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(The Center Square) – Most voers in Wisconsin haven’t decided who they support to be the state’s next governor, according to a new Marquette Law School poll.

The poll showed that 81% of Democrats and 70% of Republicans have not made their choice in a crowded field to replace Gov. Tony Evers in the Aug. 11, 2026, primary. The general election is Nov. 3, 2026.

Those polled were asked which candidates they knew about with 39% saying they recognize and have an opinion of Rep. Tom Tiffany while 17% recognize Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann and 11% recognize medical service technician Andy Manske.

Of the Democrats Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley has the highest recognition at 26%,with Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez at 25%, State Rep. Francesca Hong at 22%, state Sen. Kelda Roys at 17%, former Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. CEO Missy Hughes at 16%; former state Rep. Brett Hulsey at 15% and Milwaukee beer vendor Ryan Strnad at 11%.

The poll asked 846 registered voters the questions between Oct. 15-22.

The poll had similar responses related to supreme court candidates Maria Lazar and Chris Taylor, with 86% saying they don’t have enough information on Lazar and 84% saying the same about Taylor while 69% of those polled said they did not have enough information on what each candidate stands for.

(The Center Square) – The Biden administration’s probe into President Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss progressed far beyond investigating potential fraud and potentially targeted 156 conservatives and conservative organizations.

Whistleblower-sourced records, made public Wednesday by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, show that the Arctic Frost probe, pushed by Biden administration special counsel Jack Smith, conducted extensive and legally dubious investigations into Trump-supporting Republicans nationwide.

Smith, the FBI, and the Department of Justice spent thousands of taxpayer dollars to collect personal cellular phone data, conduct dozens of interviews, and issue 197 subpoenas to 34 individuals and 163 businesses.

“Arctic Frost was the vehicle by which FBI agents and DOJ prosecutors could improperly investigate the entire Republican political apparatus. Contrary to what Smith has said publicly, this was clearly a fishing expedition,” Grassley told reporters Wednesday.

“If this had happened to Democrats, they’d be as rightly outraged as we are outraged,” he added. “We’re making these records public in the interest of transparency and so that the American people can draw their own conclusions.”

The records reveal some of the targets on page 60, including multiple state Republican party chairs or former chairs; many state lawmakers and attorneys; individuals believed at the time to be “fake electors;” and conservatives involved in election integrity efforts.

Records of additional individuals and organizations targeted, beginning on page 101, list everyone from Trump campaign staffers to former senior White House advisor Stephen Miller and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino. The list spans multiple states and includes some significant redactions.

The Arctic Frost team also collected phone records of at least nine Republican senators without notifying them, and attempted but failed to collect phone data on others.

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., called the records “nothing short of a Biden administration enemies list” and deemed it “far worse, orders of magnitude worse” than the Watergate scandal of the Nixon administration.

“People need to realize how politicized the Biden administration turned all these agencies,” Johnson said. “It’s outrageous, it should shock every American…we need to get to the bottom of this…so that this doesn’t happen again in America.”

The revelations build on previous documents showing that the Biden administration targeted 92 conservative groups, including the Republican National Committee; Republican Attorneys General Association; the America First Policy Institute; and Turning Point USA, the organization previously headed by political commentator Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot in September.

In a Truth Social post Wednesday, Trump called the investigators a “disgrace to humanity.”

“These thugs should all be investigated and put in prison,” he said. “Deranged Jack Smith is a criminal!!!”

(The Center Square) – For the first time in the past 10 years of polling, more Wisconsin voters said they would vote against a school referendum than for it.

Fifty-seven percent of voters said they would vote against a referendum in the new Marquette Law School poll.

That compares to 52% in June, 57% in February and 55% in January saying they would vote for a school referendum if it was proposed by a local school board.

The poll asked 846 registered voters the questions between Oct. 15-22.

“This is one to keep an eye on to see if this trend continues or it’s just a fluke of this sample,” Law School Poll Director Charles Franklin said.

The poll also showed that 56% said they believe reducing property taxes is more important than increasing spending on public schools.

That compared to 57% in June, 58% in February and 55% in January who said the same.

Historical Marquette polling showed that 50% first said they would prioritize reducing property taxes in June 2023 after years of polling showing that spending more on public schools was more important to voters.

That total has trended up since the 2023 polling.

“People have gotten more concerned about school spending and property taxes in particular,” Franklin said.

The polling comes after Milwaukee voters said they would prefer consolidating schools over another property tax referendum increase when Embold Research asked 535 likely Milwaukee voters in 2026 the questions between Oct. 6-10 on behalf of City Forward Collective and CFC Action Fund.

Legislators are currently discussing a bill that would require districts to file the required paperwork before being eligible for a referendum.

There also are a set of bills in the works on school consolidation.

Public school enrollment in Wisconsin is expected to decline by 10,000 students annually for the five-year period that began in 2023-24 and the trend is expected to continue.

The bill would provide a consolidation model process, funding for consolidation or shared service feasibility studies and assistance for schools as they try to match up differing levies and determine school board positions when consolidation occurs.

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(The Center Square) – A group of Wisconsin lawmakers are proposing a law that would allow mobile sports wagering across the state through the state’s current tribal operators.

The law would allow for a similar sports wagering model as Florida where the state’s sportsbook operators have servers on federally recognized tribal lands while users can be in the state of Wisconsin.

The proposal cites the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2024 decision not to hear a challenge to the sports wagering pact between Florida and the Seminole tribe of the hub-and-spoke sports wagering model.

Legal sports wagering is currently only allowed on tribal lands in Wisconsin while prediction markets such as Kalshi are now legal across the U.S.

The Ho-Chunk Nation currently has a lawsuit filed against Kalshi for operating in the state.

The bill is being proposed by Reps. Tyler August, R-Walworth, and Kalan Haywood, D-Milwaukee, along with Sens. Howard Marklein, R-Spring Green, and Kristin Dassler-Alfheim, D-Appleton.

“This legislation is an important step to bring Wisconsin in alignment with the majority of the country in regards to sports wagering," Haywood said in a statement. "For too long, illegal, offshore entities have profited from consumers through unregulated sports wagering, without generating revenue for local economies.

"By regulating this multi-billion-dollar industry, we can provide a safer mobile wagering experience for Wisconsin consumers, and generate much needed revenue to invest into our communities.”

Wisconsin receives payments that are a portion of the net win from tribal casinos but does not separately reports sports wagering payments.

In 2024, the state received more than $66 million in shared revenue payments with nearly $66 million in 2023 and nearly $57 million in 2022.

Sports wagering is legal in 39 states with 31 allowing mobile sports wagering.

Sponsors sent out the proposed legislation to fellow lawmakers this week asking for co-sponsors before Oct. 22.

“This bill does not authorize gambling on its own; it only is one part in a multi-step process to create the legal framework necessary for Wisconsin to participate in mobile sports wagering under tribal compacts,” the proposal said. “Gaming compacts between states and tribes need to be federally approved by the U.S. Department of Interior before going into effect.”

Making a sports bet in the state is currently a misdemeanor offense and the bill would exclude from the legal term “bet” any mobile sports wager with an approved sportsbook with servers located on tribal lands.

The bill estimates it will bring hundreds of millions of illegal bets into legal sportsbooks in the state, stating the change “generates new revenue through tribal gaming compacts and reduces consumer risk from offshore operators.”

(The Center Square) – A hearing is scheduled for 11 a.m. on Thursday to address concerns about sexual misconduct and grooming in schools.

Committee on Government Operations, Accountability and Operations Chair Rep. Amanda Nedweski, R-Pleasant Prairie, scheduled the hearing and invited State School Superintendent Jill Underly, along with law enforcement.

Nedweski announced Thursday night she would be introducing three bills related to the case including a grooming law, standards for communication between students and faculty and to end a "loophole" where educators can surrender their teaching license rather than facing further investigation.

She had previously been working on the grooming law and bill on communications standards after the case of Kenosha teacher Christian Enwright, who pleaded guilty to 12 misdemeanors for his conduct sending hundreds of Snapchat messages to a student that resulted in a sentence of 450 days in jail and three years of probation.

“Since the Kenosha County Eye exposed Christian Enwright’s predatory behavior toward a student, I have been working on anti-grooming legislation that will establish harsh penalties for any adult convicted of grooming a minor for sexual activity,” Nedweski said in a statement. “This proposal will be modeled after comprehensive laws passed in other states and will give our law enforcement and prosecutors the tools they need to keep children safe.”

Senate Committee on Education Chair John Jagler and Vice Chair Romaine Quinn asked a series of 12 questions of Underly and demanded to get a response within 24 hours of the Thursday afternoon letter on if she will be willing to testify before the committee.

The Senate committee leaders had not heard back from Underly or her office as of 11:30 a.m. on Friday.

The Capital Times report showed that 200 investigations into teachers for sexual misconduct and grooming were shielded from the public by DPI and that accused teachers were able to forfeit their teaching license to avoid further investigation into alleged grooming.

The Center Square was unable to get comment from Underly or Gov. Tony Evers before publication.

(The Center Square) – Wisconsin’s latest enrollment numbers show some good news for choice schools in the state, but there’s also a warning sign.

School Choice Wisconsin said choice enrollment hit a new record high of 60,972 students.

“Parents are speaking loudly and clearly about what they want for their children: more educational options different than those offered by public schools,” School Choice Wisconsin Vice President Carol Shires said.

The nearly 61,000 choice students this year is up from less than 34,000 in the 2016-2017 school year.

And, Shires said, the new record-high comes just as Wisconsin’s choice school enrollment cap expires.

“Lawmakers in Madison should continue to prioritize protecting these private-school options for all students,” she said.

But there are also warnings about the limits of choice school enrollment growth.

Quinton Klabon with the Institute for Reforming Government said choice schools will soon face the same demographic challenges that traditional public schools are facing.

He said the “baby bust” from the 2008 recession has arrived, and all schools will see enrollments fall because there are simply fewer school-aged children.

“School choice supporters and opponents alike have projected rapid, continued growth, but new data suggest the programs are affected by declining birth rates, school participation, or parent choices,” IRG noted.

“School choice supporters cannot be complacent,” Klabon said. “Informing parents, expanding high-quality schools, and protecting schools from hostile red tape are high priorities. Otherwise, the baby bust will close choice schools.”

The new enrollment numbers show Milwaukee’s choice program added 235 students this year.

Racine’s school choice program lost 14 students, and the state’s special needs choice program gained 419. But it was the statewide school choice program that saw the largest enrollment increases. The Wisconsin Parental Choice Program added 1,814 students this fall.

A sharp decline in Gen Z Americans identifying as transgender and queer has occurred, from 6.8% identifying as a gender other than male or female in 2023 compared to 3.6% stating so in 2025, according to a report.

The report’s author, professor of Politics Eric Kaufmann, told The Center Square he thinks this drop in transgender young people “signals one of the first shifts away from progressive non-conformity of lifestyle and self-expression in 60 years.”

Kaufmann told The Center Square: “I believe we could be at the start of a gradual change toward a more post-progressive society, somewhat more socially conservative – or at least not as socially radical.”

Kaufmann also said to The Center Square that “there are many” implications to his report.

“First, that social influences are an important factor in the rise and decline of trans, queer and bisexual identity among young people since the 2010s,” Kaufmann said.

“Second, that gender and sexual identity seems to operate relatively independently of politics and culture war attitudes among young people,” Kaufmann said.

For instance, in an X post on the subject, Kaufmann wrote that the shift in queer and trans identification is not actually due to the youth becoming “less woke, more religious or more conservative,” because “those beliefs remained stable throughout the 2020s.”

Kaufmann told The Center Square that his third and final listed point on the implications of his report was “that improving mental health is connected to this trend [of declining Gen Z transgenderism], though only partially.”

Better mental health certainly appears to play a part in the decline in trans and queer identifying young Americans, as “less anxious and, especially, depressed, students [are] linked with a smaller share identifying as trans, queer or bisexual,” Kaufmann wrote on X.

Kaufmann additionally noted to The Center Square that “it does not appear that these shifts are related to social media consumption patterns.”

Interestingly, as Kaufmann wrote on X, “freshmen in 2024-25 were less trans and queer than seniors whereas it was the reverse when BTQ+ identity was surging in 2022-23,” suggesting that “gender/sexual non-conformity will continue to fall.”

Policy director at family advocacy group American Principles Project Paul Dupont told The Center Square that the findings of Kaufmann’s report “should be seen as good news.”

“Adopting an identity at odds with one's biology is not healthy, so any report showing more people embracing their bodies rather than rejecting them is a positive development,” Dupont said.

“While it's too early to say with certainty, one hopes that this decline will make it easier to root out gender ideology from its remaining strongholds,” Dupont said.

“Many blue states and cities still allow men to access women's private spaces and sports,” Dupont said. “Many hospitals and clinics still perform gender transition procedures on minors. Many school districts still keep parents in the dark if their child is struggling with gender dysphoria.”

“All of these policies must be repealed wherever they are still in force, and having more members of Gen Z acknowledge biological reality will only help hasten that process,” Dupont said.

Dupont advised that “advocates for sanity should be cautious not to declare victory yet.”

“Although we are making progress, gender ideology remains entrenched in many powerful American institutions, and Democrats have refused to moderate one inch in response to their election loss last year,” Dupont said. “There is still a difficult road ahead.”

Much of the information going into Kaufmann’s report came from raw data found in the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression’s (FIRE) annual survey of college students – the College Free Speech Rankings Survey – with more than 60,000 polled in 2025.

As stated by Kaufmann in an article on his report, “just 3.6% of respondents [to FIRE’s survey] identified as a gender other than male or female,” in 2025.

“By comparison, the figure was 5.2% in 2024 and 6.8% in both 2022 and 2023,” Kaufmann wrote. “In other words, the share of trans-identified students has effectively halved in just two years.”

FIRE told The Center Square that its survey “looks at student attitudes for free expression and is conducted for that purpose.”

FIRE explained that “as a side effect of asking demographic questions of so many respondents (68,000 this year), one can glean trends in demographics as Prof Kauffman has done here.”

“We make our data available to the public for free on this page to encourage academics or members of the public to dive in and see what findings they're able to uncover beyond the analyses that we ourselves are able to run,” FIRE told The Center Square.

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