Wisconsin's Democratic secretary of state won't run for governor but mulls lieutenant governor bid
Democratic Gov. Tony Evers announced Thursday that he won't seek a third term in the battleground state, creating an open race next year. Godlewski was one of several Democrats mentioned as a possible contender.
But on Monday, Godlewski made it clear that she is instead looking into running for the state's No. 2 role, instead of governor or secretary of state.
'She is making calls to leaders across the state and will make a final decision on a run in the coming weeks,' adviser Scott Spector said. 'If she gets in this race, it will be with significant support from elected and local Democrats from across Wisconsin.'
Godlewski, 43, was appointed by Evers as secretary of state in March 2023 after the incumbent resigned less than three months into his term. Unlike in most states, the office does not run elections in Wisconsin and has almost no official duties.
Godlewski previously ran for U.S. Senate in 2022 but lost in the Democratic primary.
Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez announced her candidacy for governor on Friday, and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley said he plans to take steps soon to mount a run. Other Democrats considering a run include Attorney General Josh Kaul, Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson, former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes and state Sen. Kelda Roys.
There are two announced candidates on the Republican side: Washington County Executive Josh Shoemann and manufacturer Bill Berrien. Other Republicans considering running for governor include U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany and state Senate President Mary Felzkowski,
Former Republican Gov. Scott Walker released a video on Sunday saying he would not be running for the office he held from 2011 until 2019.
Walker had jokingly hinted that he might consider a run in a post on X last week, but on Sunday said he would instead be focused on his work as president of the Young America's Foundation, which tries to get college-aged conservatives involved in politics.
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Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Israel minister who led prayers at a controversial holy site has a record of provocative actions
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel's far-right national security minister led prayers on Sunday at Jerusalem's most sensitive holy site, drawing international condemnation and escalating tensions as Israel faces strong criticism over the war in Gaza. Itamar Ben-Gvir has frequently visited the contested Jerusalem hilltop compound during the war in Gaza. Jews revere the site as the Temple Mount, where the biblical temples once stood. It is the holiest site in Judaism. Today, it is home to the Al Aqsa Mosque, the third-holiest site in Islam. Tensions at the compound have frequently spilled over into violence over the years. It was the latest act of defiance by the 49-year-old ultranationalist settler leader who transformed himself over the decades from an outlaw and provocateur into one of Israel's most influential politicians. Here is a closer look at Ben-Gvir: Why was the visit considered a provocation? Since Israel captured the site in 1967, Jews have been allowed to visit but not pray there. Palestinians consider the mosque a national symbol and view visits by Jewish leaders as provocative and as a potential precursor to Israel seizing control over the compound. Most rabbis forbid Jews from praying on the site, but there has been a growing movement in recent years of Jews who support worship there. Ben-Gvir has long called for greater Jewish access to the holy site. Ben-Gvir was visiting to mark the Jewish holiday of Tisha B'Av, a day of mourning and repentance when Jews reflect on the destruction of the First and Second Temples, key events in Jewish history. Visits like Ben-Gvir's are legal. Israeli media said the visit was the first time that a sitting minister actively and vocally led prayers. Ben-Gvir also called for Israel to conquer and declare sovereignty over all of the Gaza Strip and encourage 'voluntary' migration from Gaza in order to end the war and bring the hostages back. Palestinians say the migration plan is a disguise for forced expulsions. In response to Ben-Gvir's visit, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the status quo at the site had not changed and would not change to allow Jewish prayer. Run-ins with the law Ben-Gvir has been convicted eight times for offenses that include racism and supporting a terrorist organization. The army banned him from compulsory military service when he was a teen, deeming his views too extreme. Ben-Gvir gained notoriety in his youth as a follower of the late radical rabbi Meir Kahane. He first became a national figure when he broke a hood ornament off then-Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin's car in 1995. 'We got to his car, and we'll get to him too,' he said, just weeks before Rabin was assassinated by a Jewish extremist opposed to his peace efforts with the Palestinians. Two years later, Ben-Gvir took responsibility for orchestrating a campaign of protests, including death threats, that forced Irish singer Sinead O'Connor to cancel a concert for peace in Jerusalem. Moving to the mainstream The political rise of Ben-Gvir was the culmination of years of efforts by the media-savvy lawmaker to gain legitimacy. But it also reflected a rightward shift in the Israeli electorate that brought his religious, ultranationalist ideology into the mainstream and diminished hopes for Palestinian independence. Ben-Gvir is trained as a lawyer and gained recognition as a successful defense attorney for extremist Jews accused of violence against Palestinians. With a quick wit and cheerful demeanor, the outspoken Ben-Gvir also became a popular fixture in the media, paving his way to enter politics. He was first elected to parliament in 2021. Ben-Gvir has called for deporting his political opponents. In an episode in 2022, he brandished a pistol and encouraged police to open fire on Palestinian stone-throwers in a tense Jerusalem neighborhood. In his Cabinet post, Ben-Gvir oversaw the country's police force. He used his influence to encourage Netanyahu to press ahead with the war in Gaza and recently boasted that he had blocked past efforts to reach a ceasefire. As national security minister, he has encouraged police to take a tough line against anti-government protesters. Controversial minister Ben-Gvir secured his Cabinet post after 2022 elections that put Netanyahu and his far-right partners, including Ben-Gvir's Jewish Power party, into power. 'Over the last year I've been on a mission to save Israel,' Ben-Gvir told reporters before that election. 'Millions of citizens are waiting for a real right-wing government. The time has come to give them one.' Ben-Gvir has been a magnet of controversy throughout his tenure — encouraging the mass distribution of handguns to Jewish citizens, backing Netanyahu's contentious attempt to overhaul the country's legal system and frequently lashing out at U.S. leaders for perceived slights against Israel. Sundays Kevin Rollason's Sunday newsletter honouring and remembering lives well-lived in Manitoba. Resignation and return to Netanyahu's cabinet Ben-Gvir temporarily resigned from Prime Minister Netanyahu's cabinet earlier this year to express his disapproval of the Gaza ceasefire deal. The ceasefire ran from Jan. 19 to March 1. Hamas released 25 Israeli hostages and the bodies of eight others in return for nearly 1,800 Palestinian prisoners, including senior militants serving life sentences for deadly attacks. Israeli forces pulled back to a buffer zone, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians returned to what remained of their homes, and there was a surge of humanitarian aid. Ben-Gvir's resignation did not stop the ceasefire, but it did weaken Netanyahu's governing coalition. Ben-Gvir rejoined the cabinet when Israel ended the ceasefire and returned to active combat in Gaza in March 2025. Last week, the Netherlands banned Ben-Gvir and far-right Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich from entering the country. Britain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway imposed financial sanctions on the two men last month.
Canada News.Net
2 hours ago
- Canada News.Net
Trump fires statistics official after US posts weak job numbers
Recent data was rigged to harm him politically, the American president has claimed US President Donald Trump dismissed Erika McEntarfer, commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), on Friday, claiming that the latest employment figures had been rigged against him. The dismissal followed weaker-than-expected July hiring numbers and significant downward revisions for May and June. Trump alleged in a Truth Social post that the employment figures issued this week had been deliberately manipulated to harm him politically, describing them as "RIGGED" to make Republicans and himself "look bad.""I have directed my Team to fire this Biden Political Appointee, IMMEDIATELY," Trump posted later on Friday, asserting McEntarfer, would be replaced by someone "much more competent and qualified." A BLS spokesperson confirmed that McEntarfer "was terminated," and Deputy Commissioner William Wiatrowski will take over on an acting basis. July jobs report showed just 73,000 jobs added, with revisions revealing 258,000 fewer jobs overall in May and June. The unemployment rate rose slightly, to 4.2%. Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer supported Trump's decision to replace McEntarfer, emphasizing the importance of making sure "the American People can trust" BLS data. Republican Senator Roger Marshall, who had previously questioned McEntarfer's job statistics, also praised the move. Marshall stated on X that her "cooked-up numbers have misled the American people for too long." Economists, however, expressed concern about the firing, with Arin Dube warning on X that it "threatens to destroy trust in core American institutions and all government statistics." A bipartisan group, including former BLS commissioners William Beach, appointed by Trump, and Erica Groshen, named to the post by former President Barack Obama, condemned McEntarfer's firing. The rationale "undermines the credibility of federal economic statistics," they said in a statement. Democratic Senate Leader Chuck Schumer also criticized Trump's decision: "What does a bad leader do when they get bad news? Shoot the messenger." The monthly jobs report significantly impacts financial markets, which fell about 1.5% following the announcement. Trump hasn't always been skeptical of these reports-when May data was first released in June showing 139,000 jobs added, he posted: "GREAT JOB NUMBERS, STOCK MARKET UP BIG!" That figure was later revised down to 125,000, then sharply, to just 19,000.
Canada News.Net
2 hours ago
- Canada News.Net
Trump fires Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner, citing rigged jobs' numbers during election campaign
Washington DC [US], August 2 (ANI): US President Donald Trump fired Erika McEntarfer, the commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, whom he accused, without evidence, of manipulating the monthly jobs reports for 'political purposes,' CNN reported. The Bureau of Labor Statistics' monthly labor report Friday showed that the US economy added only 73,000 jobs in July, far below expectations. It also sharply revised down the employment growth that had been previously reported in May and June - by a combined 2,58,000 jobs. After the revisions, the jobs report showed the weakest pace of hiring for any three-month period since the pandemic recession in 2020, as per CNN. 'In my opinion, today's Jobs Numbers were RIGGED in order to make the Republicans, and ME, look bad,' Trump said in a Truth Social post. Although the May and June jobs numbers were worse than initially believed, revisions are normal in this process. The BLS' initial monthly jobs estimates are often based on incomplete data, so they are revised twice after the initial report -- followed by an annual revision every February. Additionally, BLS economists use a formula to smooth out jobs numbers for seasonal variations and that can exacerbate revisions when they fall outside economists' expectations, CNN reported. Trump on Friday incorrectly called the revisions a 'mistake.' 'McEntarfer said there were only 73,000 Jobs added (a shock!) but, more importantly, that a major mistake was made by them, 2,58,000 Jobs downward, in the prior two months,' Trump said on Truth Social. 'Similar things happened in the first part of the year, always to the negative. The Economy is BOOMING under 'TRUMP.'' Trump said McEntarfer 'faked' the jobs numbers before the election to try to boost former Vice President Kamala Harris' chances in the 2024 presidential election, as per CNN. 'We're doing so well. I believe the numbers were phony, just like they were before the election, and there were other times. So, you know what I did? I fired her, and you know what? I did the right thing,' Trump told reporters Friday on the South Lawn, as per CNN. (ANI)
