As Democrats jockey for position, Joel Brennan is using Rodriguez’s comments to separate himself.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Joel Brennan released a budget transparency plan, just days after a fellow competitor, Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, said she would craft the next state budget “behind a curtain.”
The move, first noted in a tweet by Matt Smith, underscores the intensifying competition in the Democratic primary to succeed Gov. Tony Evers. Rodriguez’s comments, captured on audio, drew swift criticism from opponents. She told an audience in Janesville that she planned to complete negotiations before taking office to avoid a “circular firing squad” among Democrats and bundle potentially controversial items for easier passage.
Brennan, a former Department of Administration secretary who helped shape Evers’ budgets, seized the opening. His proposal includes a requirement that lobbyists report any meetings with state agency officials within 72 hours, along with public listening sessions, household surveys and a geographic fairness analysis of spending.
“You don’t get a good budget by hiding it from the people it’s supposed to serve,” Brennan said.
With the primary still fluid, Brennan is attempting to cast himself as the more moderate, experienced option — offering a pragmatic, framework that prioritizes openness over closed-door dealmaking. Rodriguez’s opponents have used her remarks as an opportunity to gain ground, framing the race around process and trust in government at a time when voters are weary of partisan gridlock.
