The Capitol Report

The Universities of Wisconsin system, which has been rocked by financial problems and closures, is getting a major review from a legislative study committee.

Interest groups are constantly trying to influence lawmakers and policymakers in Madison. And they spend a lot of money doing it.

The Capitol Report, produced by WisPolitics.com — a nonpartisan, Madison-based news service that specializes in coverage of government and politics — provides a weekly analysis

Days after Wisconsin Republicans united at their convention in Milwaukee behind Donald Trump, Wisconsin Democrats quickly rallied behind Vice President Kamala Harris after President Joe Biden dropped out and endorsed her.

President Joe Biden and his Democrat allies enjoyed a more than 18-to-1 advantage in ad spending in Wisconsin over the past 18 months, even as polls have shown little movement among state voters in his race with Donald Trump, according to Ad Impact.

The 4-3 liberal majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court is doing a lot of the expected things — restoring absentee ballot drop boxes, taking up abortion cases and the like.

Outside groups reimbursed lawmakers for more than $150,000 in travel expenses last year to attend events around the country and abroad hosted by nonpartisan groups such as NCSL as well as the Jobs First Coalition, which backs GOP candidates, according to a WisPolitics.com review.

The switch from conservative to liberal rule on the Wisconsin Supreme Court is still being felt. The latest episode: a renaming of the State Law Library. Yes, even that is steeped in political controversy.

The higher education landscape in Wisconsin is rapidly changing. Two more higher ed dominos have recently fallen at private and public institutions — and there’s probably more to come because of declining enrollments and other issues.

Let the spring 2025 state Supreme Court race begin! You may be a bit confused, given that we’re still in the midst of the big 2024 election season that will decide the races for president, the U.S. Senate, the House, and more than 100 seats in the state Legislature.