No. We found no evidence supporting the claims made in a Republican attack ad.
Author Archives: Tom Kertscher / Wisconsin Watch
Tom Kertscher joined Wisconsin Watch as a full-time reporter in October 2024. He started as a fact checker in January 2023 and contributes to our collaboration with the The Gigafact Project to fight misinformation online. Kertscher is a former longtime newspaper reporter, including at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He is a contributing writer for Milwaukee Magazine and sports freelancer for The Associated Press.
Posted inFact briefs
Do states routinely audit insurers for denying health care claims?
No. Gov. Tony Evers said he wants to make Wisconsin the first to audit based on high rates of claim denials.
Posted inFact briefs
Did Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Susan Crawford sentence a child sex offender to four years after a prosecutor requested 10?
Yes. Judge Susan Crawford said the crimes occurring years apart made Kevin Welton a repeat offender, requiring prison, but were less serious than other sexual assaults.
Posted inFact briefs
Has Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Brad Schimel supported Wisconsin’s 1849 abortion law?
Yes. Brad Schimel has campaigned supporting the law, asking “what is flawed” about it.
Posted inFact briefs
Is Wisconsin one of only six states with same-day voter registration?
No. Twenty-one states, including Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia offered Election Day voter registration for the Nov. 5 election.
Posted inFact briefs
Do recent studies link water fluoridation with less dental decay in children?
Yes. Canadian and Israeli researchers in 2024 reported more dental problems among children in non-fluoridated communities.
Posted inFact briefs
Are airline flights the safest mode of transportation in the U.S.?
Yes. From 2008 through 2022, airline flights had lower passenger death rates than buses, railroad passenger trains and passenger vehicles.
Posted inFact briefs
Was a sexual assault convict freed after Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Susan Crawford’s office failed to file an appeal?
Yes. A man convicted of sexual assault was freed after an office led by Susan Crawford missed a court deadline.
Posted inFact briefs
Did Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Brad Schimel try to repeal the Affordable Care Act?
Yes. As state attorney general, Brad Schimel called Obamacare “overreaching and harmful.”
Posted inFact briefs
Could the Laken Riley Act allow for deporting unauthorized immigrants accused of shoplifting?
Yes. The act requires detaining such immigrants who are arrested for, or charged with, violent crimes or theft. This can lead to deportation.
Posted inFact briefs
Did most federal prison inmates in Wisconsin and the U.S. enter the country illegally?
No. As of Jan. 25, 59% of Oxford inmates, and 85% of federal inmates nationally, were U.S. citizens.
Posted inFact briefs
Did Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Brad Schimel offer a plea deal to a man whose attorney contributed to Schimel’s campaign?
Yes. The attorney made monthly contributions to Schimel’s attorney general campaign totaling $5,500.