Pete Karas

I oppose hyperscale data centers in Wisconsin. Period.

They use enormous amounts of water and electricity, eat up farmland, and can leave the rest of us paying higher electric bills. Too many of these deals are negotiated in secret, with non-disclosure agreements that keep the public in the dark. Then the state gives developers a sales tax break.

I support a statewide ban on new hyperscale data centers. Smaller data centers should face simple rules: no secret deals, full disclosure of water and electricity use before approval, and developers should pay for any grid upgrades they require. I’d also repeal Wisconsin’s data center sales tax exemption.

I feel the same way about AI. If AI is used to make a decision affecting your rights, benefits, job, or freedom, a real person should be responsible, and you should be told AI was used.

I’ve fought automated license plate cameras in my own community because unlimited surveillance is too easy to abuse.

My campaign takes no corporate money. I don’t owe these companies a thing.

My positions come from Wisconsin’s data center tax laws, MISO reports on electricity demand, and people in communities facing these projects.

KEYWORDS: Ban, Transparency, Accountability

Wisconsin’s bioeconomy should build wealth in small towns and on family farms. Big companies have had enough subsidies.

I support full state funding for technical colleges and paid apprenticeships in farming, food processing, biotechnology, forestry and renewable energy. A welder, lab technician or farm equipment specialist shouldn’t have to take on a pile of debt to learn a trade Wisconsin needs.

I also support UW Extension and agricultural and biotechnology research at our public universities. When taxpayers help pay for a discovery, Wisconsin farmers, workers and small businesses should benefit from it.

On energy, I support community solar and local ownership of renewable projects. Farmers who host energy projects should get fair lease payments and keep control of their land.

I’d also steer state investment toward cooperatives and small producers. Wisconsin has a long co-op tradition, and that model keeps more of the money in the communities that actually produce the food, energy and raw materials.

My reason is simple. Rural Wisconsin has lost young people for decades because the good jobs left. Train them here, for work here, and they’ll have a reason to stay.

KEYWORDS: Apprenticeships, Local Ownership, Family Farms, Cooperatives.

Wisconsin needs to do a better job funding its public schools, especially in rural areas. Small districts shouldn’t have to beg voters for a referendum every few years just to keep teachers, buses and basic programs.

I support a school funding formula that keeps up with inflation and recognizes that small districts still have big fixed costs. I also support full state funding for special education and more help for rural districts with low enrollment.

I’d phase out the voucher program and put that money back into public schools.

Rural students should have the same chance to take STEM classes as students in bigger districts. That means better broadband, more access to science and technology teachers, shared programs between nearby districts, and more dual-credit classes through technical colleges.

The Secretary of State also sits on the Board of Commissioners of Public Lands, which manages the Common School Fund. That fund helps pay for library materials in public schools across Wisconsin. I’d protect that fund and press for open, public management of it.

KEYWORDS: Full Funding, Rural Schools, Public Dollars

It sounds like you. The only weak spot is the ““I am not a forester… I am not going to pretend”” sentence, which leans on negation. Saying what you will do lands stronger. I also added contractions to match your other answers.

As Secretary of State, most of the policy votes I’d cast would be as one of three members of the Board of Commissioners of Public Lands.

When those votes involve public land, I want to hear from people who know what they’re talking about. Before voting on a timber sale, a power line easement or another use of trust land, I’d want input from foresters, hydrologists, wildlife biologists and other scientists who can explain what the project would do to the water, soil and habitat.

I’d also listen to tribal natural resource experts, including scientists with the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission. They’ve spent decades studying northern Wisconsin’s forests, lakes and wildlife.

I have an economics degree, so I’m comfortable reading data and asking questions. On forestry, biology and hydrology, I’ll defer to the people who’ve spent their careers doing that work.

When experts disagree, I’ll look at the evidence, ask questions and explain publicly why I voted the way I did.

KEYWORDS: Evidence, Stewardship, Transparency

Outbreaks get stopped at the local level, by county health departments and public health nurses. Wisconsin has let that system run thin for years. I support stable state funding for local health departments so they can staff up, track cases and respond fast.

I support vaccines and want them easy to get. That means free or low-cost clinics run by public health nurses, especially in rural counties where the nearest clinic can be an hour away.

Avian flu threatens farms and the people who work on them. DHS, the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection and UW Extension should work as one team, with fast testing for farm workers and fair compensation for farmers who lose flocks or herds. Farmers report problems faster when they know reporting won’t ruin them.

During an outbreak, people need honest, timely information. Case counts, emergency orders and health guidance should be public, plainly written and easy to find.

Trust is the hardest part to rebuild. Public health officials earn it by telling people what they know, what they don’t, and why the advice changes when the evidence does.

KEYWORDS: Local Health, Access, Trust