Joel Brennan joined to talk about why he's running to be the next governor of Wisconsin. We get to know a little about where he came from, how he got into politics, his time in government and beyond, and then policy. We hit on things like the budget surplus and how to spend it, as well as big policy dilemmas like healthcare, childcare, housing and education. Brennan is one of nine Democratic candidates for governor, though that number could shrink some as the signatures deadline looms. 

Joel Brennan joined to talk about why he's running to be the next governor of Wisconsin. We get to know a little about where he came from, how he got into politics, his time in government and beyond, and then policy. We hit on things like the budget surplus and how to spend it, as well as big policy dilemmas like healthcare, childcare, housing and education. Brennan is one of nine Democratic candidates for governor, though that number could shrink some as the signatures deadline looms.&nbsp;

From La Crosse to Madison to D.C., La Crosse County Democratic Party chair William Garcia and WIZM's Rick Solem break down the politics impacting Wisconsinites.

From La Crosse to Madison to D.C., La Crosse County Democratic Party chair William Garcia and <a href="https://www.wizmnews.com/">WIZM's</a> Rick Solem break down the politics impacting Wisconsinites.

The Democratic Voice Podcast

From La Crosse to Madison to D.C., La Crosse County Democratic Party chair William Garcia and WIZM's Rick Solem break down the politics impacting Wisconsinites.

The Democratic Voice

Joel Brennan on why he's running for Wisconsin governor

Donald Trump's gerrymandering war intensified last week and the fake outrage by Republicans is deafening. Democrats keep fighting back against the GOP rigging the 2026 election and Republicans don't know how to take it.

In a recent special election, Virginia voters approved a constitutional amendment to enact new US House maps that could lead to a 10-1 Democratic majority — shifting from the current 6-5 split. We discuss the irony of Republicans complaining about the move in a war that began when Trump told Texas Republicans to redraw their maps — with no vote by its citizens.

NOTE: Since this episode was recorded, Florida's GOP-led Legislature approved a new map from Gov. Ron DeSantis, also without a vote from citizens — shifting their 20-8 GOP advantage to 24-4. The move effectively bypasses Florida’s own voter-approved constitutional ban on partisan gerrymandering by unilaterally declaring those protections unconstitutional.

We dive into the legislative response from Democrats with bills in both the House and Senate designed to ban mid-decade redistricting and partisan gerrymandering once and for all — bills that have of course been stalled by Republicans in leadership.

We also talk about the ripple effects this has and the high stakes for Wisconsin with Gov. Tony Evers' push for a nonpartisan commission before the 2030 census likely drops the state to just seven House seats — a special session that has been all but ignored by the GOP-controlled Legislature.

Closer to home, we take a look at a "civically illiterate" graphic from the La Crosse County Republican Party that fundamentally misses how elections actually work.

And, we break down Wisconsin's political landscape and how statewide candidates for governor will affect the rest of the ballot. An unpopular candidate — like, perhaps U.S. House Rep. Tom Tiffany, who is the GOP candidate for governor — won't do any good for someone like Derrick Van Orden in the 3rd District, or vice versa.

Meanwhile, Democrats have a field of candidates for governor with much more fanfare that could bolster those U.S. House and state legislature races on their side of the aisle.

Donald Trump's gerrymandering war intensified last week and the fake outrage by Republicans is deafening. Democrats keep fighting back against the GOP rigging the 2026 election and Republicans don't know how to take it.
In a recent special election, Virginia voters approved a constitutional amendment to enact new US House maps that could lead to a 10-1 Democratic majority &mdash; shifting from the current 6-5 split. We discuss the irony of Republicans complaining about the move in a war that began when Trump told Texas Republicans to redraw their maps &mdash; with no vote by its citizens.
NOTE: Since this episode was recorded, Florida's GOP-led Legislature approved a new map from Gov. Ron DeSantis, also without a vote from citizens &mdash; shifting their 20-8 GOP advantage to 24-4. The move effectively bypasses Florida&rsquo;s own voter-approved constitutional ban on partisan gerrymandering by unilaterally declaring those protections unconstitutional.
We dive into the legislative response from Democrats with bills in both the House and Senate designed to ban mid-decade redistricting and partisan gerrymandering once and for all &mdash; bills that have of course been stalled by Republicans in leadership.
We also talk about the ripple effects this has and the high stakes for Wisconsin with Gov. Tony Evers' push for a nonpartisan commission before the 2030 census likely drops the state to just seven House seats &mdash; a special session that has been all but ignored by the GOP-controlled Legislature.
Closer to home, we take a look at a "civically illiterate" graphic from the La Crosse County Republican Party that fundamentally misses how elections actually work.
And, we break down Wisconsin's political landscape and how statewide candidates for governor will affect the rest of the ballot. An unpopular candidate &mdash; like, perhaps U.S. House Rep. Tom Tiffany, who is the GOP candidate for governor &mdash; won't do any good for someone like Derrick Van Orden in the 3rd District, or vice versa.
Meanwhile, Democrats have a field of candidates for governor with much more fanfare that could bolster those U.S. House and state legislature races on their side of the aisle.

Cue the fake GOP outrage as Virginians vote to redraw the maps for Democrats

We dissect why Republicans in Wisconsin's 7th US House District of aren't happy about the White House picking their candidate. Donald Trump has endorsed 26-year-old Michael Alfonso, who is Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy's son in law. Duffy, a former US House member, is also funneling $1 million of his campaign money to Alfonso. Meanwhile, half the other GOP candidates in the race just moved to the district to run.

We dissect why Republicans in Wisconsin's 7th US House District of aren't happy about the White House picking their candidate. Donald Trump has endorsed 26-year-old Michael Alfonso, who is Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy's son in law. Duffy, a former US House member, is also funneling $1 million of his campaign money to Alfonso. Meanwhile, half the other GOP candidates in the race just moved to the district to run.

When Wisconsin Republicans aren't happy the White House is picking their US House Rep.

Wyatt Molling, the new La Crosse County Democratic Party chair, stops in to tell us about himself, how he got into politics and what he'd like to do with his new position. We also get into a recent complaint the party filed with the Wisconsin Ethics Commission over illegal campaign finance use by the La Crosse Republican Party in this upcoming spring election. Along with that, we discuss some of the complaints that have been asked of the Democrats in the same election.

Wyatt Molling, the new La Crosse County Democratic Party chair, stops in to tell us about himself, how he got into politics and what he'd like to do with his new position. We also get into a recent complaint the party filed with the Wisconsin Ethics Commission over illegal campaign finance use by the La Crosse Republican Party in this upcoming spring election. Along with that, we discuss some of the complaints that have been asked of the Democrats in the same election.

Joel Brennan on why he's running for Wisconsin governor

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