Issue Brief | Attorney General

Overview

Polling, focus groups, and door-to-door conversations have made it abundantly clear that issues like abortion, economy, election integrity, education, healthcare, and safety are at the top of people’s minds in Wisconsin this year. We want to acknowledge the heightened role that these issues will play in general discourse in the coming months. With that in mind, A Better Wisconsin Together has put together a breakdown of where select public figures stand on these issues. This is by no means a comprehensive list, but merely a guide for navigating informed conversations.

Abortion

Josh Kaul

Eric Toney

  • Would fully enforce Wisconsin’s 1849 criminal abortion ban, indicating he does NOT support abortion exceptions for victims of rape and incest
  • Said at a July 2022 AG debate, “you know I will endorse the abortion ban as Attorney General”
  • Said at the July debate that on day 1 as AG, he would dismiss Kaul’s abortion ban lawsuit – calling it “frivolous”
  • Says he will “defend the police” in enforcing the criminal abortion ban
  • Endorsed by Wisconsin Right to Life and Wisconsin Family Action, indicating his alignment with these extremist groups’ belief that pregnant people should be legally required to give birth with no exceptions for rape or incest

Election Integrity

Josh Kaul

  • Joined 22 fellow Attorney Generals in asking Congress to pass legislation that would “safeguard Democracy,” including plans to reform the filibuster and protect voters from disenfranchisement
  • Said it’s “critical” that public figures denounce voter suppression and any efforts to subvert election results
  • Noted that the taxpayer funded investigation into the 2020 election in Wisconsin had major “legal flaws”
  • Said that counting all lawfully cast ballots does NOT count as stealing an election, and thinking otherwise is not supportive of democracy

Eric Toney

  • Prosecuted 5 eligible Wisconsin voters with election fraud (a felony) for not knowing they couldn’t use their local UPS address to register
  • Sought the removal of 5 members of the Wisconsin Elections Commission

Economy

Josh Kaul

Eric Toney

  • Has said the solution to “historic violence and drugs” is to “fund our cops”
  • Opposed former Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett’s 2022 budget that included ARPA funding to support fire, police, public works, education, and construction of a library

Public Safety

Josh Kaul

  • Has said public safety is his top priority
  • Promised in 2018 to “always put public safety above special interests”
  • Led the the state to significantly reduce the backlog of testing at the state crime lab
  • Launched a statewide sexual assault kit tracking system to allow survivors to track the location of their kit throughout the process
  • Said that more equitable access to healthcare can improve public safety
  • Unveiled in 2021 the $115 million Safer Wisconsin Plan, which focuses on community-based crime prevention like fewer guns in the community and addressing substance use disorder and mental health crises
  • On firearms, is a supporter of comprehensive background checks, extreme risk protection orders, and eliminating ghost guns
  • Utilized the last two state budgets to add 70 new Assistant District Attorneys across Wisconsin and more funding to the Department of Justice

Eric Toney

    • Opposes red flag laws, which would keep guns out of the hands of people deemed a danger to themselves or others
    • When asked at a July 2022 AG debate how to curb rising crime, Toney said “We have to gain control of the city of Milwaukee to protect the rest of Wisconsin” – and proposed giving the AG prosecution authority over Milwaukee County
      • He also said, “People are literally getting away with murder. And if you think you can get away with it in Milwaukee, you think you can get away with it anywhere in Wisconsin”
    • Attended the 2022 National Rifle Association (NRA) conference on the tails of mass shootings in Uvalde and Buffalo
    • Claims he has an AQ rating from the NRA
  • AQ rating is defined as “a pro-gun candidate whose rating is based solely on the candidate’s responses to the NRA-PVF Candidate Questionnaire and who does not have a voting record on Second Amendment issues”

Healthcare

Josh Kaul

Eric Toney

  • Endorsed by Wisconsin Right to Life and Wisconsin Family Action, extremist groups that believe pregnant people should be legally required to give birth with no exceptions for rape or incest
  • Said at a July 2022 AG debate that as Fond du Lac County DA, he refused to enforce mask orders amid the COVID-19 pandemic and started a “Reopen Fond du Lac” taskforce

Education

Josh Kaul

Eric Toney

  • Has said putting armed police officers in schools will “help solve violent crime”
  • Supported the conservative law firm Wisconsin Law and Liberty (WILL) in their efforts to roll back public health and safety efforts in Wisconsin schools
    • WILL also attempted to strike down a Title IX investigation in the Kiel School District
  • Is in support of AB 411, which aims to limit/censor what Wisconsin schools can teach about race and sex discrimination

Says Wisconsin has “nicotine and marijuana vaping problems in our schools”