Early voting begins in Wisconsin

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“The irony is that candidates who lost probably could have helped themselves with additional debates.”

– Barry Burden, UW political science professor, commenting on Republican Tom Tiffany’s decision to bow out of candidate debates with his Democratic rival David Crowley, despite trailing in polls in the Wisconsin governor’s race

November election heats up

Voting in Wisconsin’s midterm elections has officially begun. Local clerks across the state were required to send absentee ballots to voters with valid requests already on file by Thursday, Sept. 17. Data from the Wisconsin Elections Commission shows that 299,849 absentee ballots have already been requested and 4,309 have already been returned. Henry Redman runs down what’s on your ballot and deadlines for voting in the 2026 fall elections.

Now that Trump administration efforts to limit absentee voting by mail have failed, Democrats and voting rights groups are shifting their attention to protecting voters as administration officials refuse to rule out sending armed federal agents to polling places, our DC team reports. In Wisconsin, U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, the Republican candidate for governor, told supporters Thursday it’s “good news” that “the federal Department of Justice is coming to Wisconsin for this election to make sure that we have election integrity.”

Tiffany bowed out of another candidate debate in the governor’s race, Baylor Spears reports. Editor Ruth Conniff writes in a reported commentary about what Wisconsin voters are missing now that debates featuring questions about local issues across the state have been canceled.

Despite both parties’ promises to focus on voters’ immediate concerns, a key Senate race that could determine control of the state legislative chamber veered into a battle over investments in China. Spears sorts out the considerable confusion around the issue.

As Republicans dragged down by President Donald Trump’s low approval ratings struggle with newly competitive races in what were reliably red districts, Wisconsin’s U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil is getting a surge of investment from the GOP, Redman reports, as Democrats add the 1st CD to their list of national targets.

Kenosha DA loses, regains his law license while Dugan keeps hers

Kenosha County District Attorney Xavier Solis had his license to practice law suspended Monday. The Office of Lawyer Regulation then reinstated the license Tuesday. The brief suspension was for “willfully failing to cooperate with one or more OLR investigations into alleged misconduct,” according to regulators. Henry Redman reports.

In a separate case, Redman reports, the Wisconsin Supreme Court overruled the OLR and did not suspend the legal license of former Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan, who was convicted earlier this year of obstructing federal agents trying to make an immigration arrest in the county courthouse.

Court hearings on congressional redistricting, Salah Sarsour’s deportation

Redman covers state Supreme Court oral arguments in two cases challenging the constitutionality of Wisconsin’s congressional maps. One challenge is based on the claim that the maps unfairly benefit Republicans and the other is on the grounds that the maps are intentionally anti-competitive to protect incumbents.

Isiah Holmes watches the final hearing in Milwaukee Islamic Society President Salah Sarsour’s deportation case. The Trump administration claims Sarsour poses a danger to national security, while advocates say he is being targeted solely for speaking out for Palestinian rights. A judge will decide whether he can be deported by the end of the month.

PLUS:

Line 5 reopens after spill despite DNR warning

Crowley proposes ban on stock trading, prediction market participation by public officials

More from Washington:

Judge says case challenging Trump’s anti-weaponization fund ‘still alive and kicking’

White House yanks nominee to lead Immigration and Customs Enforcement

With McConnell back, Senate ag committee advances farm bill on party lines