Wisconsin Democratic governor candidates face off in first and only debate

MADISON, Wis. (AP/WMTV) — All five Democratic candidates for Wisconsin governor participated in their first and only debate Tuesday, hosted by WISN 12 News in Milwaukee. The hour-long forum covered school funding, data centers, tax cuts and other issues ahead of the Aug. 11 primary.

All five candidates said they would not sign a state budget that defunded police.

“The governor cannot defund police, and I’m not here to govern by slogan. I’m here to make sure that I am the governor that is most serious about public safety,” said state Rep. Francesca Hong.

The debate came less than a week after the fatal Madison police shooting of Corey Ruiz. All candidates said they would sign legislation requiring all police and sheriff departments in the state to have body cameras.

“I wish that the Madison Police Department did have those body cameras. So, of course I would not sign a budget that reduced funding because obviously that police department needs the funding to have body cameras,” said former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes.

A recent Marquette Law School poll found more than three-quarters of Wisconsinites said the costs of data centers outweigh the benefits.

Hong is the only candidate in the race to have called for a moratorium on AI data centers.

“I have not called for a moratorium, but I have said that I would put a pause on the construction of new data centers, not for a year, but in the first 100 days we can do four things. We can make sure that nobody watching tonight pays for the construction, the operation, the transmission, the ultimate retirement of these,” Former top cabinet official under Gov. Evers, Joel Brennan, said.

All candidates agreed there should be more guardrails in place for data centers coming to Wisconsin.

“As governor, we will make sure that we hold these data centers accountable, that they pay for the energy use, they pay for the grid upgrades, and they bring the Beyoncé approach, bring your own new clean energy,” Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley said.

State Sen. Kelda Roys called for the use of executive power against existing data center projects.

“Something that none of my colleagues have mentioned, even though we are all running for governor, is using executive power against the existing projects that are under construction and were put under construction over the strenuous objections of those communities,” Roys said.

Republican candidate U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany released a statement in response to the debate calling Hong the likely Democratic nominee.

“Tonight’s debate confirmed that the Democrat primary has become a race to the far left. While Democrats offer chaos, I’m offering common sense: lower taxes, safer communities, stronger schools, and a government that lets the people of Wisconsin keep more of their hard-earned money,” Tiffany wrote.

Voters divided over whether democratic socialist can win

Wisconsin voter Ian Anderson couldn’t have been happier to cast his ballot Tuesday for democratic socialist Francesca Hong in the swing state’s primary for governor.

“She’s exactly the burst of energy we need,” Anderson said after voting early in the liberal stronghold of Madison.

But 80 miles down the road in Milwaukee, Democratic voter Steve Wiesner said if Hong wins the Aug. 11 primary, he will vote Republican for the first time in his life.

“I would never support her or any DSA candidate at this point,” Wiesner said, using the acronym for Democratic Socialists of America. He voted for longshot candidate Joel Brennan.

Their views demonstrate the dilemma for Democrats in Wisconsin as they hope to win the governor’s race against a Republican endorsed by President Donald Trump in a year that should favor Democrats.

But a chaotic primary, and the rise of Hong, has amplified angst among voters and party insiders that Democrats may be squandering their chances to retain control of the governor’s office and flip both chambers of the Legislature to earn full control of Wisconsin state government for the first time since 2010.

Democratic socialist Hong divides early Wisconsin voters

The insurgent Hong has garnered strong support among the most liberal wing of the party. Former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, who narrowly lost a 2022 U.S. Senate race, is hoping that voters in his hometown of Milwaukee help him overcome Hong, whose base is in Madison. Those two cities hold the largest number of Democratic voters in Wisconsin.

Also in the race is Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, who is running with the endorsement of Gov. Tony Evers. Crowley had dropped out of the race on July 8, but got back in on July 17, the day after Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez dropped out amid a campaign finance scandal.

Anderson, who was among voters who cast in-person early ballots on the first day Tuesday, said he was “very frustrated” by Evers’ late endorsement in the race.

“It’s the latest example of the Democratic Party meddling,” said Anderson, who works for the state Department of Natural Resources.

Nicole Santos, 45, said Hong was the only primary candidate with the “fortitude” to stand up to Trump.

“To get back on track we need to go a little further left,” she said.

Some Democratic voters make choice based on electability

Crowley voters on Tuesday said they backed him because they believed he had a better shot at beating Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany in November. Tiffany, who is running with the backing of Trump in a state Trump won in 2016 and 2024, faces only nominal opposition in the primary.

It would be “tough” for Hong to beat Tiffany, said retired attorney John Hawley, 68, of Madison.

“I’d like to think I’m wrong, but north of Madison and Milwaukee I don’t think she’ll come across that well,” he said in reference to more rural parts of the state.

Erica and Mario Johnson, a married couple who are both Black and from Milwaukee, both voted for Crowley, because they see him as best positioned to beat Tiffany. Crowley and Barnes are each seeking to become the state’s first Black governor. Hong is seeking to become Wisconsin’s first female governor and first Asian American governor.

Crowley has the “most executive experience,” said Mario Johnson, 63, who retired from a career in the federal government.

He worries that Hong won’t be able to defeat Tiffany, but if Hong wins the primary, “I’ll bite the bullet and vote for her.”

As of Tuesday, nearly 108,000 ballots had already been returned by mail ahead of the Aug. 11 election.

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