Portage County Republicans enjoyed the gorgeous weather at their Fall Rally on Sunday. Local Democrats started gearing up at a summer picnic a few months ago. Both sides are getting the issues out there for elections that are more than a year away.
Republican governor candidate, Mark Green, says, "Taxes have gone up nearly 11% in the last two years. In my view the tax burden's crushing the dream of our working families." Lowering taxes is one issue that this governor-hopeful wants to tackle. According to Green, the Republican party's also focused on making higher education more affordable. "There's vast tracks of Wisconsin where no one earns that kind of money. We're essentially shutting them out of the university system," he says.
Bringing down tuition and healthcare costs are two issues that one local Democrat sees taking front and center for his party.
"We have an entire school system in this state on the verge of closing. That should not happen. And frankly, this is happening on the Republican watch," says Louis Molepske Jr., 71st Assembly Representative (D). Molepske says his party's already working on these issues, "I'm not waiting until 2006 to address some of these issues. I've been writing bills." He notes, "When we [Democrats] do bring a proposal up it's there to solve the issue...Not just to get a 30 second spot on TV for example, or to have a bumper sticker created."
But Republicans say they represent more of what people want. Green says his party is, "protecting the values of this state that makes this state special, faith, family, love of country, hard work, devotion to great outdoors." He notes, "That may be bumper sticker polictics to them. [But] that's what we stand for, we think that's what most people stand for."
Both parties expressed confidence in the strength of their party. And they said we'll see more issues fleshed out as the elections approach.