No. In July 2022, ahead of the Republican primary for governor, Tim Michels clarified that he was not against birth control, including the emergency contraceptive known as Plan B.
Category: Fact briefs
Wisconsin Watch is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims.
Posted inFact briefs
Was fentanyl responsible for more than 1,200 deaths in Wisconsin last year?
Yes. In 2021, 1,280 people died of fentanyl overdose in Wisconsin, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
Posted inFact briefs
Did a member of the Wisconsin Elections Commission say she was a partisan appointee?
Yes. Ann Jacobs, a commissioner on the Wisconsin Elections Commission, stated in a tweet that she is a partisan appointee to the commission, in response to conservative radio show host Dan O’Donnell. O’Donnell had tweeted that Jacobs’ criticism of GOP gubernatorial candidate Tim Michels put into question whether the commission could “be fair to Republicans.”
Posted inFact briefs
Does Wisconsin have the second highest math proficiency rate among fourth graders in the US?
Yes. According to the 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress report card, 43% of Wisconsin fourth-grade students tested proficient or higher in math — tied with Nebraska and Massachusetts for the second highest percentage across all U.S. states.
Posted inFact briefs
Is the percentage of Black inmates in Wisconsin seven times higher than the percentage of Black citizens in the state?
Yes. Black people comprised 42% of incarcerated individuals in Wisconsin state and federal correctional facilities in 2020, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics. In comparison, Black people made up 6% Of Wisconsin’s overall population in the 2020 Census.
Posted inFact briefs
Has Wisconsin invested the most pandemic aid money of any state in economic development?
Yes. Wisconsin is the U.S. state that has invested the most federal pandemic aid money in economic development and business assistance.
Posted inFact briefs
Do a majority of Wisconsinites believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases?
Yes. Over the past decade, 60% of Wisconsinites on average have supported abortion being legal in all or most cases, according to polls conducted by Marquette Law School since 2012.
Posted inFact briefs
Does Eric Toney want to ‘allow district attorneys to cross county lines to investigate and enforce the abortion ban?’
Yes. Fond du Lac County District Attorney Eric Toney, the Republican candidate for Wisconsin Attorney General, wants to allow district attorneys from other counties to enforce Wisconsin’s contested 1849 abortion ban and prosecute abortion cases when the local district attorney declines.
Posted inFact briefs
Did the pandemic increase the backlog of cases in Wisconsin courts?
Yes. The COVID-19 pandemic contributed to an increase in court case backlogs across the nation, including in Wisconsin.
Posted inFact briefs
Can the Wisconsin governor remove elected officials, such as district attorneys?
Yes. According to the Wisconsin Constitution, the governor has the power to remove any elected county officer besides county clerks, treasurers or surveyors. In the case of district attorneys, the governor may remove a district attorney “for cause.”
Posted inFact briefs
Does Mandela Barnes oppose the government imposing a week limit on abortion?
Yes. Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, the Democratic U.S. Senate candidate in Wisconsin, has not provided a definitive statement on whether government should legislate a week limit on abortion.
Posted inFact briefs
Has Milwaukee’s homicide rate nearly doubled in the past two years?
Yes. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel homicide tracker, the number of Milwaukee homicides in 2019 was 111. In 2020, the number rose to 204. 2021 saw 212 homicides, marking a 91% increase in the rate of homicides over two years. As of Oct. 21, the FBI reports there were 184 homicides in 2022 in Milwaukee — 24 more than last year at this time.