Welcome to our weekly DC Wrap, where we write about Wisconsin’s congressional delegation. Sign up here to receive the newsletter directly.
Quotes of the week
If I spread divisive lies that were causing bomb threats against my own constituents & forcing elementary schools to be evacuated, I would apologize. But you won’t hear an apology from JD Vance. Doubling down is the MAGA way.
– U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Milwaukee, knocking GOP vice presidential nominee JD Vance for claiming Haitians in Springfield, Ohio, are eating household pets. Local police have said they haven’t received any credible reports that is happening.
62% of registered voters support mass deportations. But Kamala Harris wants to keep the over 10 million illegal aliens she let into our country here permanently.
– U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Minocqua, criticizing Vice President Kamala Harris on border security.
This week’s news
— Dem U.S. Reps. Gwen Moore and Mark Pocan voted against a bill to extend government funding for another six months along with a GOP measure to curb noncitizen voting.
The GOP-majority House failed 202-220 to advance the legislation, with 14 Republicans joining Dems in opposition.
Yesterday’s vote came after House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., delayed a vote last week due to a lack of GOP support for the legislation. The legislation would ensure the government is funded until March 28.
Fundiing expires on Sept. 30, but lawmakers have failed to agree on a proposal to avert a government shutdown.
On top of that, Donald Trump has urged Republicans not to extend funding without including the SAVE Act, which would require states to check voters’ citizenship status before registering them to vote. But Dems oppose the bill, arguing it is unnecessary because noncitizens are already prohibited from voting in federal elections.
Moore in a statement blasted the legislation as “a deeply flawed and cynical attempt to hold the country hostage so Republicans can implement their extreme Project 2025 agenda.”
“For months now, House Republicans have refused to work with Democrats in good faith to pass all 12 full-year funding bills before the end of September,” Moore said. “House Republicans are taking their marching orders from Donald Trump, threatening a government shutdown that will harm the American people and our hardworking federal employees.”
A spokesperson for Pocan said the town of Vermont Dem would not be commenting on the vote.
U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Prairie du Chien in a statement said voting is a special privilege for U.S. citizens, and “it is absurd that some of my colleagues would not want integrity instilled in the system they were elected through.”
He noted a noncitizen from Venezuela with suspected gang ties was arrested in his city for assaulting a woman and her child. Van Orden said the man was also found in possession of a U.S. Social Security card.
“If Border Czar Vice President Harris is going to continue to allow millions of illegal aliens to flood into our country and obtain counterfeit documents, then Congress must utilize every opportunity to secure our federal elections,” Van Orden said.
U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Minocqua, ahead of the vote said Dems who opposed the legislation would be “choosing to shut down the government.”
“Will House Democrats prevent illegal aliens from voting in our elections today? Or will they shut down the government so that they can vote?” Tiffany said.
— What does it take to win Wisconsin in the presidential election? WisPolitics breakfast experts agree that “everything is up in the air.”
A Marquette University Law School poll released this week shows 52% of registered voters supporting Vice President Kamala Harris and 48% backing Trump.
At a WisPolitics DC breakfast at the Aspin Center on Tuesday, Poll Director Charles Franklin said perceptions of who would win the election have also changed, with July polling showing more people who thought Trump would win. But this time, more said Harris would win.
The poll shows that 48% of respondents say Harris will definitely or probably win, 41% say Trump will definitely or probably win and 11% say they don’t know.
Milwaukee County Exec David Crowley, who was in the audience, and reporter Craig Gilbert both said the race in Wisconsin is about the economy. The poll found 41% of respondents said was the most important issue in the election.
Crowley said to win Wisconsin, Harris will have to make her plans, particularly around the economy, clear. Gilbert added that the weakest answer in the presidential debate was Harris’ first, regarding the economy. He said Harris was “unresponsive” to the question.
“I think what she needed to do was at least acknowledge more the fact that there are a lot of people who don’t feel like they’re better off,” Gilbert said.
Post-presidential debate polling from Marquette Law School will be released in a couple weeks, but even so, Franklin said he doesn’t expect much to change.
An associate professor of Political Science at Johns Hopkins, Lily Mason, said some of this change could be explained from the political psychology side of things. She said there are two emotions that drive political action — anger and enthusiasm.
Trump, she said, is pushing his campaign forward with anger, while Harris is using enthusiasm, which resonates with younger voters.
“No matter what you think of Harris and Trump, [their debate] was mild in comparison to the Biden debate,” Franklin said. “I’m not looking for big change, but on the other hand, the public will do what it damn well pleases.”
— U.S. Sens. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, and Ron Johnson, R-Oshkosh, this week split on a vote to advance legislation to establish a national right to IVF and expand access to the treatment.
The procedural vote failed 51-44 as Baldwin voted to advance the Right to IVF Act with Johnson in opposition. Only two Republicans voted in favor. The Dem-controlled Senate also tried to pass the measure in June, but Senate Republicans slammed it as a “political ploy” and blocked it from coming to a vote.
The latest effort came as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-NY, sought to put Republicans in the hot seat over the issue.
Johnson’s office did not immediately return a request for comment on his vote.
Baldwin on a call with reporters ahead of the vote argued access to in vitro fertilization is in peril, saying it’s more important than ever to codify the protections into law.
“Recently, I have heard a particular politician say that he is a quote, leader in fertilization, unquote,” Baldwin said, referencing Donald Trump’s comments during last week’s presidential debate. “Do you know who really are the leaders here? Women, couples, their families — and that’s who we should empower with the freedom to decide how and when to build a family, period.”
Trump has proposed to make IVF free for all Americans, by having either insurance companies or the government cover the costs.
Also on the call, Medford resident Justine Thicke said she and her husband turned to IVF when she wasn’t able to get pregnant after nearly a year. Thicke said she was “extremely fortunate” her insurance covered the majority of the costs for IVF treatment, which she called “a light in a dark tunnel when it seemed there was no other way.”
“Without access to IVF services, I’m not sure I would have ever gotten pregnant, and I truly believe that not having the added stress of navigating a major financial strain in insurance was a major contributing factor to the success of our first IVF treatment and the birth of our first child,” Thicke said.
— Wisconsin Congress members this week condemned political violence after a second assassination attempt against Donald Trump while GOP members blasted Dems for inciting the attack.
The responses come after a man with an AK-47-style rifle was arrested at one of Trump’s golf courses in Florida in what the FBI said was an apparent assassination attempt on the former president. The incident came two months after Trump was wounded during a July 13 shooting at a rally in Pennsylvania.
U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, and U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Milwaukee, both said in posts on X that there is no place for political violence in the U.S.
“I appreciate law enforcement’s swift action to keep former President Trump safe and am committed to holding those responsible accountable,” Baldwin said in her post.
“We must all stand together in condemning such acts, regardless of our differences,” Moore said.
Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Prairie du Chien, said in a post on X the blame for the incident “resides directly with the radical democrats that have been spewing hateful rhetoric about Donald Trump for over a decade.”
In a statement, U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman, R-Glenbeulah, said it is “alarming, but not surprising,” that Trump has been the subject of an assassination attempt for the second time in two months.
“Crazed rhetoric by leading Democrat politicians, including Kamala Harris herself, have said President Trump will try to get rid of democracy, whatever they mean by that since the United States is a Republic. It sounds like it will be the end of elections,” he said.
Grothman then called upon “all leading Democrat mouthpieces, ABC, NBC, CNN, to publicly state that Donald Trump is not a threat to democracy—and clarify what they meant by their statements.”
In an initial post on X, U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Minocqua, said he is thankful Trump is safe, and America needs to come together and pray for our country and for the Trump family.
In a subsequent post, Tiffany called for U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas to be fired or convicted by the Senate because the Secret Service falls under the Department of Homeland Security.
“Alejandro Mayorkas’s failure to protect our national security and a former president, not once but twice, is beyond unacceptable,” Tiffany said.
U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Oshkosh, said in a post on X that “Iran and others continue to plot against” Trump, adding the attempts against Trump’s life are “horrendous and unacceptable.”
— GOP VP nominee JD Vance told an Eau Claire crowd that while he is “not perfect,” Democrats need to “tone down the political rhetoric.”
Vance’s remarks on Tuesday came two days after a man with an AK-47-style rifle was arrested at one of Donald Trump’s golf courses in Florida in what the FBI said was an apparent assassination attempt on the former president. The incident came two months after Trump was wounded during a July 13 shooting at a rally in Pennsylvania.
“We have an opportunity to put [Trump] back in the White House, but only if he makes it seven weeks to Election Day,” Vance said. “Because we know that in this environment, unfortunately, it’s not out of the question that somebody else might try to take another shot.”
Vance added: “The American media, the Democrats and the Kamala Harris campaign — they’ve got to cut this crap out, or they’re going to get somebody killed.”
See full coverage of Vance’s remarks and watch video here.
— Meanwhile, Dem VP nominee Tim Walz slammed Trump during a pair of Wisconsin visits over the weekend.
In Superior on Saturday, Walz told a rally Trump is only out for himself, saying the former president does nothing but run down America because “He doesn’t believe in us.” The Minnesota guv said in contrast, Kamala Harris has a plan to help all Americans.
And he praised the various women who are backing the Dem ticket, including entertainer Taylor Swift.
“It’s really great to have all of these women help us to beat the smallest man in the world,” he said.
During a stop in Wausau on Friday, Walz praised Harris’ performance during last week’s debate. He said one person on the stage looked up to being president, and it wasn’t Trump.
He urged supporters to put in the work to turn the ticket’s momentum into votes. Walz said Republicans do all they can to make it harder to vote and to suppress turnout, while Dems want to inspire people, lift them up and get them to the polls.
Walz also promised the work will be worthwhile.
“Just imagine the first time you’re going to get to say, “Madame President, it’s a privilege to have you,’” Walz said. “Let’s go get ‘em.”
— Harris will campaign in Madison on Friday as the parade of presidential ticket contenders to the state continues.
It will be her eighth stop in Wisconsin this year and fourth since President Joe Biden dropped out.
— House Majority PAC, which backs Dem candidates, has released a new poll that showed Dem Rebecca Cooke and GOP U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden in a tight race.
The poll found 49% of likely voters backed Cooke, a nonprofit executive, while 47% supported Van Orden, R-Prairie du Chien.
House Majority PAC, which has a $3.9 million ad reservation in the race over the final two weeks, didn’t release the full poll and shared just some topline numbers. That includes Van Orden being viewed favorably by 42% of those surveyed and unfavorably by 41%.
GBAO conducted the poll of 400 likely voters Sept. 8-10 using several different methods to reach them. The margin of error was plus or minus 4.9 percentage points.
FiveThirtyEight rates GBAO the country’s 234th best pollster with 1.2 stars out of three.
– The CEO of the conservative MacIver Institute, GOP U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany and Republican sheriffs this week urged support for legislation that would only allow U.S. citizens to vote in elections.
It is already illegal under Wisconsin law for non-residents to vote in elections.
Still, MacIver Institute CEO Annette Olson said “the right reserved for only legal citizens to self govern is in danger and must be preserved for posterity.”
Noncitizens voting in federal elections is extremely rare, but drew attention as Donald Trump is arguing without evidence that the Biden-Harris administration is attempting to illegally enlist migrants to vote in the November election.
Tiffany, alongside other speakers at the press conference, called for the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act to be passed nationally. The act would require voters to present documentary proof of citizenship when registering.
Republicans in Wisconsin’s Legislature have also passed a proposed constitutional amendment, which will be on the ballot in November, to ensure that in addition to current federal law that only U.S. citizens may vote in Wisconsin.
“We want to make sure that it is easy to vote but hard to cheat,” Tiffany said. He referenced voters’ approval of the constitutional amendment in the April referendum, which said that “only election officials designated by law may administer elections,” as proof that “Wisconsinites want good integrity regardless of the party.”
GOP Fond du Lac County District Attorney Eric Toney said that in Wisconsin, he was “less concerned about somebody that’s in the country illegally voting, because it would be very difficult for them to get a driver’s license,” adding the cases in which noncitizens vote often involve legal immigrants instead. Only those legally in the U.S. are able to obtain a driver’s license.
Toney, who ran unsuccessfully for attorney general in 2022, called for sharing of information between the Wisconsin Election Commission and the Department of Transportation to review which driver’s license holders were noncitizens, and for more checks to make sure that legal noncitizens do not mistakenly vote.
Dodge County Sheriff Dale Schmidt, who recently pressed three municipal clerks in his county not to use drop boxes, said at the event that he did so because he didn’t think “there was a good process in place” for the clerks to be able to confirm that each voter dropped off their own ballot, as required by the Supreme Court’s July 5 ruling on drop boxes.
“Our clerks in Dodge County have all unanimously made a decision that they can’t do that, and they are not having ballot drop boxes,” Schmidt said. “I would urge other clerks across the state to ask those same questions.”
— The RNC announced it has sued Racine, accusing the southeastern Wisconsin city of rejecting GOP-approved election inspectors to work at the polls for the Aug. 13 primary.
The suit, filed Friday in Racine County Circuit Court, seeks an order requiring the city to “schedule, train, and otherwise take whatever steps necessary” to ensure those Republicans can work city polls for the Nov. 5 election.
Racine Clerk Tara McMenamin didn’t address the allegation directly in a statement in which she said the city “is committed to hiring election officials who meet all statutory requirements, irrespective of political affiliation. In anticipation of potential increases in meritless litigation leading up to the presidential election, we are steadfast in maintaining consistent standards.”
Posts of the week
Hard to find a better lunch than at Gus’s Gyros in Racine. pic.twitter.com/imAg4iAWqh
— Bryan Steil (@RepBryanSteil) September 15, 2024
I had a great discussion today with my friend @DavidCrowleyWI about the ways we’re moving Milwaukee forward with investments to expand affordable housing, boost tourism, and keep Wisconsinites safe! pic.twitter.com/uqYw5QkKug
— Sen. Tammy Baldwin (@SenatorBaldwin) September 17, 2024
Celebrating 93 incredible years of love, wisdom, and joy. Happy birthday, Mom! pic.twitter.com/M7n2qYT0BQ
— Rep. Glenn Grothman (@RepGrothman) September 17, 2024
Nothing like Milwaukee night in DC! pic.twitter.com/xOVMLnkRyf
— Rep. Gwen Moore (@RepGwenMoore) September 17, 2024
Honored to receive the “Fraternal Ally” award from the American Fraternal Alliance. These organizations provide financial security to members and their families while leveraging premiums for charitable purposes to the benefit of communities across Wisconsin and the country! pic.twitter.com/lnb8tZNsMq
— Rep. Scott Fitzgerald (@RepFitzgerald) September 17, 2024
ICYMI
Wisconsin State Journal: Dane County sheriff fires back at GOP U.S. Reps. Van Orden, Tiffany on immigration issue
WEAU: Baldwin announces veterans misdiagnosed at VA will receive over $4.2 million in retroactive benefits
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Eric Hovde has replaced key team members while trailing Tammy Baldwin
WPR: Wisconsin appeals court takes up RFK Jr. ballot case
