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In The New District 13, State Reps Robyn Vining And Tom Michalski Face Off In West Suburbs

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Candidates In Tight State Senate Race Give Final Pitches

Senator Joan Ballweg (R-Pardeeville) and her Democratic challenger Sarah Keyeski are giving their final pitches to voters just days away from the election. The race is one of the most highly anticipated matchups in Wisconsin. It's also one of the closest. The two candidates are letting voters know why they're running in the first place.

MADISON (WKOW) -- Senator Joan Ballweg (R-Pardeeville) and her Democratic challenger Sarah Keyeski are giving their final pitches to voters just days away from the election.

The race is one of the most highly anticipated matchups in Wisconsin. It's also one of the closest. 

The two candidates are letting voters know why they're running in the first place. 

"I have been in the legislature for a bit and have a wealth of experience in working across the aisle and bringing forward successful policy," Ballweg said. 

"I'm running to improve the lives of regular people like you and me," Keyeski said. 

This is the first state senate election under new district lines. Two-thirds of the district have changed. District 14 now includes all of Richland and Sauk Counties and parts of Dane, Columbia, Adams and Juneau Counties. Experts say it now leans more Democratic, despite being represented by a Republican. 

"The new configured district is very similar in attributes to the population of my old district. It is mainly agricultural, and then tourism is a very big piece of it," Ballweg said. 

Wisconsin's state senate is currently led by Republicans. After this election, there is little chance it could flip, but if Democrats like Keyeski still pick up a seat, it makes it more likely in two years. 

"The stakes in this year's election could not be higher," Keyeski said.

These new district lines have pushed candidates to make new connections with voters. An issue both candidates said they will push to improve is the cost of living for families. 

"Whether that be by expanding BadgerCare, capping the cost of life, saving prescription drugs, expanding child care counts so that more families have quality, affordable childcare options, working to expand our housing supply and so much more," Keyeski said. 

Ballweg has a plan of her own.

"We call it middle class tax cut, but it's actually an income tax cut for everyone up into the middle class at joint filers, $100 and $50 million or less, targeted tax cuts," she said. 

The two also emphasized a top issue to each of them - reproductive care. Keyeski is pro-choice and known to call out Ballweg for her pro-life stance.

"Women and their doctors should be in charge of making healthcare decisions, not politicians," Keyeski said. 

Ballweg said there are some "inaccuracies" in her position on reproductive health. While maintaining a pro-life stance, Ballweg said she supports a number of postpartum care programs, expanding coverage up to six months postpartum. 

"What I've been trying to do in the legislature is to expand that to 12 months postpartum, because many of the issues that have to do with issues that don't come out right away," Ballweg said.

District 14 residents will have the chance to make their choice on either candidate on Tuesday. 

The Surprising Reason This Mom Doesn't Want Trump To Defund Planned Parenthood Of WI

There are a lot of life lessons to learn when you turn 18. For Heather Martell, one of them was getting a quick education on medical insurance. Back then, she wasn't able to be on her parents' plan any longer, so for health care, she and her family turned to Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin."They were able to get me signed up for the limited Badgercare option that provided reproductive health care to women and men in Wisconsin," she said. "I was able to obtain birth control at a discounted cost. I was able to receive pap and pelvic exams, and STD, STI, and HIV testing—a lot of services to ensure that I stayed healthy."

Providing services to stay healthy

The full staff of doctors, nurses, social workers, and other professionals at Planned Parenthood specialize in sexual and reproductive health and provide a variety of services, including STD testing and treatment, birth control, postpartum care and referrals, and endometrial biopsy and polyp removal.

"We provide at least 60,000 people a year with these vital health care services," PPWI Chief Strategy Officer Michelle Velasquez said. "That's 60,000 people in the state who have seen a provider—who have gotten maybe contraception, maybe gender-affirming care, maybe a cancer screening that saved their life, and maybe without that, people would have fallen through the cracks."Velasquez said their patients have all different forms of insurance, but a majority are covered through state Medicaid programs. "About 76% of our patients are insured through some form of state insurance, whether that's Medicaid, Badgercare, or a family-planning only service," she explained.Three of the group's 22 clinics in the state are the only centers that perform abortions, but those services are not covered by programs like Medicaid. Velasquez said it's a struggle for people to find health care providers that accept Medicaid, and for those who don't have options because they live in areas without regular clinics."There are people who don't live in the vicinity of a health care provider," Velasquez said. "People would face real challenges accessing health care if Planned Parenthood wasn't available."

Planned Parenthood is life-saving

Heather, a Chippewa Falls resident, is grateful Planned Parenthood was there to be her safety net. "Planned Parenthood has saved me a number of times," she said. "I wish they were in every community."Heather has a history of complicated reproductive health issues and said the doctors, nurses, and social workers at Planned Parenthood have always been caring, considerate, and helpful in her decision-making and connections over the years—from answering everyday health questions to getting her the help she needed when she was young, scared, and in a life-threatening situation."When I was 19-years-old, I became pregnant and started to miscarry," Heather recalled. "This miscarriage was an incomplete miscarriage, meaning that there was still fetal tissue in my uterus, and I started to hemorrhage."Heather said her regular obstetrician refused to see her and told her if she would even go to an emergency room, she would have her discharged. After bleeding for months, Heather turned to her local Planned Parenthood center."They were able to make an appointment with a trusted OB within that health care system, who was able to see me and help me," Heather said. "Without Planned Parenthood, I might've died."A couple of years later, Heather became pregnant again, amid a challenging personal environment. She trusted Planned Parenthood to give her some guidance and direction with resources once again. With her, they discussed everything—adoption resources, potential procedures, and even help if she decided to become a mom.

"Planned Parenthood did provide me with all of my options—when I was alone in this decision, when I had an ex who was pressuring me for an abortion, when I had family that was pressuring me, Planned Parenthood was the organization that actually said, 'You have options—you don't need to have an abortion if you don't want to have an abortion,'" Heather said.Heather said thanks to Planned Parenthood, she understood her options and was able to make an informed decision that she knew was right for her. She chose to have her baby, who is now a teenager ready to get his driver's license.

If Planned Parenthood was "defunded"

Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance says if Donald Trump returns to the White House, the Trump administration would defund Planned Parenthood—largely because of the organization's support of abortion rights. 

"That paints this picture that Planned Parenthood is like a free clinic or gets block money from the federal government," Velasquez said. "That's not how Planned Parenthood operates.""We are a regular health care provider that specializes in sexual and reproductive health. We bill Medicaid for services that are rendered just as any other health organization would." Defunding could mean stopping the group from being able to be reimbursed. For years, Republicans in the Wisconsin Legislature and in Congress have tried to take away this access to health care. If Planned Parenthood is defunded, its leaders said it would only deepen and expand a public health crisis. Reduced access to birth control would cause more unintended pregnancies and abortions. Reduced access to pap smears and other gynecological care would increase the risk of cancer and overall poorer health outcomes for women. Reduced access to screening and treatment for sexually transmitted infections would lead to higher infection rates and increased rates of cancer and infertility. Velasquez said when these lawmakers talk about defunding, they really mean blocking patients from getting vital care."You can't say 'defund' Planned Parenthood and then purport to be supportive of people's health care and health care access," she said. "You can't purport to be interested in reducing the number of abortions.""There's a real disconnect there—'I want people to have access to health care, but I also want to take away the safety net health care provider who does cancer screenings, STI testing, birth control, sex education—all of those things.'"

Planned Parenthood as a connector

Heather, now 37, is a legal assistant and married, but it was in those early years when she became a mother that she knew she would tout what a reliable and comforting source Planned Parenthood was for her. "At that point in my life I had never had a medical team take a holistic approach, and that was something that stayed with me," she said."Planned Parenthood can't solve all of the problems, but we can be a connector," PPWI's Velasquez said. "What we're really focused on is people living their healthiest lives."Velasquez said Planned Parenthood will always be a mainstay for those who need care, "What I want people to take away: Planned Parenthood is open—we've been open—we will be open providing care.""My hope for the future is that sexual and reproductive health care is not debated in the Capitol anymore—that people are able to go to the doctor and get the sexual and reproductive health care they need—that they choose based on their own life circumstances and in consultation with their physician."

A former 15-year veteran of reporting local news for western Wisconsin TV and radio stations, Salina Heller also volunteers in community theater, helps organize the Chippewa Valley Air Show, and is kept busy by her daughter's elementary school PTA meetings. She is a UW-Eau Claire alum.

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