Monday, October 19: Competition in the 1st CD, massive data center investments trigger concerns, what if Tom Tiffany doesn’t accept the election results? No Kings marches in Madison and across the country
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“So instead of quietly rubber stamping Donald Trump, he’s now doing it more vocally.”
– U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Black Earth), describing what he sees as U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil’s shift during his latest term
On the left, U.S. Rep Bryan Steil greets a voter at a rally in Waukesha Tuesday, Oct. 13. On the right, Steil’s Democratic challenger, Mitchell Berman, speaks to supporters in Milton, also on Oct 13. (Wisconsin Examiner photo illustration. Steil photo by Baylor Spears, Berman photo by Erik Gunn)
Mitchell Berman is the latest in a series of Democrats who have hoped to turn the 1st CD back to a Democratic seat after decades of Republican representation, including by U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil (R-Janesville) for the last eight years. This year, Democrats see a real chance to flip the seat, in part by scrutinizing Steil’s record, which they see as a mismatch with the interests of working class voters in the district. Erik Gunn has the story.
The sheer size of investment in data centers is drawing concern as it surpasses all other historical booms and crowds out other more job-creating ventures, Tim Henderson of Stateline reports. Until now, no industry had driven the U.S. economy with such force since the railroad expansion of the late 1800s, when titans battled one another to lay the transcontinental tracks that would connect America from coast to coast.
“If Tom Tiffany loses in November, it’s not irrational to think he might try to overturn the election results,” writes Michael Pointer Mace in a commentary on how Wisconsinites should prepare to defend democracy in their home state.
About 1,000 people gathered at 2 p.m. on a sunny Saturday afternoon for a No Kings protest in James Madison park near Lake Monona in downtown Madison. The crowd swelled to about 1,500 as protesters marched to the Capitol. The theme of the protest was getting people to participate in early in-person voting starting Oct. 20 in the high-stakes 2026 midterm elections. Ruth Conniff reports.
PLUS:
More from Washington:
ICYMI
Van Orden rides with Trump in campaign for third term | Henry Redman
Commentary: If Wisconsin is in great financial shape, why can’t we afford to fund our schools? | Ruth Conniff
No Kings marchers in Madison head toward the Capitol (Ruth Conniff/Wisconsin Examiner)
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