☀️ Good morning!

It’s Sunday, January 18, 2026

Someone earned themselves an extra cookie over at the State Senate Democratic Committee.

That’s because in this era of instant online conflict, when every social media action immediately rises to a DEFCON 1 level of reaction, someone found a way to make their point and even deflate the tension a little bit.

It all started with this post from the state Republican Party, which criticized gubernatorial candidates Rep. Francesca Hong and former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes.

One problem: That’s not Mandela Barnes. It’s Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, another candidate for governor. The GOP later put out a corrected post. 

Now, the kindest interpretation of this screw-up is that the original graphic was an innocent but truly dumb mistake, justifiably sparking questions about whether the level of racism involved was non-existent, cynically subtle, or even overt. The thermostat of online discourse was climbing as the hours ticked by. 

But someone at the State Senate Democratic Committee understood the assignment. They wanted to call attention to the mix-up while also finding a creative way to take a poke at two of their Republican targets for next November: Sen. Howard Marklein, co-chair of the Joint Finance Committee, and Sen. Van Wanggaard of Racine.

Here was the Democrats’ graphic.

On the left is Waldorf, of “Statler and Waldorf” Muppet fame, a fair doppelganger to Marklein on the right. Or is that Wanggaard?

The truth is there aren’t nearly enough moments of bipartisanship in the state Capitol, but I can guarantee you there was bipartisan chuckling when that response came out — with at least a few Republican staffers saying under their breath, “Well played.” 

Have a great week — and remember to stay up to date with our social media posts.

⏮️ Last Week:  How do you unplug?

🔌 As you could tell, our question last week was less of a public opinion survey and more like a big Suggestion Box for your ways to unplug from the news now and then. 

Unfortunately, by your own admission, a lot of you need a little more quiet time and fresh air!

There’s Barb W. who admits, “I don’t tune out enough. I listen to Reuters, Heather Cox Richardson, read the paper. It is all bad. Enough is enough, but I can’t break the cycle.”

One novel approach comes from Jane J. who says she’s a news junkie who reads the news and listens to the news, but does not WATCH the news. “I can’t stand the sight of Trump and don’t subject myself to ever having to watch him on tv or streaming.”

There was a lot of walking, going to the gym, volunteering, crossword puzzles, and visiting friends. But our favorite comment came from Jeffrey B. “I listen to Audible books when running, cycling, and even swimming. It took a while to figure out how to make Bluetooth work when swimming!” That’s dedication to an audiobook habit!

And hey, at least if you’re staying plugged in, you’ve chosen a good little newsletter to take along!

⏭️ This Week:  Prosecutions or Back to Normal?

This week’s question asks you to look beyond Donald Trump in the White House. If a Democrat is elected president in 2028 and Democrats have partial or full control of Congress, what do think should be done about seeking justice against Trump’s MAGA minions?

🄰  Trump only — There will be so much to clean up and restore. We should put our resources into looking ahead, not backward. Prosecute Trump for his misdeeds and let’s move on.

🄱  Let it go — Prosecuting a former president will only give him and his supporters more media attention. Let’s rise above it all, move on, and get our country back on track.

🄲  Get ‘em all — We can walk and chew gum at the same time. Get our democracy back in alignment and protect it by going after every last MAGA official where there’s evidence of lawbreaking. 

This is very much a “head vs. heart” question. Whatever your feelings, what is the best course of action for our country in order to heal? To respond, hit reply or email me directly at pat@couriernewsroom.com and please share your first name and hometown in case we share your answers. “Jane in Shawano” reads a little better than “NimbleKnitterGal57” or “98_zzk-BrewKrew.” Thanks!

It’s been a busy week for the Republicans who control the Legislature — with no shortage of important challenges to address, if they wanted to. It appears they do not.

Instead, lawmakers have held hearings on multiple bills to single out their transgender constituents in order to restrict rights involving sports participation, bathroom access, workplace discrimination, military service, use of personal pronouns, and healthcare rights for minors. 

“It just feels so out of touch to me that there are legislators who are really pushing such a disgusting agenda about a very small, very vulnerable, very loved population,” said Abigail Swetz, executive director of Fair Wisconsin. 

Conservative causes opposing civil rights date back to struggles over racial equality, women’s equality, and marriage equality for same-sex couples. Now the cause célèebre involves transgender individuals, with a forceful emphasis on minors who are wrestling with questions about gender identity. We invite you to read our full article intended to clear up what gender affirming care for minors actually involves as opposed to so much political misinformation. 

Read my full article HERE.

Gov. Tony Evers had a simple plea for Republicans on property tax relief as the Legislature sets its agenda in the final year of his time in office: “Let’s just get it done.”

Evers outlined his priorities for the Assembly and Senate, which are quite similar to the requests he’s made multiple times — only to see Republicans choose rejection rather than negotiation. But Evers had updated fiscal numbers to support his plea for property tax relief.

New state figures show revenue for the current 2025-27 budget cycle is forecast to be around $1 billion higher than previously estimated. 

“We have a year left,” Evers said. “All the things that we need to be addressed, many of them can be.”

Along with property tax relief, Evers shared his ongoing policy wish list before he steps down at the end of his second term. Evers wants to see legislation increasing health insurance coverage through BadgerCare for new moms, cracking down on health insurance companies that engage in serial claims rejections and price gouging, reauthorizing the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship land conservation program, restoring funds for assisting homeless veterans, and improving programs to address PFAS industrial chemicals in drinking water.

Read the full article HERE.

Former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes brought his campaign for governor to Chippewa County by listening to a half-dozen local farmers in one of their barns, listening as they outlined the ways Washington has failed them and how they want a Wisconsin governor who will be on their side.

Click image below to hear  Barnes describe how he would better represent farmers than GOP frontrunner, Congressman Tom Tiffany, based on Tiffany’s record in Madison and Washington.

Click image below to hear how Barnes says despite politicians’ attempts to drive a wedge between rural Wisconsin and its cities, some issues—like job loss, mergers, trade wars, and corporate cutbacks—are universal.

Read the full article HERE.

Democrats

🟦  David Crowley $789,000

🟦  Sara Rodriguez $618,000

🟦  Joel Brennan $566,000

🟦  Mandela Barnes $556,000

🟦  Missy Hughes $465,000

🟦  Francesca Hong $369,000

🟦  Kelda Roys $355,000

To look only at the total dollar figures, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley has an impressive early lead in fundraising among the candidates for governor — but each candidate’s performance tells a story.

According to a review by WisPolitics, a chunk of Crowley’s 2025 funds were a transfer from his campaign fund as county executive. Former Lt. Gov. Barnes had a transfer from a federal political action committee he created years ago. Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez received a sizable donation from the Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association. Joel Brennan’s donors include brother-in-law Kevin Conroy of Exact Sciences, a company being purchased for $23 billion.  

While Rep. Francesca Hong had a lower cumulative total, she blew away the field in terms of total donors and small-dollar donors. Her 7,400 donations were followed by Barnes with 3,790 — though Barnes was only officially in the race for a matter of days before the Dec. 31 reporting deadline.

Republicans

🟥  Tom Tiffany $2,100,000

🟥  Josh Schoemann $536,000

On the Republican side, US Rep. Tom Tiffany raised $2.1 million — but while the Democratic candidates all had only a handful of donors who contributed the maximum of $20,000, Tiffany had 54 wealthier donors giving the highest allowable amount. Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann loaned his campaign $100,000 of the $536,000 he raised overall.

📱 Remember, you can stay up to date all day with all of our team’s work through our social media feeds, including Instagram and TikTok.

🏁 Thanks for reading our update.

Have a great week!