As state Senate race tests new maps, key suburban contest centers on abortion

 

CEDARBURG, Wis. (CBS 58) -- The race to represent Wisconsin's 8th Senate District will test recent voting trends in a cluster of key Milwaukee-area suburbs. The contest between State Sen. Duey Stroebel (R-Saukville) and Jodi Habush Sinykin has centered on abortion with the candidates trading sharp accusations on the issue.

The remade 8th district is among the most competitive legislative districts in Wisconsin. It previously had a clear Republican lean under maps drawn by the GOP-controlled Legislature. However, under new maps approved by a liberal majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, the district is close to being a toss up.

The district combines parts of Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Washington and Waukesha counties. The new district no longer contains Richfield and Sussex, which lean conservative, while adding Cedarburg and Port Washington, which are more competitive.

"We now have new, fairer maps," Sinykin said. "So, whereas before, I started out the gates at a 12-point disadvantage. Now we're just about 50-50."

Stroebel, who currently represents the 20th district, said he believes Democratic Gov. Tony Evers intentionally drew him into a different district when proposing maps the Legislature eventually passed, sensing they were more favorable than other options once the supreme court ruled the GOP maps were gerrymandered.

"I accept that challenge, and this is Tony Evers' hand-picked map," Stroebel said. "This is the one he wanted, but I accept that challenge and I believe we're going to win."

Abortion is an issue with clear distinctions between the candidates. In 2019, Stroebel co-authored a proposed constitutional amendment that would've given the rights of personhood to unborn children. The amendment failed, and the state currently has a 20-week abortion ban being enforced. A lawsuit challenging an 1849 law that placed a near-total ban on abortion is not being enforced after a Dane County Judge ruled the law does not apply to consensual abortion.

In an interview, Stroebel said he now believes voters should directly decide in a referendum whether Wisconsin continues to have an abortion ban.

"This decision is just too important to be figured out by a bunch of politicians," Stroebel said. "We need the people to weigh in directly. That's where I'd really like to see it, and I think that has been done in other states and I'd like to see it happen in Wisconsin."

Stroebel declined to say what type of ban should be put before voters. Should such a referendum happen, lawmakers would be the ones deciding how the question read.

"That's true," Stroebel said. "But the constituents need to vote on it, and pass or fail, it'll be their decision."

Sinykin said she opposed any kind of government intervention when it comes to reproductive rights.

"This is a decision that is personal to women and their families," she said. "This is a decision not to be decided by the public at large, but by individuals as part of our human rights, our human freedoms."

Controversy over IVF ads

Stroebel has accused Sinykin of running dishonest ads claiming Stroebel back a measure that would've banned in vitro fertilization, commonly known as IVF. Her website currently states, "Duey Stroebel has also voted to block legislation to guarantee the right to contraception and IVF in Wisconsin."

Stroebel pointed to a memo he received this month from the nonpartisan Legislative Reference Bureau that said of the 2019 personhood amendment, "there is nothing in the proposed 2019 SJR 86 that would prohibit IVF."

"I support IVF. I've always supported IVF," Stroebel said. "My wife and I have had the chance to have eight wonderful kids, and I would never want to deny anyone to have the family they would choose."

Sinykin pointed to a ruling earlier this year by the Alabama Supreme Court that found frozen embryos have personhood rights. She a similar ruling in Wisconsin would've been made possible by the proposed 2019 amendment.

"That might not have been his intent to ban IVF," Sinykin said. "But as we saw in the state of Alabama, fetal personhood has the consequence of limiting and constraining IVF."

On child care affordability

The candidates agree making child care more affordable should be one of the Legislature's top priorities when it reconvenes in January. However, they have different ideas for how to make that happen.

Sinykin said she supports extending a version of the federally-funding Child Care Counts program, which provided direct aid to child care providers.

"I think it's important. It's an investment in our economy," she said. "Businesses need employees who can show up to work, and child care is a vital component of our economy."

Stroebel said he opposed the idea of sustained state aid for providers. Instead, he said expanding child tax credits would make day care more affordable for parents.

"I think that's the way to do it, not just to subsidize a business and pay for a certain percentage of their overhead," he said. "That's not the way it should be done. That money should go directly to the families. Not to the child care providers."

Day care providers have said the biggest issue is being able to pay staff a competitive wage while keeping prices affordable. Stroebel said if families keep more of their income via tax credits, they could afford higher prices charged by providers.

Reading bill back-and-forth

Stroebel co-authored a bill that established new standards for how school districts teach kids how to read. The measure passed with bipartisan support and was signed by Evers.

However, nearly all of a $50 million pot set aside to help schools implement the new law hasn't been released. Republicans have sued Evers over the bill, arguing he did not have the power to partially veto parts of the bill.

Stroebel, who sits on the Joint Finance Committee in charge of the money, said he wants the funding to be released but added lawmakers were justified in pushing back on what they believe is an overreach by Evers.

"Let's get that money to the schools, let's get it put to work," he said. "But as you're very well aware, the governor did a line-item veto on it that is not line-item vetoable and would definitely change the checks and balances we have in the state of Wisconsin."

In the meantime, districts that have implemented the new reading curricula have had to, in some cases, borrow money to cover those costs because they aren't getting the reimbursements they were banking on.

"That's when all these partisan games are really hurting our state," Sinykin said.

What about the surplus?

With Wisconsin sitting on an estimated $4.6 billion surplus, the candidates also offered different ideas for how the state should put those funds to use. Sinykin proposes increases state aid to local governments, known as shared revenue.

She said a record-high number of school districts going to referendum this year was proof the state has been keeping away too much of the money.

"I think we have enough with the surplus that we have to invest in our local communities, with the shared revenues we have available," she said. "So that people have more money in their pocket and less property taxes."

Stroebel said he wanted to see a bulk of the surplus go into tax cuts that were targeted toward the state's middle tax brackets, a move Evers vetoed last year. Stroebel said he believed the jarring number of school referendums was evidence of districts struggling to properly budget amid declining enrollment numbers.

"If you have fewer students, you have to make adjustments in spite of increasing dollar amounts on every kid's per capita basis," Stroebel said. "And I think some districts are having a hard time coming to the reality of just the demographics changing."