Tuesday, September 22: Two Republican legislators run for Waukesha County executive, Sen. Tammy Baldwin wants to safeguard Wisconsin elections, diesel prices hit all-time high
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“It’s almost statistically impossible unless somebody really makes a major mistake in this seat to lose it to a Dem so that risk is very low”
– Sen. Chris Kapenga (R-Delafield), in a radio appearance on the possibility of Republicans losing his seat while he runs simultaneously for reelection and the open Waukesha County executive seat
U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin) and Dane County Clerk Scott McDonell discuss the process election officials use to test voting machines ahead of the 2026 midterms. (Photo by Henry Redman/Wisconsin Examiner)
State Rep. Adam Neylon (R-Pewaukee) and state Sen. Chris Kapenga (R-Delafield) are both simultaneously running for reelection to the Legislature and in the December special election to be the next Waukesha County executive. Baylor Spears reports on the concurrent campaigns, which present a complicated tangle of deadlines and elections that could affect the GOP effort to hold onto its majorities in the Legislature.
U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin met with Madison-area election officials Monday morning to discuss the ways they’re working to safeguard the upcoming election against interference from the administration of President Donald Trump — whether that’s sending armed agents to the polls or working to slow down the mail. Henry Redman reports.
National diesel prices hit a record average of $6.51 a gallon on Monday. The average in Wisconsin was even higher, ticking up to $6.56 per gallon. The price of gas and diesel has become a major part of Wisconsin Democrats’ campaign against U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany — who has continued to support Trump’s tariffs and war in Iran. But, Ashley Murray of our DC Bureau reports, some midwestern Republicans are beginning to break from the president as the price of diesel hits farmers heading into harvest season.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued a directive last week that states individuals and industries may kill endangered animals in the course of logging projects, developments and other activities — so long as the activity’s purpose isn’t killing species. Alex Brown of Stateline reports on the “ridiculously extreme” change, which opponents said will gut protections for wildlife across the country.
More from Washington:
ICYMI
Another 12 Wisconsin prisoners make their case for commutation |Andrew Kennard and Frank Zufall
Trump likes data centers. Congress seems stuck. The midterms could deliver a verdict. | David Lightman
Grizzly bears in the lower 48 states are federally protected as a threatened species. A new memo from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Brian Nesvik says that endangered animals may be killed as long as the action was not “intentionally directed at a particular animal or animals.” (Photo courtesy of Terry Tollefsbol/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)
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