Tony Evers

Wisconsin's budget stabilization fund, known as the "rainy day" fund, closed the fiscal year at a record $2.1 billion, Gov. Tony Evers announced. The state's general fund also ended with a $3.3 billion positive balance, exceeding the budgeted estimate by roughly $350 million.

General fund tax collections rose 3.4 percent over the previous fiscal year, outperforming projections. Evers noted that every fiscal year of his tenure has closed with a positive balance, and the rainy day fund has grown by more than $1.75 billion since he took office. The figures underscore continued fiscal stability in Wisconsin, a factor that can influence state budget negotiations, credit outlooks, and tax policy debates ahead of upcoming legislative sessions.

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers and Dane County Executive Melissa Agard marked Indigenous Peoples' Day, observed on the second Monday of October, with messages honoring the state's tribal nations. Evers, who established the observance via executive order in 2019, said he planned to spend the day with tribal leaders and communities, noting that Wisconsin is home to 12 Native Nations, each with distinct history, culture, and language.

Agard directed her remarks to the Ho-Chunk Nation, whose ancestral homeland includes present-day Dane County, which replaced Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples' Day in 2019. She pointed to a recent conservation deal in which the county acquired 165 acres near Babcock County Park with plans to preserve and return the land to the Ho-Chunk Nation, calling the move part of ongoing efforts to build relationships with tribal communities.

Wisconsin, joined by a dozen other states, has filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration over the termination of grant funding meant to modernize state unemployment insurance systems. The suit, led by Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul and Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown, was filed in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims and argues the terminations breached the states' grant agreements.

Wisconsin began updating its unemployment system, which dates to 1970, after the COVID-19 pandemic overwhelmed it and delayed benefits for residents. A 2021 state law authorized roughly $100 million for the overhaul, with nearly $80 million in federal funding secured under the Biden administration via the American Rescue Plan Act. In May 2025, the U.S. Department of Labor told Wisconsin it was ending the grant, saying it no longer aligned with the department's funding priorities; officials later cited efforts to curb fraud and waste. More than $45 million was terminated across the states involved, about $10 million of it for Wisconsin, forcing the state to cancel its IT modernization contract and halt a fraud-detection database project.

Gov. Tony Evers has appointed Delani Dow, an elementary education major at UW-River Falls, to the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents as the nontraditional student regent. She joins UW-Milwaukee's Noah Fritz, who holds the traditional student seat, as the board's two student representatives.

Dow is pursuing an interest in special education and currently works as a student mentor and senator for UW-River Falls' Disability Resource Center. She also works as a home health aide and has been recognized at her school for developing educational materials to help parents prevent self-harm among children.

She succeeds UW-Oshkosh's Desmond Adongo, whose term ended in May, and will serve a two-year term on the board. Evers praised Dow's background and perspective as a valuable addition to the governing body, which oversees policy for the University of Wisconsin System's campuses.

Wisconsin's 2026 governor's race has become a flashpoint over immigration enforcement, with Democratic Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley facing criticism from Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany over his record opposing cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Crowley has said he would direct state agencies not to work with ICE if elected, opposes honoring ICE detainers, and would bar law enforcement from asking about immigration status. He has also backed driver's licenses and in-state college tuition for undocumented immigrants and co-authored legislation to codify anti-ICE policies statewide.

The dispute follows several high-profile criminal cases in Wisconsin involving undocumented immigrants, which critics cite as evidence of lax enforcement under Gov. Tony Evers. Tiffany has vowed to ensure state and local law enforcement cooperate with federal authorities on criminal deportations. The race underscores immigration as a central issue in the contest to succeed Evers, with implications for state sanctuary policies and federal-state enforcement relations.

Rebecca Cooke defeated Emily Berge in Wisconsin's 3rd Congressional District Democratic primary, setting up a third consecutive matchup against Republican Rep. Derrick Van Orden. Cooke, who grew up on a dairy farm near Eau Claire and works as a waitress and small-business owner, narrowly lost to Van Orden in 2024 by less than three percentage points after also losing the 2022 primary. She entered this year's primary with backing from the DCCC's "Red to Blue" program, while Berge campaigned as a local alternative skeptical of national party influence. Cooke holds a fundraising edge, having raised about $8.6 million to Van Orden's $7.5 million, though he retains nearly $3 million more cash on hand.

The western Wisconsin district, covering Eau Claire and La Crosse, has trended Republican in presidential races but is rated a toss-up, making it Democrats' top target in the state as they seek to retake the House majority in November. Cooke is campaigning on rural frustration over Trump administration policies, including tariffs that have hurt farm exports, cuts to Medicaid and SNAP, and rising fuel and fertilizer costs tied to the Iran conflict, while Van Orden defends his record backing Trump's agenda. The race is part of a broader Wisconsin battleground that includes the 1st District, where nurse Mitchell Berman will challenge GOP Rep. Bryan Steil, and the solid-red 7th District, won by Sean Duffy's son-in-law Michael Alfonso in the Republican primary.