The Milwaukee Courier, Wisconsin’s oldest Black newspaper, makes the following endorsements in 2026 midterms

Nov. 3 is Election Day in the U.S. and while the nation remains fixated on the outcome of congressional races to determine the fate of the legislative branch, Wisconsin is electing a new governor for the first time in eight years.

But not just the governor’s race is important. Three constitutional amendments look to shape the state of affairs in Wisconsin and particularly challenge people of color and the incoming governor’s authority.

And the Democrats look to claim the trifecta — meaning controlling the governor’s office and both chambers of the state Legislature — for the first time in 15 years.

The Milwaukee Courier, Wisconsin’s oldest Black-owned newspaper, dedicated a special edition to the 2026 midterm election, which will be available on Oct. 24.

The Courier is making the following endorsements:

David Crowley, governor

For 178 years, Wisconsin has never had a Black person as governor and for a state that has twice helped elect Barack Obama, it’s time to make history again.

Not only would Crowley’s ascension to the governor’s mansion be historic as only the fourth Black person ever elected governor in the country, but the 40-year-old Milwaukee county executive has earned the right to have the honor.

He’s proposing the strongest ever push for more government transparency and a crack down on insider trading and prediction markets for public officials. He understands that weakening the affordability crisis will be top priority in the first 100 days. He’s proposed a “new fair deal” renters policy to reshape the tenant-landlord relationship and has proposed a healthcare public option for every Wisconsin household. And he wants a woman’s right to choose what to do with her body enshrined in the state constitution.

His opponent, Republican Congressman Tom Tiffany, has shown himself to be a MAGA lackey that has voted with President Donald Trump nearly 100% of the time, while being considered one the most conservative members of Congress. Tiffany also voted to overturn the 2020 presidential election. That is disqualifying. A vote for Tiffany is dangerous.

While Crowley’s background is one of “by the people, for the people.” Born and raised on Milwaukee’s north side, Crowley has touched nearly every aspect of life in this community, whether through youth groups, Milwaukee Public Schools or by serving the public in adulthood.

An abnormally high turnout in Milwaukee and across the state would do wonders for Crowley.

“I want your readers to know that we need them to get involved,” he told the Courier. “It’s not enough just to vote. We need them to knock on doors, make phone calls, and lend your talents to the campaign.”

During the campaign, it became clear that Tiffany’s campaign is nearly entirely funded by three billionaires.

“We won’t be able to compete with the fundraising … or out fundraise the three billionaires that have given millions of dollars,” Crowley said. “But that doesn’t mean we don’t need help getting our message across the state.

“And I truly believe that as long as we receive the help of community members who have been directly impacted by the decisions (Tiffany) and Trump have made in lockstep, there’s no doubt in my mind we will win this race on November 3rd and deliver a Democratic trifecta we need to make sure that all people in this state have the ability to get ahead.”

It’s been a long time coming for Crowley, who was affectionately called “Governor Crowley” by his family as a child. The people of Wisconsin should now make that proclamation a reality.

Vote Crowley.

(The full interview with Crowley will be available on Oct. 24.)

Sarah Godlewski, lieutenant governor

Crowley’s running mate is Secretary of State Sarah Godlewski, who ran unopposed in the primary.

The 44-year-old Eau Claire native is seeking to become the first woman to lead three statewide offices in Wisconsin. Prior to leading the state department, she was state treasurer from 2019-2023.

The position of lieutenant governor isn’t necessarily the most constitutionally impactful position. But the person is second in command to the state government, where Godlewski is very comfortable.

Godlewski is a philanthropist that has conducted service missions around the world and despite Republican attacks during her tenure in public office, she managed to provide record breaking distributions to public schools and created a foreclosure prevention fund to keep people in their home. She now looks to move up the line of succession and be one of Crowley’s closest confidants.

“What I’m excited about is how (Crowley) wants that partner,” Godlewski told the Courier. “He wants somebody because he understands and realizes that rising tides raises all boats and the more people working together to help make Wisconsin more affordable. If it’s better for working people in our state, the better we all are.”

Vote Crowley/Godlewski.

(The full interview with Godlewski will be available on Oct. 24.)

Josh Kaul, attorney general

A race that doesn’t draw much attention but is setting up to be razor-thin is the election for Wisconsin attorney general. And in the era of President Donald Trump, it is critical that Josh Kaul be reelected, especially if the Democratic Party wins other races.

A victory for his Republican opponent, Fond du Lac District Attorney Eric Toney, would bring an end to any attempt to stop the federal government from infringing on state and individual rights and stop progress in public safety. Election integrity, abortion rights and a reduction in crime seen statewide are all on the line.

Kaul and Toney ran against each other in 2022. Kaul won by 1.3% or about 35,000 votes. Kaul bettered his performance from 2018, when the race was decided by 0.6%.

Since those elections, Kaul’s office has secured legal wins against the Trump administration, including on protecting children in schools and online. His office is involved in over 70 multi-state cases against Trump.

Progress on the public safety front is also on the line. According to the FBI, overall crime is trending downward in Wisconsin after historic heights during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, in Toney’s county crime is up.

A 45-year-old Wisconsin native, Kaul is the son of Peg Lautenschlager, a former attorney general and longtime Democratic politician. Kaul grew up in the Oshkosh and Fond du Lac areas. He graduated from Yale and his law degree is from Stanford. Before returning to his home state, he was a federal prosecutor in Baltimore where he targeted drug traffickers.

“I certainly saw the impact that crime can have through that work,” Kaul told the Courier. “And I also saw how important it was to build strong law enforcement community relations.”

Vote Kaul.

(The full interview with Kaul will be available on Oct. 24.)

JoCasta Zamarripa, secretary of state

The Wisconsin secretary of state position is a bit like the chief operating officer for state government. The secretary is responsible for maintaining records,and plays a key role in trust lands. The office also aids in authenticating international documents.

But more so, this year’s race is important because of the assault of democracy and the public’s right to vote. The Republican in the race, Jay Schroeder, is campaigning to abolish the Wisconsin Elections Commission and bring the administration of elections under the secretary of state’s office. He admitted he would have refused to certify the 2020 presidential election results in Wisconsin.

The best candidate seeking the office this November is Milwaukee Alderwoman JoCasta Zamarripa. She has a decade of experience in state government having served in the state Legislature and is committed to protecting the right to vote.

Zamarripa, 50, was born and raised on Milwaukee’s south side, where many of the state’s Latino residents reside. Zamarripa is the first Latina elected and first openly LGBTQ+ member of the state Legislature.

"JoCasta will protect the integrity of Wisconsin's elections and do the real work of the office for families, rather than turn it into a vehicle for a partisan agenda. She brings a decade of legislative experience, deep community roots, and a record of delivering on housing, immigrant protections, and responsive government,” a statement from her campaign said.

Vote Zamarripa.

Yee Leng Xiong, state treasurer

The office of the state treasurer has been weakened in recent years but the office holder de facto serves as chief financial officer for state government and has an important role in managing trust funds, primarily for the benefit of public schools libraries.

As a new election is upon us, the future of education looks to come to the forefront again and how funding is disbursed at Milwaukee Public Schools and other districts is so important.

The best candidate to work seamlessly with a new administration is Yee Leng Xiong.

The 32-year-old Wisconsin native looks to maintain the state treasurer’s office as an independent watchdog that will ensure no waste and fraud in state spending. He wants to show the public how their tax dollars are being spent.

Xiong was born in Wausau to Vietnamese refugees who fled persecution and communism. If elected, he would become the first Asian-American to hold statewide office in the country.

He rejuvenated the Hmong youth group H.M.O.N.G. and dedicated himself to the Hmong-Lao Veterans Memorial Project. As executive director of Hmong American Center, he rescued the organization from the brink of closure. He also chairs the Hmong Wausau Festival.

Xiong is Marathon County supervisor, board treasurer of the DC Everest School Board, and former village of Weston trustee. He was appointed by Gov. Tony Evers to the Financial Literacy Council in 2019.

Vote Xiong.

Gwen Moore, Congress

Congresswoman Gwen Moore has served the Milwaukee area proudly in Congress for more than 20 years. At a time in which individual liberties and discriminatory practices are the norm under the Trump administration, it is more important than ever that Moore be reelected.

Moore, 75, is the first Black woman in Wisconsin to be elected to the House of Representatives. Born in Racine, she was raised in Milwaukee and graduated from North Division High School and Marquette University.

There is no stronger advocate for Milwaukee on the ballot. Moore serves on the powerful Ways and Means Committee, which is the chief tax-writing committee in the House. She continues to strongly advocate for low-income communities and military veterans.

Vote Moore.

Vote NO on all three constitutional amendments

On every voter’s ballot there will be three questions that will be phrased in a way to make many feel as though they approve, but it’s deception.

The three constitutional amendments appear on the ballot because the measures passed the Republican-controlled state Legislature in two consecutive sessions and now it goes to the voters. They really are turnout mechanisms more than anything else.

If approved by a majority of voters, these amendments would be enshrined into the state constitution and the consequences could be dire. Solutions to reverse course could be limited.

The three measures address the governor’s authority, freedom to gather in places of worship during an emergency and a monumental roll back of a racial reality. All three are phrased in a way that can be confusing to some voters.

“It’s not a surprise that people are confused, because I think it was designed with that in mind,” said Jeff Mandell, general counsel at Law Forward, a Madison nonprofit that focuses on preserving voting rights, ensuring fair elections, and countering legislative overreach or anti-democratic measures in Wisconsin.

The exact wording of Question 1 is: “Shall section 10 (1) (c) of article V of the constitution be amended to prohibit the governor, in exercising his or her partial veto authority, from creating or increasing or authorizing the creation or increase of any tax or fee?”

Republicans are upset that Gov. Evers used his veto pen during the 2023-2025 budget to raise school revenue limits every year for the next 400 years. The Wisconsin Supreme Court’s liberal majority upheld the veto.

Republicans have falsely claimed the veto raises property taxes for 400 years, but it actually raises annual revenue limits, not a specific tax or fee.

State lobbying records show the Wisconsin Education Association Council, the state’s largest teachers union, and the League of Women Voters registered in opposition to the question, while conservative business groups are opposed.

Vote NO on Question 1.

The exact wording of Question 2 is: “Shall section 18 of article I of the constitution, which deals with religious liberty, be amended to prohibit the state or a political subdivision of the state from ordering the closure of, or forbidding gatherings in, places of worship in response to a state of emergency, including a public health emergency?”

This stems from lockdown orders by Evers during the COVID-19 pandemic to help stop the spread of the virus. Republican lawmakers believe places of worship should be exempt while ignoring the science.

The amendment is likely a turnout mechanism to mobilize people based on anger over the handling of the pandemic.

Also, the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 2020, under a then-conservative majority, ruled that places of worship were exempt from COVID regulations anyway and it hasn’t been challenged since. So, it’s unclear what the purpose of the question is.

The League of Women Voters opposed the constitutional amendment, according to state lobbying records, while conservative religious groups are in support.

Vote NO on Question 2.

The exact wording of Question 3 is: “Shall section 27 of article I of the constitution be created to prohibit governmental entities in the state from discriminating against, or granting preferential treatment to, any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in public employment, public education, public contracting, or public administration?”

To be clear, this question is a clear attack on diversity, equity and inclusion — or DEI — policies and how the state government views racial realities in America.

“The amendment purports to bar discrimination in government function, and what’s confusing about that is everybody likes that idea, right?” Mandell with Law Forward said. “Nobody thinks we should discriminate. It also suggests that we currently do discriminate or that it’s not already illegal for the government to discriminate. But of course it is illegal because of state and federal constitution provisions and laws.

“Really what the purpose of this amendment is to stop the government from considering the reality that we all know, which is that our society remains unequal as a result of our history and policy decisions that have been made in our state and country across time.

“This amendment would put in our constitution that we have to deliberately bury our heads in the sand and refuse to confront those realities. And it would make any attempt to confront those realities a violation of the state constitution, which is deeply problematic.

“We have the largest racial achievement gaps in the country in our public schools. We have significant racial gaps in health outcomes in this state. And when we continue to see significant economic gaps that trace along racial lines too often. We should keep in our toolkit for our government, programs that in very targeted, specific, fact-based ways work to improve and equalize our society by ameliorating some of these gaps that stubbornly persist. And this (amendment) would end that.”

The American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin and the League of Women Voters opposed the constitutional amendment during the legislative process, according to lobbying records, while a conservative law firm is opposed.

Vote NO on Question 3.

(A deeper dive on the amendments and Mandell’s full interview will be available Oct. 24)

The Milwaukee Courier’s 2026 voter guide will be available on Oct. 24 online and in a special print edition. Pick up a copy!