By Tom Still
MADISON, Wis. – The first major gathering of Wisconsin’s candidates for governor took some off-ramps around issues such as President Trump’s “bully” status, legalizing marijuana and even abortion in China, but those tangents didn’t stop six candidates from spending most of their time laying out their thoughts on how to improve Wisconsin’s economy.
In most cases, even those rhetorical side roads fit into the narrative.
A panel of five Democrats and one Republican took turns Thursday during a Madison forum talking about early-stage investing; artificial intelligence and the boom in data centers; keeping and attracting more workers; energy, health care and housing needs; education at all levels; and ensuring rural Wisconsin isn’t left behind.
Produced by the Wisconsin Technology Council, the forum was lacking only one of the leading candidates – U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany from northern Wisconsin, a Republican. On hand were Republican Josh Schoemann, the Washington County executive; and Democrats David Crowley, the Milwaukee County executive; Missy Hughes, the former chief executive of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp.; state Rep. Francesca Hong of Madison; state Sen. Kelda Roys of Madison; and Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez.
More Democrats are in the race because Gov. Tony Evers is not seeking re-election, leaving an “open seat” in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election.
There was broad agreement that Wisconsin must do more to attract “early stage” investment capital, the kind of money that can finance young companies. They generally agreed that a recommendation to prime the pump with $100 million more from the state is an idea already working to lure private capital in other Midwest states. Schoemann upped the ante by suggesting $250 million or even $500 million.
A perennial issue in Wisconsin is that most angel and venture capital is invested in young companies based in Madison or Milwaukee, even though young firms with winning ideas can be found anywhere. Crowley noted he would like to see more investment “from Racine to Rhinelander” by undertaking an out-of-state “road show” to call attention to such gaps.
Hughes, who lives in Viroqua, said other states are also “being very aggressive” in priming their investment capital pumps. She added additional dollars could supplement existing state efforts such as the relatively new Wisconsin Innovation Fund, the Badger Fund of Funds and the Qualified New Business Venture tax credits.
More discussion was centered around the promise – and potential perils – of AI, how Wisconsin could benefit from the boom in major data centers, and ways to extend internet accessibility across the state.
While support for additional data centers was lukewarm among some candidates, no one discounted the idea of keeping an open mind to how Wisconsin can benefit.
Hughes talked about the larger supply chain associated with data center construction and operation, Schoemann cited the need for next-generation nuclear power plants, while Rodriguez, Roys and Hong stressed the need to make sure such centers help larger communities and don’t harm the environment.
There were some misgivings about electrical bill “cost-shifting,” a term to describe the fear that the costs of powering data centers will be shifted to other residential and business customers. However, Wisconsin’s Public Service Commission frowns upon such cost shifts by state utilities.
There are already 47 data centers in Wisconsin, mostly smaller in capacity. The debate is largely over “hyperscale” data centers and how to meet their energy needs through high-capacity transmission lines.
President Trump entered the conversation when Roys and Hong cited his “authoritarian” streak as a major impediment to economic growth in Wisconsin due to unpredictable tariffs, cancelled federal grants in areas such as research, and immigration policies that hurt farmers, restaurant owners and others. Roys described him as a “bully” who needs to be confronted. Rodriguez, a nurse by training, extended the anti-Trump theme to gaps in health care.
Hong had a two-word answer when asked about how to pay for broadband expansion: “Legalize weed,” meaning marijuana. Some others agreed, with Rodriguez joking “(Illinois) Governor J.B Pritzker thanks us every day.”
It’s a long road to the August 2026 party primaries and the November general election – and the current field of candidates may not be complete. Still, the notion of vigorous debate ahead is off to a strong start.
Still is the past president of the Wisconsin Technology Council. tstill@wisconsintechnologycouncil.com.