With majority control of the Wisconsin Senate at stake, the current Republican and Democratic leaders sparred Tuesday over whether state Rep. Dale Kooyenga, who is running to replace state Sen. Leah Vukmir, once appeared drunk on the floor of the state Assembly. > AP News
Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald said earlier today he had doubts there would be enough Senate Republican votes to pass legislation requiring insurance coverage for people with pre-existing conditions. But after media reports on his comments, he released a statement saying the Senate would, in fact, pass such a bill if needed. > Cap Times
Stephen Walters writes in Urban Milwaukee that there are several reasons why Gov. Scott Walker and lawmakers won’t meet Kimberly-Clark’s ultimatum to approve Foxconn-like tax breaks by Sept. 30.
Two top Republican lawmakers said this week that state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Evers — a Democrat challenging Gov. Scott Walker in November — didn’t take the lead on urging lawmakers to pass legislation making it easier to revoke the licenses of teachers who behave inappropriately. > Cap Times
The Republican leader of the Wisconsin Senate said Wednesday that the state’s juvenile prison has “been a mess for some time” and that Gov. Scott Walker’s administration should have done more to fix the problems earlier. Walker’s response to allegations of inmate abuse at Lincoln Hills is a re-election issue for him. > AP News
In the latest issue of its “Wisconsin Business Voice” magazine, Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (WMC) boasts that it won victories “too numerous to mention” from the Republican-dominated legislature last session. > Wisconsin Gazette
Wisconsin Republican leaders were defiant in the face of a predicted “blue wave” of Democratic victories as they rallied supporters at the party’s state convention on Saturday. “That blue wave is about to crash into the red wall,” said state Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald. > Cap Times
