Gubernatorial fact checkup
Here’s the latest update to your running scorecard on how the 2018 candidates for governor are faring on our Truth-OMeter.
The candidates are listed in alphabetical order. The most recent fact checks for each candidate are listed first.
The primary election, to determine which Democrat will run against Gov. Scott Walker, is Aug. 14. The general election is Nov. 6.
A debate with the eight remaining Democratic candidates (10 had qualified for the ballot) is set for 6 p.m. Thursday at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
The first hour will air on WTMJ-TV and WUWM-FM. An additional 30 minutes will air live on WUWM and stream live on wuwm.com, tmj4.com, nbc26.com, WisPolitics.com
and jsonline.com.
During the debate, follow us on Twitter for live tweeting of the event: @PolitiFactWisc.
TONY EVERS, state schools superintendent, Madison
Foxconn: Says Wisconsin “could compel” Foxconn to install solar panels that would power 33,000 homes. Mostly False.
Education: Says that despite a recent increase in school funding, Scott Walker “has taken over a billion dollars from the public schools.” Mostly False.
Jobs: “Job creation fell by 70 percent in Wisconsin in 2016” under Scott Walker. Mostly True.
MATT FLYNN, Milwaukee lawyer
Foxconn: “Foxconn will not face oversight from any federal, state, or local agency to guarantee it complies with our wetlands protection laws.” Mostly False.
Wages: Under Scott Walker, “average wages, when adjusted for inflation, are lower today than they were under Jim Doyle.” Half True.
MIKE MCCABE, Madison activist
Internet: Wisconsin is “49th in the country in internet speed.” Half True.
Taxes: “When you look at all the state and local taxes we pay in Wisconsin, the wealthiest 1 percent pay the lowest overall tax rate.” Mostly True.
MAHLON MITCHELL, s tate firefighter union president, Fitchburg
Biography: Says he was “instrumental to passing two (recent) pieces of legislation that were a huge victory for firefighters across the state.” Mostly
False.
Biography: “When @ScottWalker told firefighters we didn’t need to worry about Act 10, we said hell no, we stand with working Wisconsinites everywhere.” Mostly False.
Middle class: Wisconsin has “the fastest-shrinking middle class in the country.” Mostly False.
JOSH PADE, Kenosha lawyer
(No fact checks.) KELDA HELEN ROYS, former state representative, Madison
Education: “There are a lot of private charters. And in fact, (Tony Evers) sought and received the largest charter school grant in the country from the Trump-DeVos administration to start new charter schools in Wisconsin.” Half True.
Roads: Says that under Scott
Walker, on a percentage basis, Wisconsin is “spending twice as much on debt service for just basic road repair and maintenance” than before he took office. Mostly True.
Debate: On participating in a debate for Democratic gubernatorial candidates, Roys initially committed to attend, then withdrew her commitment. (The debate was later canceled). Full Flop.
Spending: In 2011 under Scott Walker, Wisconsin for the first time spent “more on our prison system than we did” on the University of Wisconsin System. Mostly True.
Taxes: “Under Trump’s new tax plan ... 99.8% of Americans” get “not one nickel” in tax cuts. Pants on Fire.
PAUL SOGLIN, Madison mayor
Jobs: Since he and Scott Walker took office in 2011, “60,000 new jobs have been created in this state — 40,000 of them were created in Madison and the Madison area.” False.
Prisons: Says Wisconsin “doesn’t even give” released prison inmates “a bus ticket to get home.” Mostly False.
Jobs: Under Scott Walker, Wisconsin is “still 16,000 manufacturing jobs lower than we were during the recession.” Mostly True. KATHLEEN VINEHOUT, state senator, Alma