Republican Derek Woellner, the former mayor of Merrill, has announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate race in Wisconsin. Woellner, 31 years old, served as mayor from 2018 to 2022 and would be one of the youngest U.S. Senators if elected. He describes himself as a 'Roosevelt Republican' and aims to fulfill President Trump's promise to prevent jobs from being shipped overseas and rebuild America's economy. Woellner will compete in the August 13 primary election.
Woellner's entrance into the race adds another contender to the Republican primary, which already includes Eric Hovde, Scott Mayer, and David Clarke. Hovde, a businessman and CEO of Hovde Properties and H Bancorp, announced his candidacy earlier this year and has emphasized his intention to find common ground and restore the American Dream. Mayer, a state senator, and Clarke, the former sheriff of Milwaukee County, are also vying for the nomination.
On the Democratic side, incumbent Tammy Baldwin is seeking re-election. Democrats plan to brand Hovde as an out-of-touch 'California bank owner,' while Baldwin criticized Hovde's West Coast ties. Baldwin is expected to face opposition from Republicans who claim that she would vote for a national abortion ban, raise taxes on working families and seniors, and repeal the Affordable Care Act. Woellner's candidacy adds another dimension to the race, as he brings his experience as a former mayor and his focus on rebuilding the economy to the table.
In addition to Woellner, another candidate has joined the race for the U.S. Senate seat in Wisconsin. Ottawa County Commissioner Rebekah Curran has filed paperwork to run for the open seat. Curran, a Republican, is joining a crowded field of candidates, including former congressmen Mike Rogers, Peter Meijer, and Justin Amash. The primary winner is likely to face U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, a Democrat. Curran considers herself staunchly conservative but has distanced herself from the far-right faction of the county's board of commissioners. She wants to focus on controlling the U.S. border and implementing economic policies that address inflation. Curran believes her experience as a mediator will help her negotiate common ground between conservatives and liberals. She must collect at least 15,000 signatures by April 23 to get on the Republican primary ballot.
The Wisconsin Senate race is crucial for both parties, as control of the Senate is up for grabs. Republicans see an opportunity to win the seat and gain control of the Senate, while Democrats are working to defend their majority. Wisconsin is a closely divided state and a target for Republicans in their bid to win control of the Senate. Winning Wisconsin is pivotal in gaining control of Washington.
Meanwhile, in Wisconsin, Justice Janet Protasiewicz, a liberal Wisconsin Supreme Court justice, has declined to recuse herself from a case dealing with the legality of mobile voting sites in the state. The case was filed by the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty on behalf of Racine County Republican Party Chairman Ken Brown, alleging that Racine city officials illegally used a voting van to collect absentee ballots in 2022. A Racine County judge ruled in January that state law doesn't allow mobile voting sites. Racine City Clerk Tara McMenamin and the Democratic National Committee asked the state Supreme Court to review the case without lower appellate courts ruling on it first. Protasiewicz's involvement gives liberals a 4-3 majority on the court, improving their chances of winning a reversal. Brown filed a motion asking Protasiewicz to recuse herself, but she denied the motion, stating that she can act impartially. The court has yet to decide whether to take the case.
Wisconsin criminal justice groups are now arguing in court to invalidate Republican-backed cash bail constitutional amendments from last year. The case revolves around whether the ballot questions were sent to the correct elections officials and whether deadlines for submission were met. If successful, the amendments could be struck from the state constitution and put on a future ballot for another vote. The amendments allow judges to consider past convictions for violent crimes when setting bail for someone accused of a violent crime and to consider a defendant's risk to public safety when setting bail required for release before trial. The judge last year rejected an effort to stop the April 2023 vote on the amendments. Attorneys for the Legislature and state elections commission argue that a minor procedural error should not result in overturning the election results. The constitutional amendments were approved with 67% and 68% support, while 80% of voters approved of an advisory referendum on requiring able-bodied, childless welfare recipients to look for work.
Liberal Judge Susan Crawford has entered the race for the Wisconsin Supreme Court. The race is to succeed retiring liberal Justice Ann Walsh Bradley, with majority control of the court at stake. Crawford, who previously represented Planned Parenthood in an abortion access case, framed the race as a battle for ideological control of the court and vowed to protect the rights and freedoms of Wisconsinites. Conservative Waukesha County Circuit Judge Brad Schimel, a former Republican state attorney general who opposes abortion, is also running. The election will take place on April 1, 2024, and the winner will serve a 10-year term. The race will determine whether liberals maintain majority control until at least 2028. Crawford's campaign announcement labeled Schimel a 'right-wing extremist' due to his support for enforcing Wisconsin's 1849 abortion ban. Schimel accused Crawford of being 'handpicked by the leftist majority on the Supreme Court.'
The Wisconsin Supreme Court has announced that it will rename the State Law Library in Madison in honor of Lavinia Goodell, Wisconsin's first woman to practice law. Goodell was admitted to practice law in 1874 but was denied the right to represent a client before the Wisconsin Supreme Court the following year. In 1877, she worked with state lawmakers to pass a bill allowing women to practice law in Wisconsin. The library is currently named after former conservative Justice David Prosser, a designation made in 2016. Current conservative Justice Rebecca Bradley criticized the move as 'another petty and vindictive maneuver' from the court's liberal majority. The court's announcement did not include any comments from the court's conservatives. A ceremony naming the law library after Goodell will be held at a future date. [62ee6d6c]