Wisconsin's primary is still set for Tuesday, and both sides of the aisle are refusing to push it back
Wisconsin Democrats are still supposed to get out and vote on Tuesday, but also stay inside to prevent COVID-19 spread.
It's up to the state's Republican-held state legislature to push back the Democratic presidential primary like many other states have, especially after U.S. District Judge William M. Conley refused to do so himself in a decision issued Thursday. But Democrats in the state are also openly upset with Democratic Gov. Tony Evers for not pushing the legislature earlier and harder, Politico reports.
The fact that Wisconsin's primaries are still happening has been widely panned as potentially disenfranchising given that the state is under a stay-at-home order. "You can't have a stay-at-home order but then tell millions of people to go stand in line and congregate near one another across the state," the Democratic mayor of Racine told Politico. Low turnout in the Democratic primary could not only be a terrible look for a state that President Trump narrowly won in 2016, but also swing a vote over the state's Supreme Court seat in Republicans' favor.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Still, Evers has largely just claimed he's powerless to change anything, Politico notes. He did propose last Friday that the legislature send mail-in ballots to everyone in the state, but by then, Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said the move would be "logistically impossible."
Conley had hinted he wouldn't delay the primary before he issued his final decision. But he also told The Washington Post it shouldn't be his decision to begin with, saying "I don't think it's the job of a federal district judge to act as a super health department for the state of Wisconsin."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
-
6 exquisite homes for skiersFeature Featuring a Scandinavian-style retreat in Southern California and a Utah abode with a designated ski room
-
Film reviews: ‘The Testament of Ann Lee,’ ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple,’ and ‘Young Mothers’Feature A full-immersion portrait of the Shakers’ founder, a zombie virus brings out the best and worst in the human survivors, and pregnancy tests the resolve of four Belgian teenagers
-
Political cartoons for January 25Cartoons Sunday's political cartoons include a hot economy, A.I. wisdom, and more
-
The billionaires’ wealth tax: a catastrophe for California?Talking Point Peter Thiel and Larry Page preparing to change state residency
-
Hegseth moves to demote Sen. Kelly over videospeed read Retired Navy fighter pilot Mark Kelly appeared in a video reminding military service members that they can ‘refuse illegal orders’
-
Trump says US ‘in charge’ of Venezuela after Maduro grabSpeed Read The American president claims the US will ‘run’ Venezuela for an unspecified amount of time, contradicting a statement from Secretary of State Marco Rubio
-
Bari Weiss’ ‘60 Minutes’ scandal is about more than one reportIN THE SPOTLIGHT By blocking an approved segment on a controversial prison holding US deportees in El Salvador, the editor-in-chief of CBS News has become the main story
-
CBS pulls ‘60 Minutes’ report on Trump deporteesSpeed Read An investigation into the deportations of Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador’s notorious prison was scrapped
-
Trump administration posts sliver of Epstein filesSpeed Read Many of the Justice Department documents were heavily redacted, though new photos of both Donald Trump and Bill Clinton emerged
-
Trump HHS moves to end care for trans youthSpeed Read The administration is making sweeping proposals that would eliminate gender-affirming care for Americans under age 18
-
Jack Smith tells House of ‘proof’ of Trump’s crimesSpeed Read President Donald Trump ‘engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election,’ hoarded classified documents and ‘repeatedly tried to obstruct justice’
