What’s ahead in Wisconsin politics in 2026?

Tuesday January 6, 2026, was not only the fifth anniversary of an attempted coup to overthrow the 2020 election (we’re still waiting for legal consequences for the fake electors scheme, which was originally cooked up in Wisconsin), it was also the filing deadline for candidates running in municipal elections. So, it was a great time for WORT-FM’s noon talk program “A Public Affair” Tuesday Host Dana Pellebon to host a conversation on prospective politics in 2026 with Cap Times Local Government Reporter Enjoyiana Nururdin, WORT-FM News Producer Faye Parks, and me, Tone Madison Managing Editor Christina Lieffring.

One subject we did not discuss is the Wisconsin Supreme Court (SCOWIS) election, but it’s one worth touching upon. One of Wisconsin Watch‘s 2026 predictions is that the race will not break new fundraising records—last year’s set a record for the most expensive state supreme court race at $90 million. The difference this year is the outcome will not change the balance of the court. “Liberal” candidate Chris Taylor and “conservative” candidate Maria Lazar (both of whom are current judges on the Wisconsin Court of Appeals) are vying for SCOWIS conservative Justice Rebecca Bradley’s open seat.

In theory, the right could rally behind Lazar just to improve their chances of flipping the court during the subsequent SCOWIS elections—we will have one SCOWIS election per year through 2030—but it’s also plausible that, with lower stakes, we may see lower fundraising, which would mean fewer political ads. If you prefer a “liberal” SCOWIS (in quotes because I find this framing lacking) and would prefer not to be inundated with political ads for an ostensibly apolitical position, don’t overlook this election. If Taylor wins and solidifies the court’s liberal majority, the four remaining elections could be a lot quieter. 

Below I’ve excerpted some of the highlights of the conversation, divided by topic, so they may not be in chronological order. Also, the transcription has been edited for clarity. 

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Madison Common Council

Enjoyiana Nururdin: I feel like a lot of people are also getting involved in their local governments, and I think that’s something really positive… And I think this is really interesting, because at the national level, there’s so much going on that I think people are kind of turning that attention to their communities. Which is a good thing, but it can also be a bad thing. 

Faye Parks: I think there’s definitely been a lot more interest in city elections, especially a lot more tension over, whether it’s housing or the budget referendum that passed in 2024, people being frustrated with rising property taxes, questioning city spending. There’s a lot of attention and pressure on the city council over issues that are truly impacting people’s everyday lives on the local level.

Christina Lieffring: I’ll echo what Faye was just saying about how, you know, when things are going well, people tend to ignore local government. Because they just assume that if things are going well, that the people who are there are doing a good job. But I think it’s a mild understatement to say that things are not going well, and people are feeling it.

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Enjoyiana Nururdin: One thing that I remember with the [multiple Madison political controversies in the fall of 2024] was this idea that other things are influencing our local, quote-unquote, “nonpartisan” politics. And one of the biggest questions I wondered was, what does it mean to be progressive in Madison? And what does it mean to kind of have the stamping of a group like Progressive Dane or Dane Democrats? What do those things actually mean when it comes to policy on the city council? And so I think maybe as we move forward with the staggered terms, we’re going to kind of see a little bit of some differences with how people address issues like housing. And I think the last couple of months with all the housing policy stuff that’s been happening, I think it’s great. But I am interested to see how some candidates are going to be using their platform to really push for some of those issues, knowing the term limits and knowing the board and committee structures that have been changing. 

Dane County Board of Supervisors

Enjoyiana Nururdin: I want to see some debates happen. Like, in person. I need people to be really talking to each other… Tapping into what’s going on at the county level is how different everybody’s districts are. I think I started reporting on the county budget process, and I just was sitting in those meetings like, ‘Wow, this is completely different from what the [Madison] City Council deals with.’ So I’m definitely interested to see how the supervisors and the incumbents—because there’s a lot of them [and] a lot of them are running unopposed. So is that a good thing? Is that a bad thing? I’m curious to see how their constituents might give them some feedback, or tell them a little bit about what’s going on in their areas.

Faye Parks: To add in on that—I think the culture in the county board is really different, too, compared to the city. I mean, for all intents and purposes, there’s not a huge range of ideologies in the City Council. There might be disagreements on specific policies or ideas of how to handle the biggest issues in the city, but people are more or less coming from the same side. That’s not necessarily the case in the county board.

Christina Lieffring: I think [Nururdin] had a really good point where, it’s really hard to get good information about candidates at the county and the city level. And part of that is just because there’s such small districts impacting only a few 100, maybe a couple 1000, people. And so it’s hard for newsrooms to decide they’re going to devote the resources to really probing who these people are, and what are they actually motivated by. 

Dana Pellebon: In my time running for [Dane County Board and Dane County Executive], what I have found is that it is special interest groups. So [Nururdin] had mentioned you’d love to see some debates. Well, that’s not going to happen unless some group decides we want to see a debate, and then they invite the people that they want to invite. And same with endorsements—not everybody has the opportunity to get endorsements. And so it’s about the politics of things, not necessarily ‘How do we get out information?’ Which is what makes the news that we can get out so, so vital.

Wisconsin Governor

Faye Parks: I’ve heard the name [Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann, one of the candidates running in the Republican gubernatorial primary] off and on throughout reporting over the last couple of years. To be honest, he’s out of our listening area, but his name does come up every once in a while, weighing in on this or that issue. He’s clearly a vocal figure in the Republican Party. And that’s not to say that he potentially holds up to the especially strident voice of [U.S. Rep.] Tom Tiffany, who’s been a strong supporter of the President and continues to be.

Christina Lieffring: What really stuck out to me was just the lack of candidates for an open seat on the Republican side. I mean, Tom Tiffany, I think he’s got it a little easier than other candidates, because Tom Tiffany is just very much in line with President Trump. Whereas other potential candidates who were maybe a little more moderate, or who might be seeing the President’s low approval ratings… in general, but also on particular issues, may not have wanted to try and walk that line between trying to please Trump and get that endorsement and his base, and also trying to distance themselves from some of the things that are happening that are unpopular. 

…One thing that Tony Evers has done very effectively is shut down some of the more fringe, extreme, culture war, but also bad economic policy stuff that’s coming out of the legislature. Just today [January 6], there’s a hearing for a bill in… the State Senate, about a rule that would not allow schools to recognize a child’s preferred name if the parents don’t recognize it. And so this is trying to target children who are experimenting with social transitioning, or just exploring their queerness, or just want a nickname… And they very much specify that if it’s a name that does not align with their so-called “biological sex,” so it’s very much targeted at LGBTQ students. And… they put that forward, knowing that Tony Evers is not going to sign off on that. He has been a very strident opponent to any similar bills and [has been] supporting LGBTQ rights, particularly transgender rights in this state. But it’s sending up a flare to say, if we get a Republican governor, this is what the Republicans could do. [These are] their priorities.

Dana Pellebon: This is the scariest part when I look at the actual policies, especially the ones Tom Tiffany is on record voting for or against very specific policies—yeah, it causes me pause. It causes me pause to think that this could be our next governor.

Enjoyiana Nururdin: We could also have a Black person or a woman as governor, though. Super exciting… I like that Christina mentioned something about, well, I don’t like the mention of culture wars, but I think there’s always the positive when we talk about diversity and bringing yourself to a space, especially in politics. Especially in Wisconsin, where oftentimes even trying to get recognition of the issues that affect people like missing and murdered Black women—like that should not be something that we have to fight or argue about. But I think even just showing up as yourself in spaces where you know you’re allowed to be yourself, even as a politician, I think that speaks volumes about the trajectory of where Wisconsin politics is going, hopefully. So, my little two cents of optimism and local government and politics.

[On the gubernatorial Democratic candidates]

Enjoyiana Nururdin: I think what I want to see beyond name recognition is the action in the community, beyond the press opportunities. And I think that’s something at the local level, at the state level, that’s something that people want to see. I think people are asking for action. They get people involved at the grassroots level. And I think it’s kind of, not paying it back or paying it forward, but showing up where it matters. And I think that’s something that regardless of who wins, I’m hoping that people can use this opportunity to really bring light to the issues that people are experiencing at the local level.

Faye Parks: When I spoke with the new Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, [Devin] Remiker, a couple of months ago, he highlighted both—I guess, his wish, but also his expectation—that the Democratic primary would be civil. That people wouldn’t stoop to low-lows, and do the work of mudslinging for Republicans before the general election even happens or is even approaching. But he also spotlighted something that the Democratic Party is doing, where they’ve started organizing food drives on the local level, to basically show up in communities and be able to spotlight candidates in a real, actionable way of what they can do for people.

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Enjoyiana Nururdin: I attended a convention, a day-long Summit, and I think it was called The Human Side of Homelessness not too long ago. And they had a panel with all of [the Democratic gubernatorial candidates] speaking about homelessness and what their platforms stand for. And one thing that was really interesting in that space specifically—because I think a lot of the people in that room work in the homelessness and human health and human services kind of network—is that I think they all agreed, obviously, that housing is a human right. But something that I also would like to see from them, in addition to trying to reach people where they are, is I really would like to see those other organizations—like you mentioned special groups—come out and provide more opportunities to meet with them and talk with them. Because, I think again, the concept of name recognition is so wild now because we have social media and anybody can, you know, pull up a resume and go to your LinkedIn. But what do you do when no one’s looking? What is it that your personality speaks for? …And so I think that’s something that we might see a little bit more of this year, is people like coming out and talking more in spaces, like maybe going to their colleges or, you know, using student college groups to try to talk about those things.

I think, with so many people running for the same position, it does kind of make you wonder, like, what [does] the perfect Wisconsin governor look like? And what does it mean for us to have a person who can really represent all of our interests? And I think we’re starting to see more of that breakdown of who gets to do what, and how do we build that coalition at the state level, at the local level—even across just the country—looking at the issues that more people are seeing, not just in the Midwest, but across the world. So lots of different things happening in politics, but I think it’s just an interesting time to kind of see it all boil down at the local level.

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Christina Lieffring: [on people comparing Francesca Hong to Zohran Mamdani] Obviously, running for mayor of New York and running for the governorship of Wisconsin are two very, very different things, both in terms of the community’s needs, the community’s priorities. And what exactly people in that position can do. But one thing that I will say—we were talking earlier about, and Enjoyiana mentioned at this homelessness event there was this consensus about the phrase, “housing is a human right.” And I think one thing that Hong does very effectively is getting beyond the kind of like leftist or progressive sloganeering and talking about, what does that actually mean? And I would like to see more candidates do that… My biggest worry with this governor’s race is that I feel like a lot of Democratic candidates tend to be consulted out of their personalities and just go with the things that have been poll-tested—the slogans, the sayings, the stuff that they know is popular statewide… [E]specially when we’ve got this huge array of different people, I want to know what is specific and distinct and interesting about these individuals. What is the difference between when Mandela Barnes says housing is a human right, and Kelda Roys says housing is a human right. What would that actually look like if they were governor?

Enjoyiana Nururdin: That government transparency is really, really important.

Christina Lieffring: It’s also an opportunity to educate people. Because government is complicated. And especially as you get more into the weeds of how something happens, it’s completely understandable that people who are not professional journalists don’t understand who’s making these decisions, and what they can and cannot do, and what are the levers involved? …It’s doing multiple things: It’s showing that you understand government. It’s showing that you know how to explain it to people. And giving people a clear roadmap about what you want to do if people vote for you. That’s something I’d really like to see. 

Enjoyiana Nururdin: I definitely think government transparency is something I try to do in my local government reporting. It makes the job a little bit harder, though, sometimes to take that time to really understand what’s happening and understand how I can explain it to the average reader. But also, I like to do reporting that makes people ask themselves questions, that makes them want to go and talk to their alder, their county supervisor, their mayor, to get involved and to see how they can internalize that for their own life.

Other political observations

Enjoyiana Nururdin: [Was asked about growing up in Madison, living in New York, then returning to Madison.] Yes, born and raised [in] Madison, Wisconsin, went to UW-Madison, graduated from the school of journalism, and then after that, I went to Columbia University in New York City to do more politics, more journalism there. And then I kind of took a break from journalism because politics was just too much at the time. I mean, it was [during] the pandemic, it was a lot. But what I enjoyed about being in New York City at the time reporting, was that the community came together. It was mutual aid. I unknowingly got involved in covering city council races in New York City because I fell in love with Harlem and fell in love with the community there. And what I really appreciated was that it was really that human-to-human connection. “You need food. I got this, I’m going to do this. I’m going to help you.” And I think that triangulation of community was something, unfortunately, that came together during crisis; but as the world kind of shifted post-pandemic, it stayed and it became mutual aid movements about education, about helping women and children and families. 

And then at the same time, coming back to Madison, I saw a little bit of that come together… So I felt like Madison as a community was starting to reckon with some of those racial traumas, some of the disparities that exist, and trying to rectify them, either through things in local government or doing them in the nonprofit sphere. I didn’t know we had a bajillion-and-10 nonprofits, and the more I learned about them, and the more I learn about the contracts they have with the city and the county, the more I’m like, “Maybe we need a limit, okay?” But I do feel like something that’s positive about Dane County is how much people really care. And I think everybody individually, taking care of their families, taking care of their futures. But people care about their community here, and they want something to do. And so oftentimes, I think it’s providing that space for people to get in, where they fit in, even if it’s just “I’m helping with something.” I think race and racism and politics, you know—we don’t have to let it be the end of everything. I think we can use it to build allyship and coalition. And I think that’s something with Madison and Dane County and its progressive politics that I’m seeing more growth in, but I want to see some of that transition and trickle into the local government structure as well.

Final thoughts?

Christina Lieffring: We’ve been talking about homelessness and housing affordability. And it’s interesting, because it doesn’t seem to be a clean partisan split, Democrat and Republican. It seems to be more of a split between people who are property owners and people who are renters. And for renters, the housing crisis is very, very real. And I’ve seen multiple comments from homeowners who put “housing crisis” in quotes… It’s that we have two very different perspectives on what’s happening in this city, and that has been the issue with trying to get on the same page about how to address it.

Enjoyiana Nururdin: More mutual aid. Help your neighbor, get involved in your local government, even if it’s just clicking on a meeting and learning about what’s happening. Try to stay as involved as possible. We’re dealing with information wars, so the more informed you are, the better. And support local journalism.