Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation CEO John Miller said a new bout of tariffs in the ongoing trade war with Canada hurts consumers and businesses in the state. The Marquette Law School Poll shows a dead heat in the race for governor among registered voters and a small gap among likely voters. The new Commutation Advisory Board gets a thumbs up from former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Janine Geske.

John Miller
Secretary and CEO, Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation

• Canada is Wisconsin’s largest international trading partner. Businesses in the state export $7.5 billion worth of goods to Canada and import about $5.7 billion worth from the nation, covering a wide variety of products. Miller said those numbers are already slipping and the escalating trade war between the United States and Canada hurts the trading relationship, manufacturers and consumers in Wisconsin.
• Miller: “We produce not only machinery through our factories, but we produce products, dairy products, and other things that go outside of the country. So, when those products are limited in their distribution, our workers will have to potentially suffer not having a job if they can’t have a reasonable place to sell their products. So it goes both ways. It’s the price we pay for products, but it’s also the ability for our workers to earn money producing those products.”

Charles Franklin
Director, Marquette Law School Poll

• A Marquette Law School Poll released on Aug. 26 that looks at the 2026 race for governor shows Democratic candidate David Crowley tying Republican candidate Tom Tiffany among registered voters at 44% each, with 12% undecided. Among likely voters, Crowley comes in ahead at 49% compared to Tiffany at 44%, with 7% undecided. The poll also found that Democrats say they are more likely to vote, with Republicans saying they are more enthusiastic to vote. Franklin said that finding is a hangover effect from the primary race.
• Franklin: “So we were in the field starting the day after the primary. I think it’s kind of natural that if you supported Francesca Hong, you might be a little less enthusiastic after she so narrowly lost the primary But when we look at how are those people voting, 98% of the Hong voters are saying they’re voting for Crowley, 99% of Crowley voters are voting for Crowley. So I think we’re getting amazing levels of party unity within the Democrats, but a little bit of an enthusiasm gap, mostly coming from disappointed Hong supporters.”

Janine Geske
Former justice, Wisconsin Supreme Court, and retired director of the Marquette University Law School’s Andrew Center for Restorative Justice

• Wisconsin’s new Commutation Advisory Board, which met for the first time on Aug. 21, will give Gov. Tony Evers recommendations on which people serving long prison sentences should have those terms reduced. About 800 people serving time in Wisconsin prisons have applied. The board’s rules include no commutation for crimes against children, but by design, people serving long sentences are eligible for commutation. including for first-degree intentional homicide. They must have served at least 20 years of a life sentence. Also, the board will focus on juveniles tried as adults and sentenced to life or more than 39 years. Geske said it’s her belief this in no way makes Wisconsin “soft on crime.”
• Geske: “A lot of these defendants that they’re looking at are people who committed these crimes when they’re 14, 15, 16 years old, and you look at them 20 years later and they’re different people. The one thing I like to emphasize with people is the people that are incarcerated are supervised 24 hours a day. So for 20 years — 24 hours day — they’ve been observed, and there’s a good track record of how they’re doing and whether or not they continue to pose a risk to the community.”

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