WisPolitics Capitol Chats WisPolitics

In this week’s Capitol Chats episode, Wisconsin College Democrats Chair Matthew Lehner says one of the biggest misconceptions about young voters is that they won’t turn out to vote in November. He also says he shares concerns about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza but noted there are many other issues at stake in the upcoming presidential election, such as abortion, LGBTQ+ and racial equality and climate change.

On this week's Capitol Chats podcast, Dane County Republican Party Chair Brandon Maly, 24, says Republican voters, even so-called "RINOs," will likely rally behind Trump in the November general election as long as they can clear the abortion hurdle. Maly says voters aren't pleased with how the White House is handling many current issues, especially the economy. He also says Republicans should meet younger voters where they are, instead of talking about banning TikTok.

In this week’s Capitol Chats episode, Dem strategist Joe Zepecki shares his takeaways from the April 2 presidential primary. Zepecki says he believes President Joe Biden will earn support from uninstructed voters in November. He also points out the percentage of voters who cast ballots in the GOP primary for candidates that are no longer in the race was higher than the margin of uninstructed votes in the Dem primary.

In this week's Capitol Chats: Kyle Johnson, political director for Listen to Wisconsin, says voters who checked the 'uninstructed' box this April primary want President Joe Biden to remember and listen to those who helped elect him to office.
They're protesting Biden’s policies toward Israel and Gaza. Johnson also says the movement still wants to see Biden earn a second term, but he needs to meet their demands before they can align to defeat former President Donald Trump. More than 47,000 voted uninstructed, surpassing the group's goal of 20,000.
Published on April 3, 2024.

In this week’s Capitol Chats episode, School Choice Wisconsin President Nic Kelly says new legislative maps that favor Dems could be a challenge. But he argues Dems should remember their constituents benefit from the state's private school voucher programs. Kelly also reviews the group's efforts during the legislative session.

In this week's Capitol Chats podcast, Wisconsin Education Association Council President Peggy Wirtz-Olsen says the $1.4 billion in combined school budget referendum requests across Wisconsin is a sign public schools need more funding and the funding formula is broken. A WisPolitics review found this year to be the third-highest ask from schools since 2000. Wirtz-Olsen also talks about a new AAPI curriculum bill and the Senate's rejection of Gov. Tony Evers' nomination of John Miller to the UW Board of Regents.