Candidates for state senate boost spending, differences

The race for the state senate seat that represents Trempealeau County pits a long-serving lawmaker against a relative newcomer who are also at odds over policy.

Voters Nov. 8 will select either 31st District incumbent Sen. Jeff Smith, a Democrat from Eau Claire, who running for his second four-year term, or Whitehall Republican Dave Estenson, a member of the Whitehall school board and otherwise a newcomer to politics.

Spending on the race took a big jump this year, with Smith receiving $725,915, according to Smith’s latest statement with the Wisconsin campaign finance information system. This compares to $110,863 Smith received in 2018 and the just over $51,000 he gathered in his unsuccessful 2014 senate race. Smith collected $428,000 from committees and political groups, including $95,000 from the state Democratic committee. He received $246,000 from individual donors.

Estenson has collected $245,071 year to date, $212,000 of which came from committees and political groups, according to his latest filing. The Committee to Elect a Republican Senates contributed over $121,000.

Smith believes government should act as an agent of change: “My approach to government is doing the most good using the political and policy tools available to us to move our communities forward, not backwards.” 

“I am driven by common sense family values,” Smith said. “I believe that we have a moral obligation to look out for each other and do right by our communities and families.”

Smith’s background and additional policy statements are included below in his responses to a questionnaire from the Times.

Estenson declined to respond to the questionnaire. Drawing from his campaign web site, www.daveforwi.com, the trucking business owner said he aims to “push back against the broken justice system to make our communities safe again.” He vows to resist the policies of Gov. Tony Evers and President Joe Biden that cause “gas and grocery prices to skyrocket, making it hard to make ends meet.” He said he “will fight to lower taxes and reduce regulations to help people support their families, and allow businesses to thrive.”

Estenson notes that, as a parent and a member of the Whitehall school board, he intends to bring back “common sense” to education. He notes that the 31st District is also entitled to more infrastructure money for roads, bridges and emergency services, and that too much of the state’s money is funneled to southeastern Wisconsin.

Name: Jeff Smith

Age: 67

Education: Eau Claire public school graduate

Community participation: PTA leader in the school district, region and state. Served on school referendum committees, county committees regarding small business, a 4H leader and fair assistant and was president of the Valley Gospel Choir. I served on the board of the Eau Claire Family Resource Center and on the board for the Stand in the Light memory choir.

Elected offices held: Brunswick town chair 2001-2007, Wisconsin State Assembly 2007-2011, Wisconsin State Senate, 2019 to present.

Which statement better describes your approach to government? 

• Government plays too big a role in the activities of voters in your district. 

• Government helps assure that everyone is fairly contributing to the good of society.

Please elaborate.

The second statement resonates with my approach to government and doing the most good using the political and policy tools available to us to move our communities forward, not backwards. I believe the most effective government is closest to home and must be preserved but also realized that if I was to have an impact I needed to be in Madison where policy is written and adopted that affects all of us on a daily basis. 

I am driven by common sense family values. I believe that we have a moral obligation to look out for each other and do right by our communities and families. Those in leadership positions have an even greater responsibility to protect and serve the most vulnerable. I will always stand up to anyone using their power to intimidate and bully and will never take advantage of the trust our community has placed in me.

What policy does your party endorse that you oppose and would vote against?

I broke with Democrats in the state senate and voted for the budget that gave families in Wisconsin the largest tax cut in state history, which assured that for this budget period, our schools were fully funded, investing in our transportation infrastructure, and making investments to Wisconsin’s higher education institutions and workforce development. 

Do you support the legalization of recreational marijuana?

Yes, I support the legalization of recreational marijuana and taxing it similarly to alcohol which will raise revenue and ensure those dollars aren’t going to surrounding states that have already taken steps towards legalization or are already fully legalized, like Illinois and Michigan.

Wisconsin is falling out of step with our neighboring states and has become an island of prohibition, hurting our farmers, our state’s opportunity for economic growth, and Wisconsinites’ rights to live their lives as they choose. We know the vast majority of voters in this country support legalization and we are lagging behind the rest of the region and country and losing out on the possibility of increased revenue and benefits to our constituents and economic opportunities in this state.