Bernier Won’t Seek Reelection
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | January 7, 2022
From WisPolitics.com …State Sen. Kathy Bernier, a former county clerk who has chided her GOP colleagues for spreading disinformation about the 2020 election, announced today she won’t seek reelection this fall.Bernier, who turns 66 in April, said in a statement she has been contemplating her decision for some time.Former Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman called on her to resign following comments she made relating to the ongoing review he’s conducting of the 2020 election. Bernier, who served 13 years as the Chippewa County clerk and now chairs the Elections, Election Process and Ethics Committee, made clear she wasn’t pressured into her decision not to seek reelection.“I want to make it perfectly clear that no one has forced me out and politics has not played a role in my decision,” she said.See the release here.
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Duffy Won’t Run for Governor
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | January 6, 2022
From WisPolitics.com …Former U.S. Rep. Sean Duffy said this morning he won’t run for guv or U.S. Senate this fall.Appearing on Jay Weber’s talk show on WISN-AM, Duffy left the door open to running in the future. At the end of September, Duffy still had nearly $2.2 million in his federal campaign account.“If an opportunity presents itself, I’d like to come back and partake in Wisconsin politics,” Duffy said.In October, former President Trump issued a statement encouraging Duffy to run for guv. While sources close to the former congressman said he was seriously considering a bid, he had made no public moves toward a run. His family has moved to New Jersey, and his wife Rachel Campos Duffy has been hosting a show on Fox News.Duffy’s decision leaves former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch as the only high profile Republican to date who has gotten into the guv’s race. Former U.S. Senate candidate Kevin Nicholson has said he plans to run for guv or U.S. Senate this fall and is awaiting a final decision from U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Oshkosh, on whether he will seek a third term. Also, Madison businessman and former U.S. Senate candidate Eric Hovde has also been mentioned as a possible candidate.
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Rep. Meyers Will Not Seek Reelection
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | January 6, 2022
From WisPolitics.com …
Dem Rep. Beth Meyers announced today she won’t seek reelection this fall, telling WisPolitics.com she’s ready for new “adventures and new opportunities” after 13 years in public office.Meyers, 62, was elected to her northern Wisconsin district in 2014 and has served as minority caucus secretary since 2015. Before that, she served five years on the Bayfield County Board.Meyers noted the Capitol is a 5.5-hour drive from her home.“I’m ready to stop driving that many miles,” she said in a phone interview.Meyers won reelection in 2020 by nearly 3 percentage points even as Donald Trump won her district by 1.6 points.In that race, Meyers spent $783,593 over the course of 2020, dwarfing the $80,732 spent by her GOP opponent James Bolen. The race was one of several the state Dem Party focused on as it sought to prevent Republicans from reaching two-thirds majorities in both houses.A lawsuit is pending before the state Supreme Court asking the justices to draw lines for the 2022 elections after Dem Gov. Tony Evers vetoed the maps approved by GOP lawmakers. The final districts lines won’t be known for some time, though Meyers’ current district has become more Republican in recent years.Meyers said what the district looks like after the new lines are drawn or facing another competitive race didn’t play a role in her decision.“I know what I was up against. I won last time, and I would’ve won again because I was prepared to work hard,” she said.Meyers is the seventh member of the Assembly to announce plans to retire or seek another office. Meanwhile, state Rep. Samantha Kerkman, R-Salem, is running for Kenosha County exec on the spring ballot. She is another potential departure.
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SAA Opposes Assembly Bill 495
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | January 5, 2022
The SAA registered its opposition to Assembly Bill 495, relating to possession of a firearm in a vehicle on school grounds by a person with a license to carry a concealed weapon, at a public hearing today before the Assembly Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety. If you should have any questions or comments about the SAA’s position on the bill, please contact the SAA.
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Assembly Dems Choose Neubauer, Haywood to Lead Caucus
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | December 21, 2021
From WisPolitics.com …Ahead of her election as Assembly Minority Leader, Greta Neubauer told her Dem colleagues Republicans are losing ground in Wisconsin and can only win by sowing division.Neubauer was unopposed today to succeed Gordon Hintz when the Oshkosh Dem steps down as minority leader Jan. 10. Assembly Dems also elected Kalan Haywood, D-Milwaukee, to become the new assistant minority leader. He will take over Feb. 14 after Dianne Hesselbein, D-Middleton, leaves the post to focus on her run for state Senate.Neubauer, 30, was elected to the Assembly in a January 2018 special election, while Haywood, 22, was elected in November of that year. Their elections today reflect a young caucus. Of the 38 Dem Assembly members, 18 have joined the chamber since the start of 2018.Neubauer said Republicans are focused on division, cultural wars and hyperpartisanship, while Dems will focus on what the majority of Wisconsinites want such as a living wage and clean water to drink.“Our strength lies in our shared desire to look out for each other to make government a force for good,” Neubauer said.“Our caucus represents hope for our state, hope that our government can truly represent all of us.”Neubauer is the youngest caucus leader in either house in decades. Neubauer, who’s bisexual, is also believed to the first openly LGBTQ leader of a Wisconsin caucus.Five members had expressed an interest in running for assistant minority leader. But Reps. Jimmy Anderson, of Fitchburg, and Shelia Stubbs, of Madison, ultimately didn’t appear on the ballot. Haywood beat out Reps. Jodi Emerson, of Eau Claire, and Supreme Moore Omokunde, of Milwaukee.Haywood, who was elected caucus sergeant at arms at the start of this session, touted the field of candidates for the job as a sign of Dems’ strength that they’re producing so many members who want to be in leadership. He said members need to realize and respect they come from very different districts and have leaders who understand that.“The entire state of Wisconsin is counting on us to be that moral compass, to be that guide, that voice of reason,” Haywood said.
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