Democratic gubernatorial candidates have a different view of Gov. Scott Walker’s Wisconsin than the picture the governor painted in Wednesday’s State of the State address.
“Scott Walker can’t hide from his record. His State of the State speech was nothing more than a transparent election-year attempt to rewrite history,” state Superintendent and Democratic candidate for governor Tony Evers said in a press release.
Walker touted “record investment” in Wisconsin schools in Wednesday’s speech, but Democrats questioned the governor’s commitment to education, stating that taxpayers have been forced to bear the burden of school funding.
“We cannot forget the years of cuts to public education that have forced a million Wisconsinites to raise their own taxes to pay for their schools,” Evers said.
“We invested more actual dollars into schools than ever before in our history. The state property tax is gone,” Walker said.
Walker also affirmed a commitment to affordable healthcare for Wisconsinites. The governor has recently backed a bill which would make it illegal to deny or limit health insurance on the basis of pre-existing medical conditions.
“The biggest concern I hear about is from those who are worried about pre-existing conditions. With that in mind, I propose that we enact a law in Wisconsin that will guarantee coverage of pre-existing conditions,” Walker said.
This pledge comes after Walker had previously considered opting out of federal pre-existing conditions protections. Democrats have expressed skepticism at the Governor’s sincerity behind this proposal.
“After 9 years of attacks on the Affordable Care Act, Republicans cannot be trusted to provide real protections to those with pre-existing conditions,” Evers said.
Gubernatorial candidate and state Rep. Dana Wachs, D-Eau Claire, also expressed skepticism at Walker’s claims on Wednesday.
“Gov. Walker has gotten very good at spinning the data to make himself look good, but we know the truth behind the numbers,” Wachs said in a press release.
Wachs continued to list “key details” he said the governor “failed to include in his speech.”
“We will not simply forget the last seven years,” Wachs said. “Gov. Walker has ignored the issues folks across our state face every day from skyrocketing costs of childcare and healthcare to unemployment and underemployment.”
