Wisconsin governor candidates take part in forum, Hughes exits race

WAUKESHA, Wis. - Missy Hughes suspended her campaign for Wisconsin governor Monday, June 22, narrowing the Democratic primary field.

What we know:

Hughes said she repeatedly heard from Wisconsinites struggling to choose who to support in the primary. She endorsed Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, saying Rodriguez repeatedly placed herself in uncertain environments and brought teams and communities together.

With Hughes out, the race is heating up.

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The nonprofit network WISDOM held a gubernatorial candidate forum Monday night at Waukesha County Technical College. All six Democratic candidates and one of two Republican candidates took the stage.

Candidates were asked several questions about the prison system, immigration and clemency. One question asked the candidates how they would reduce childhood lead poisoning.

What they're saying:

"First and foremost, we have to make sure we are getting the resources back to DNS so they can actually have some teeth to hold many of the polluters accountable in the state of Wisconsin," Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley said.

"We also have to hold landlords accountable too, for lead paint exposure. Right now that ability doesn't even exist," former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes said. "And I know we can do this because we’ve fought some of these tough fights before."

"What we need to do as a state is collaborate with states around us to make sure we can have expertise that we had formally relied on for the CDC," Rodriguez said.

"I don't like hearing about diseases that stem from bad water when Milwaukee floods, when the state is underwater we need to meet the times and plan accordingly," Andy Manske said.

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"We need to restore environmental law and order in the state – and that means putting science back in the driver seat at DNR," state Sen. Kelda Roys said. "It means properly funding enforcement efforts."

"Delete existing tax exemptions for data centers and the additional subsidies that are being projected – take up to that – almost $2.1 billion and put that into investments to invest in infrastructure," state Rep. Francesca Hong said.

"It’s not only the lead laterals – it's actually lead paint that is a bigger health issue, at least in the City of Milwaukee, so what can we do," Joel Brennan said. "We can leverage federal resources that we have, and try to quicken that pace."

Dig deeper:

U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany is running with the official endorsement of President Donald Trump and the Wisconsin GOP. He was not in attendance Monday night.

The primary election is Aug. 11.

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