Saturday, August 1: New voter guide, drama in the Democratic primary for governor, severe storms and a rough summer, Salah Sarsour and Trump’s immigration crackdown
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“I don’t know why he’s getting out. I have to believe it’s something relatively important.”
– Gov. Tony Evers, commenting on former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes’ decision to drop out of the Democratic primary race for governor.
Voter guide and drama in the Democratic gubernatorial primary
After a few last-minute changes, with in-person early voting underway across the state, the Wisconsin Examiner’s Voter Guide is published, with important dates, voting information and candidate comparisons for the 2026 primaries.
In another dramatic week in Wisconsin politics, former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes dropped out of the gubernatorial primary Thursday, amid reports the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has been investigating his questionable, but not actionable, relationships with young adult women when he was lieutenant governor. The investigation relies on a report commissioned by the state Democratic Party in 2025. Baylor Spears reports on the latest news and reactions from the campaigns and from Gov. Tony Evers, who is traveling the state to boost Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, whom he endorsed.
A Dane County judge on Wednesday rejected a request from Democratic voters to allow people to “spoil” and re-cast their absentee ballots for any reason, Henry Redman reports. The Democratic voters argued the guidance should be thrown out to accommodate people who may have already cast a vote in this year’s August primaries before their preferred candidate dropped out.
State Rep. Francesca Hong received a significant bump following the last shakeup in the Democratic primary for governor, according to a Marquette Law School poll released Wednesday. After Lt. Gov Sara Rodriguez dropped out and Crowley reentered the race despite previously dropping out, Hong garnered even more support and is pulling away, having consistently led previous polls, Spears reports.
Severe storms and a rough summer
Parts of the city of Menasha and the nearby village of Fox Crossing were inaccessible early this week after an EF3 tornado — the third highest classification meaning a “severe” tornado with wind speeds between 136-165 miles per hour — struck the Fox Valley Monday afternoon. Henry Redman reports on the damage and recovery efforts that are still underway.
It’s been a rough summer; Wisconsin needs to pull together, Editor Ruth Conniff writes in a commentary on political upheaval, catastrophic weather caused by climate change and Madison’s struggles following a police shooting that seems to have left the community paralyzed.
Salah Sarsour and the federal immigration crackdown
On the second day of federal immigration court hearings for Salah Sarsour, president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee, federal prosecutors attempted to cast doubt on Sarsour’s claims that he’d been tortured by Israeli authorities in the 1980s, when he was a teenager living in the occupied West Bank during the First Intifada uprising, and that he suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as a result. Isiah Holmes has the latest.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is not planning an aggressive campaign at voting sites during the upcoming midterm elections, the Department of Homeland Security said Thursday in response to a States Newsroom inquiry about a letter from U.S. Senate Democrats voicing concerns about armed federal agents at polling places. Amelia Twyman reports.
The Trump administration has for more than a year used personal information airline passengers provide to the Transportation Security Administration for immigration enforcement, according to documents obtained by a government watchdog group. Ariana Figueroa reports.
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More from Washington:
ICYMI
"No Kings" protesters converge on the Lady Forward statue at the Capitol after marching up State Street. Wisconsinites have organized for change successfully many times in the past, former Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler reminds us in his new book, "This is the Plan." In our current fractious and troubled times, Ruth Conniff writes in a commentary, it's helpful to remember it. (Photo by Henry Redman/Wisconsin Examiner)
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