial: Rural county that favored Trump and Walker demands end to gerrymandering of voting districts
Another county — this one in rural northern Wisconsin — is taking a stand against the Legislature’s rigged process for drawing legislative and congressional districts.

Rejecting the Republican War on local democracy
The Republican war on local democracy is a top-down effort to prevent Americans from voting where they live to protect the environment, preserve their communities, promote public safety, respect civil liberties, organize fair elections, raise wages, guarantee family and medical leave for workers, and welcome immigrants.

Rep. Considine Column: Show your support for the environment this Earth Day
Did you know Wisconsin is responsible for the founding of Earth Day? In 1969, Governor Gaylord Nelson proposed a day when citizens across the nation would hold simultaneous “teach-ins” to educate each other and raise awareness of environmental issues. His vision spread, and on April 22, 1970, about 20 million Americans participated in the first official Earth Day.

Sen. Miller Column: Waters of Wisconsin and High Capacity Wells
The waters of Wisconsin belong to the people of Wisconsin. This provision is enshrined in our state constitution as a Public Trust. Wisconsin’s Republican-controlled State Senate recently passed a bill, Senate Bill 76, privatizing Wisconsin waters for the benefit of high-capacity well owners. SB76 gives high-capacity well owners permanent rights to withdraw water regardless of the impact on other water users. In spite of court decisions that require the DNR to manage the waters of Wisconsin for the mutual benefit of all users in accordance with the state constitution, DNR Secretary Stepp chooses not to do so.

MADISON - Last week, Tammy Baldwin's campaign announced a huge fundraising total, $2.2 million in the first quarter of 2017 and the Washington Post published a story highlighting Tammy's message of economic populism and intense work ethic as she prepares for reelection. And she's capitalized on that momentum by spending past week driving across Wisconsin talking about the issues that face communities big and small.

Tammy was in Green Bay on Sunday to meet with area retired Teamsters to talk about her support for the Keep our Pensions Promises Act. She also met with a dozen Green Bay grassroots leaders young and old.

She then traveled to Milwaukee on Monday to discuss a new killer in the opioid crisis, fentanyl. The coverage was powerful.

On Wednesday she held a town hall along the Mississippi River in the town of Prescott. There she spoke with Wisconsin residents about the issues that matter to them.​

And on Thursday Tammy traveled to Elk Mound to discuss the impact of Canadian trade barriers with Wisconsin dairy farmers. She also held a roundtable in Wausau with veterans about her plans to fix the VA Choice Program.

Tammy will continue to travel the state, listening to Wisconsinites, and fighting Washington special interests that hurt working families.​

With Sean Duffy out, the Republican Party is scrambling heading into 2018.

MADISON - The Republican primary for U.S. Senate is already shaping up to be a complete circus. With presumed front-runner Rep. Sean Duffy declining to enter the race, the Republican Party is scrambling to get its ducks in a row heading into 2018. Currently, the potential Republican field consists of millionaires trying to buy a Senate seat while sniping at each other at every turn.  

Even conservative radio personality, Mark Belling, is unimpressed with the current slate of candidates noting in a Waukesha Freeman article that "Money can buy a lot of things in life and a Senate seat is one of them. But in this case, the race looks like an auction. The losers may be Wisconsin conservatives. Maybe."

In the article, Belling goes through the list of potential Republican candidates, starting with Nicole Schneider's and the millions she inherited from her late father, "That will buy you a lot of things like a G4, ownership of the stallion who won the Triple Crown in 2015 and have enough money left over for to buy a Senate seat." Belling slams the recently Democratic Kevin Nicholson for having a "sugar daddy" in Richard Uihlein, the owner of the Uline Corporation. Uihlein put $2 million into a political action committee formed to back Nicholson.

Belling pegs 2012 U.S. Senate candidate, Eric Hovde, as someone who tried to buy the same seat in 2012 and is poised to spend even more "evidently figuring if the first offer is too low you simply have to spend more." Even with Senator Leah Vukmir's potential candidacy, the radio host signals that Sen. Vukmir may team up with right-wing billionaire Diane Hendricks to survive the primary. 

Read Mark Belling's entire column online.

Spring elections success, Joint Committee on Finance's (JFC) public hearings, Democratic radio on Privatizing Public Waters, 2017 State Convention, and more...

MADISON - Welcome to the latest installment of my chair update.

Spring Election Success

Many thanks to all who knocked doors, made phone calls and, of course, cast ballots in last week's Spring elections. Thanks to you we helped make sure that Tony Evers easily won re-election and sent a message that Wisconsin supports investing in public education and providing each and every child in our state with the opportunity to succeed.  

If you haven't already, you can listen to Evers' election night speech on his Facebook page.

In addition, I'm extremely grateful for and proud of the incredible work done by local progressive candidates all across Wisconsin! This spring, our Candidate Services team worked directly with dozens of candidates for school board, city council, and town and village boards from De Pere to Superior, River Falls to La Crosse, and Beloit to Sheboygan.

They campaigned tirelessly, many in the most conservative parts of the state. They brought the Democratic message of fairness, inclusion, and opportunity to their communities and the reaction was outstanding. 77% of the candidates that our County Party and Candidate Services teams supported won their races!

We're not going to let the momentum from this spring fade. We'll continue to train candidates, develop county parties, and engage voters and activists across our state.

Budget Hearing Update

This week kicked-off the Joint Committee on Finance's (JFC) public hearings on the state budget in Platteville, West Allis, and Berlin. And on Saturday, Democrats held additional public hearings in Green Bay and Eau Claire. 

It's was great to see so many people coming out in droves to advocate for solutions to public school funding, repairing our crumbling transportation infrastructure, and bringing good-paying jobs to our state. Keep up the good work! 

The next official JFC public hearings will begin on April 18 in Spooner at Spooner High School. The committee will then travel to Ellsworth on April 19 for a hearing at Ellsworth High School. The last hearing is in Marinette on April 21 at Marinette High School. 

There will be additional Democratic public hearings as well and I'll be sure to share that information with you all as it becomes available.

Members of Congress Go On Recess This Week

Congressional Recess began April 8th and members of Congress will be in recess until April 23rd. This is a time when many lawmakers return home and meet with their constituents at town halls - a great venue for you to hear directly from your representative and get answers to your concerns and questions.  
Resistance Recess is planning to organize the power of the people and replicate the huge success we saw in February which built the power to stop President Trump and Speaker Ryan from taking health care away for 24 million people. 

As Trump remains under investigation and as Congress continues to push Trump's unconstitutional and dangerous agenda, we must make sure that no one allows the passing of time to normalize this president and his harmful policies.

Find an event near your on resistancerecess.com and make a plan to make your voice heard.  

It isn't just Republicans holding town halls during this recess. Democrats are coming back to speak to their constituents as well. This week, Rep. Mark Pocan will hold a Rock County town hall on Monday, April 10 at Blackhawk Technical College from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m., to discuss his work in Congress, issues important to Rock County residents, and field questions from attendees. If you can't make Rep. Pocan's town hall, his sessions are posted after completion on the office Facebook page at www.facebook.com/repmarkpocan under videos.

Upcoming Democratic Training Opportunities

Spring elections may be over, but there's still a lot of work ahead of us! If you're eager to stay in the fight between election cycles, please look into some of the training opportunities that both the Democratic Party of Wisconsin and our partner organizations will be hosting around Wisconsin. 

The Democratic Party of Wisconsin will be hosting a County Party Development Training in Waukesha on April 29th for any interested party members. This training is designed to highlight the ways that activists can get involved in local campaigns on a deeper level, from serving on a kitchen cabinet to recruiting candidates to organizing volunteers and managing canvasses. Click here to view the agenda for this training. More dates around the state will be announced soon. Click here to register!

Wisconsin Progress is beginning their "Getting Ready to Run" training series, with sessions scheduled in Steven's Point, Chippewa Falls, Richland Center, Oshkosh, Waukesha, and Portage. The training is designed for anyone who is thinking about running for local and state office, and cover topics from how to know if you're ready, to what to do once you decide to jump in! Click here to register!

EMILY's List will be hosting a training on April 22nd in Milwaukee for pro-choice, Democratic women interested in running for office. Click here to register!

The Association of State Democratic Chairs will be putting on their T3 (Train the Trainer) series of webinars from mid-April to mid-May that any party members and activists are welcome to participate in. This program is designed to teach a variety of useful skills, from messaging to social media organizing to recruiting candidates and volunteers. Click here to see the dates and topics of each individual webinar. The webinars are every Monday and Wednesday at 7pm, and begin on Monday, April 17th. Click here to register!

Weekly Democratic radio address: Privatizing Public Waters

Senator Mark Miller (D – Monona) offered the weekly Democratic radio address last week. 

The audio file of  the address can be found here: 
http://media2.legis.wisconsin.gov/multimedia/Sen16/millerradio040517.mp3

A written transcript of the address is below:

“Hello. This is Senator Mark Miller with this week’s democratic radio address.

“This week Senate Republicans passed Senate Bill 76, privatizing Wisconsin water for high capacity well owners. This bill allows high capacity well permits to be issued permanently. Forever.

“A high capacity well permit that lasts forever and can never be changed creates a permanent right to take water that belongs to the people of Wisconsin and use it for private profit.

“This bill ignores the property rights of riparian owners and recreational users when excessive withdrawals lower water levels and reduce stream flows. This bill ignores the access rights of rural households with private drinking water wells when excessive withdrawals dry up their wells.

“This bill picks winners and losers. Supposedly high capacity well owners just want “certainty.” But what this bill provides is certainty that their use is guaranteed over others, and that is unconstitutional.

“This should not a partisan issue, this is a fairness issue. Water belongs to everyone, not just the chosen few.”

Get Your Tickets For The 2017 Founder's Day Gala Featuring Congressman Keith Ellison

Last week, we announced Congressman Keith Ellison as our featured speaker for this year's Founders Day Gala in Milwaukee. Not only has Keith been a great friend to our Party here in Wisconsin, his leadership at the local and national level is incredibly inspiring and just what we need to see as we gear up for 2018. I look forward to a great Founders Day and the opportunity to have Congressman Ellison energize Democrats here at home. 

Please join us and your fellow Democrats on May 6,2017 for our Founder's Day Gala at the Hilton - Milwaukee City Center in Milwaukee. Tickets are going fast, so get yours before they sell out! As always, we have a great event planned so we hope you can make it.

2017 State Convention

We are also looking for volunteers to help us make this year's convention a success. Without the help of volunteer doing things like stuffing bags, registering delegates, working the elections and a whole host of other duties, we could never pull off the two-day event. Please consider giving your fellow Democrats a hand to make this year's convention one of the best ever. Sign up to volunteer: www.wisdems.org/2017stateconvention

Things You May Have Missed But Need To See Now

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How Average Citizens Saved Obamacare
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Baldwin raises $2.2 million in first quarter of 2017
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Editorial: Mark Pocan's right: Donald Trump trade orders are talk, not action
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Paul Ryan: Health care bill will take time, as GOP learns to govern
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U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin Cosponsors Legislation to Strengthen Existing Buy America Standards and Create More Jobs at Home
Top House Democrats on Monday called on the Republican chairman of the House Intelligence Committee to recuse himself from the panel’s investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election, thrusting the entire inquiry into jeopardy amid what they described as mounting evidence he was too close to President Trump to be impartial.

Mason-led Great Lakes group pushes against proposed funding cuts
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Kind calls on Walker to expand Medicaid
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Wisconsin voters continue to approve more school referendums as $700 million OK'd this week
Of the 65 questions before voters Tuesday, 40, or 62% passed, including a near-record $181.3 million sought for the burgeoning Verona Area School District in Dane County.

Dozens of Wisconsin dairy farms could be forced out of business because of international trade dispute
Dairy farms in Wisconsin and other states could be forced out of business as early as May because of a trade dispute that has halted the export of their milk to Canada.