Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul, who has built a record suing the Trump administration, won a third term as Wisconsin’s top lawyer Tuesday.
Kaul defeated Republican Fond du Lac County District Attorney Eric Toney for the second time after the two squared off in 2022. Kaul became attorney general after defeating another Republican, then-incumbent Brad Schimel, in 2018.
Kaul has joined in more than 70 lawsuits to fight initiatives of President Donald Trump’s second administration, including some to restore funding for infrastructure and schools.
A ChatGPT-assisted analysis Sept. 15 found that of the 72 lawsuits Kaul has joined against the second Trump administration, 40 won a permanent or temporary favorable ruling or settlement, nine failed and 23 are pending. Successful cases include a U.S. Supreme Court ruling upholding birthright citizenship; court rulings blocking a $65 million cut to federal research funding of the University of Wisconsin-Madison; and orders blocking the Trump administration from demanding states provide personal information of FoodShare recipients.
On other issues, Kaul said he would join multistate litigation to protect access to abortion medication, and he advocated for jail alternatives and guarding against voter intimidation in elections.
Kaul, 45, a former federal prosecutor and private attorney, is the son of the late Peg Lautenschlager, who served as attorney general from 2003 to 2007.
Toney, 42, a former private attorney, was first elected as Fond du Lac County’s top prosecutor in 2012. He accused Kaul of being too political and criticized Kaul’s administration for shortcomings in the operation of state crime labs.
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Incumbent Democrat Josh Kaul repeatedly sues Trump administration; Republican Eric Toney faults Kaul’s crime lab testing.
As of Oct. 28, Kaul’s campaign had raised $2.61 million to Toney’s $1.86 million.
The Republican Attorneys General Association originally reserved more than $500,000 in paid media in the race, according to AdImpact, WisPolitics reported. But it reduced that to $285,000 over the final week of the campaign.
The attorney general heads the Wisconsin Department of Justice, which provides legal advice and representation, investigates criminal activity and provides various law enforcement services for the state.
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