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It’s official – Milwaukee will host 2024 Republican National Convention

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It’s the MKE for the RNC. Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel on Friday announced Milwaukee will host the party’s 2024 National Convention.

“The next two years we look forward to working with the mayor and everyone in the community to make this an event that not only highlights the RNC and our nominee for 2024 but highlights the great city that Milwaukee is,” McDaniel said.

“I look forward to presenting my city to Republican delegates, to alternates and representatives of the news media as well who will descend upon Milwaukee,” Mayor Cavalier Johnson said.

The choice was something of a foregone conclusion, since Nashville officials recently voted down a draft agreement to host. The 2020 Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee was a largely virtual affair due to the coronavirus pandemic.

 

Trump will headline Waukesha rally for Michels

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Former President Donald Trump will be back in Wisconsin Friday night. Trump is headlining a rally at the Waukesha County Fairgrounds for Tim Michels, the construction company executive who Trump is endorsing in the Republican primary for governor.

Michels faces former Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch, who’s gotten the endorsement of former Vice President Mike Pence. Michaels and Kleefisch are front runners in the Republican primary that includes State Representative Tim Ramthun. The winner will face incumbent Democratic governor Tony Evers in the November general election.

In addition to Trump and Michels, scheduled speakers include Trump-endorsed congressional candidate Derrick Van Orden, and Adam Steen, a Trump-endorsed candidate challenging Assembly Speaker Robin Vos in the Republican primary for the 63rd state Assembly District.

Wisconsin veterans cheer passage of PACT Act

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The PACT Act, legislation supporting veterans exposed to burn pits and other toxins is ready for President Joe Biden’s signature following this week’s passage by the U.S. Senate.

“This will affect 3.2 million veterans because many veterans were exposed to toxins during their service,” said Al Labelle with the Wisconsin office of Disabled American Veterans.

Labelle said bill will expand health care benefits for veterans who developed illnesses due to their exposure to a variety of toxins. “Everything from radiation risks, meaning the 50s and 60s when they were doing atomic testing, through Agent Orange, burn pits and PFAS.”

Labelle credits comedian Jon Stewart’s advocacy for the PACT Act, but said it was a team effort supported by more than 70 veterans organizations.

“John Stewart amplified our message, and it was very important what he did. However it was also due to the many phone calls emails meetings that were held with legislators.”

The bill passed the Senate Tuesday night on a vote of 86 to 11. Wisconsin Democrat Tammy Baldwin and Republican Ron Johnson voted in favor.

Last week, Johnson and fellow Republicans held up passage of the bill. Republicans said their opposition was tied to an argument over which portion of the federal budget would pay for $280 billion worth of funds for veteran health programs.

Godlewski out of Senate race, endorses Barnes

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State Treasurer Sarah Godlewski is ending her U.S. Senate campaign and endorsing Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes.

At a Friday press conference with Godlewski in Fitchberg, Barnes said the Democratic primary has made him a better candidate. “You know nothing about this was easy for anybody who got in the race and I do think that primaries ultimately make candidates stronger I’m proud to have even been in this race with you I think ultimately it has made me a better candidate.”

Godlewski had initially said she’d stay in the race, following announcements earlier in the week from Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson and Bucks executive Alex Lasry, that they were suspending their campaigns and endorsing Barnes. But by Friday she’d reconsidered. “For me it was something that I reflected on within literally the last 24 hours. And I know that we’re better when we all come together, and that’s why for me it was pretty immediate.”

The departure of Godlewski, Nelson and Lasry clears the way for Barnes in the August 9 primary election, since the remaining Democrats are barely registering in polls. Barnes hopes to defeat Republican Senator Ron Johnson in November. Johnson is seeking a third term.

Pence endorses Kleefisch for Republican primary

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Mike Pence has endorsed former lieutenant governor Rebecca Kleefisch for Wisconsin governor. In a statement, the former vice president called Kleefisch “the only candidate that will deliver a stronger and more prosperous Wisconsin,” and said he’s proud to support her.

The endorsement from Pence comes less than 24 hours after former President Donald Trump, who’s endorsing construction executive Tim Michels, announced he’ll hold a rally in Waukesha next week in support of Kleefisch’s opponent in the Republican primary.

The dueling endorsements here in Wisconsin mirror the situation in Arizona, where Trump and Pence are endorsing opposing candidates in that state’s Republican primary for governor.

The winner of Wisconsin’s August 9th primary will face Democratic Governor Tony Evers in November.

Lasry leaves U.S. Senate race and endorses Barnes

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Mandela Barnes

Milwaukee Bucks executive Alex Lasry is out of the race for U.S. Senate. Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes welcomed Lasry’s endorsement Wednesday in Milwaukee’s Deer District. He said the focus now is defeating Republican Senator Ron Johnson.

“I know this is gonna be tough, it’s gonna be difficult, it’s gonna be an uphill battle. But I know it’ll be that much easier because we’re in this together,” Barnes said.

Lasry said he saw no path forward to win the August 9th Democratic primary. “The second I realized that there was no path forward, we made sure that we did what we thought was best for us to be able to defeat Ron Johnson. And that meant getting with the person who is best positioned to do that, and has been running the best campaign in this primary. And that’s the Lieutenant Governor.”

Outagamie County Exec Tom Nelson suspended his campaign on Monday and is also endorsing Barnes. State Treasurer Sarah Godlewski is the remaining high-profile Democrat, and said she intends to stay in the race.

 

 

Trump will host Waukesha campaign rally for Tim Michels

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Former President Donald Trump has scheduled a rally for Tim Michels on August 5th rally in Waukesha.

Michels is the pipeline construction company executive whom Trump is endorsing in the August 9 Republican primary, where he faces former Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch and State Representative Timothy Rampthun. The winner moves to the November general election to face incumbent Democratic Governor Tony Evers.

Michels tweeted that the Trump rally “will be a great kickstart to a big victory in the primary on August 5th and firing Tony Evers in November.”

Trump’s Tuesday announcement of the rally for Michels came on the same day that U.S. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas announced he’s endorsing Kleefisch in the Republican primary.

Nelson suspends campaign for U.S. Senate

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Tom Nelson has suspended his campaign for the U.S. Senate in Wisconsin. In a brief statement released on social media, the Outagamie County Executive on Monday threw his support to Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes.

Mandela Barnes

“I’m proud to say that the progressive vote is consolidated, and the progressive family is one, because today I’m endorsing Mandela Barnes for the U.S. Senate,” Nelson said. “I would like all my supporters to join us, because Mandela is a good man, a good progressive, and he will be a strong nominee this fall.”

Nelson had trailed in recent polls, behind Barnes, Bucks executive Alex Lasry and state Treasurer Sarah Godlewski. The winner of the August Democratic primary will face Republican U.S. Senator Ron Johnson in November.

Barnes responded to the news on Twitter. “I deeply respect Tom Nelson’s commitment to the working people in this state and am thankful to have his endorsement.”

 

 

 

 

 

U.S. House passes Respect for Marriage Act

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Rep. Mark Pocan

The U.S. House of Representatives voted Tuesday to defend same-sex marriages. The Respect for Marriage Act. It removes the prohibition on same-sex marriage set forth in the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, stipulating that any individual’s marriage is federally recognized if it’s legal in that person’s state.

Same-sex marriages in Wisconsin have been legally recognized since October 2014, when the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal of a ruling that had found Wisconsin’s amendment banning same-sex marriage to be unconstitutional.

Republicans who opposed the measure called it unnecessary, while Democrats argued marriage equality is now under legal threat.

“Because the extremist packed Supreme Court recently took away a half a century of law on Roe, and in that decision Justice Clarence Thomas said they should revisit it on marriage equality,” said Wisconsin Democrat Mark Pocan during floor debate. “We have people in this House and in the Senate like Senator Ted Cruz who’ve said the exact same thing.”

“I want to make sure that my husband Phil can visit me in the hospital should I have to go back again like when I had a triple bypass a few years ago,” Pocan said. “I want to make sure my husband has my earned benefits for retirement and Social Security. I want to make sure that my husband is taken care of just like your spouses are taken care of.”

Rep. Bryan Steil

Representative Bryan Stiel of Janesville was among 47 Republicans voting for the bill, which passed 267-157. It now moves to the U.S. Senate. In a tweet, Wisconsin Democrat Tammy Baldwin urged colleagues to support it.

“If you are a Senator who supports marriage equality then you will support our bipartisan Respect for Marriage Act to protect this freedom and right for same-sex and interracial marriages. Let’s stand together and protect the progress we have made.”

 

New COVID-19 variants are very easy to catch

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New variants of COVID-19 are reminding us that the pandemic is not over. UW Health’s Chief Quality Officer Dr. Jeff Pothof, said two new variants are much more transmissible – even among those fully vaccinated or with prior infection.

“It’s really easy to catch COVID-19 with, you know, BA-5 or BA-4,” Pothof said. “With these variants that are so contagious, it really probably comes down to a matter of, you know, minutes, or maybe even seconds of being in close proximity to someone who’s shutting this virus for you to get infected.”

Hospitalizations due to COVID-19 in Wisconsin are again increasing. “But even what we call mild illness with COVID-19, it’s not so mild,” Pothof said. “It’s like a really bad case of the flu.”

Potof said people who are immunocompromised – or who just don’t want to get sick – may want to mask in public spaces and avoid crowded indoor settings.