One sign of a winning campaign is when the opposition starts to feel threatened—and desperate. As we approach the August 13 Democratic primary election, you may see conservative dark money special interest groups attacking Katrina. These groups may say they support workers, farmers, and families—but the money tells a different story. 

One candidate, Rebecca Cooke, has already accepted $150,000 in support from an out-of-state, conservative-funded, and Blue Dog-aligned PAC, Welcome PAC. She is now begging on her website for her conservative dark money allies to wage false, negative attacks on Katrina’s record. These attacks come directly from a push poll that Cooke put out to the district in June. Cooke is attacking Katrina’s bipartisan record on everything from property tax cuts to efforts to lower health insurance rates by 24% in two years.

Our campaign will call out any and all efforts to distort and smear Katrina Shankland’s stellar record in the State Assembly passing 225 bipartisan bills into law and getting results for Wisconsin.

Here are the facts you need to know…

Outright Lie from Rebecca Cooke and her conservative dark money allies:

“Shankland was the only Democrat to vote in committee with Republicans to pass a bill to block the Governor from expanding Badgercare.”

The Truth:

Here, Cooke is willingly misrepresenting and distorting Katrina Shankland’s record on healthcare. Shankland is a tireless advocate to expand Badgercare. In fact, she has co-sponsored legislation every year for the last 12 years to expand Badgercare and provide care to an additional 90,000 Wisconsinites. In addition, she has cosponsored legislation to offer a public option for BadgerCare, raise reimbursement rates for providers, and expand postpartum BadgerCare benefits to women.

Like dozens of Democratic legislators in the Senate and Assembly, including the Democratic leaders in both houses, Katrina voted for legislation to keep insurers in the Affordable Care Act marketplace and lower rates by 24% in two years. This legislation was supported by Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin and the American Lung Association. 

The bill that Cooke recklessly cites mirrored existing law regarding Medicaid: in Wisconsin, the governor and the Department of Health Services cannot expand Medicaid on their own. In order to expand Medicaid, the Legislature would be required to change the statutes to expand the eligibility criteria, then the governor would need to sign it into law. The governor cannot act alone in Wisconsin because the Medicaid eligibility criteria are written into our statutes, and prior to the passage of SB 770, that was the case as well. 

However, Katrina joined every Democratic lawmaker in voting against a law, currently still in effect, that would require legislative approval of any Medicaid waiver, including BadgerCare expansion. [1]

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Outright Lie from Rebecca Cooke and her conservative dark money allies:

“Shankland vote contributed to the closure of rural hospitals.”

The Truth:

In the State Legislature, Katrina fought to protect hospitals and increase access to affordable health care — especially in rural areas. Katrina has proudly cosponsored legislation to expand Badgercare for the last 12 years, which would have saved state taxpayers over $1 billion while covering 90,000 more people. As a member of the Joint Finance Committee, Katrina advocated for higher Medicaid reimbursement rates for providers. Katrina also worked with fire and EMS departments to pass a new bipartisan Community Paramedic Law that reduces 911 calls and reduces hospital admissions while increasing access to affordable preventative care that is critical for rural areas.

In fact, Gundersen Health System in Western Wisconsin testified for her bill, now law, because it will “help our transition care program expand into a community paramedic program… The extension of care beyond our walls is in line with the specific goal of reducing readmissions is in the best interest of the patient and their families.” 

Katrina is also committed to transparency in health care pricing and cosponsored bipartisan bills to crack down on surprise medical bills — and she’ll do the same in Congress. For her leadership on health care issues, she was honored by six different nonpartisan organizations committed to expanding access to affordable health care in Wisconsin: the Wisconsin Academy of Physicians, the Wisconsin Association of Local Health Departments & Boards, the Wisconsin Public Health Association, the Wisconsin Association for Home Health Care, the Wisconsin Primary Health Care Association, and the Portage County EMS Association.

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Outright Lie Rebecca Cooke and her conservative dark money allies:

 “As a state assembly member, Shankland has consistently voted with Republicans, voting for tax cuts for the wealthy.”

The Truth:

Katrina believes in making strong state and federal investments in education and the public sector so that we stop relying on local property taxes. She has said she will work with anyone from both parties to accomplish that goal and is even running a TV ad on fairly funding education and holding the line on property taxes. In 2013, Katrina voted with 26 fellow Democratic lawmakers as well as Republicans on a bill to cut property taxes for middle class families. 

Katrina also joined Republicans and Democrats in voting for tax-free retirement for seniors. According to the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau, taxpayers making less than $100,000 would comprise 78.3% of all filers with a decrease and would receive 51.8% of the estimated decrease. Their estimated average tax decrease would be $1,047 in tax year 2024. This is the opposite of tax giveaways to the wealthiest.

As a member of the budget committee, Katrina also spoke out publicly against a tax giveaway to the wealthy while they repealed a tax credit for working families:

Democrats blasted the tax package, saying it disproportionately helps Wisconsin’s wealthiest individuals.

“You’re giving tax breaks to millionaires and you’re kicking working families while they’re down,” said Rep. Katrina Shankland, D-Stevens Point.

Katrina always has working families and seniors’ backs. 

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Outright Lie Rebecca Cooke and her conservative dark money allies:

Shankland voted “to remove restrictions that prevented sex offenders from being close to schools, parks and daycare centers.” 

The Truth:

Katrina is known as the Democrat in the Legislature who is toughest on sexual predators. She has passed bipartisan laws cracking down on sex predators. Just this year, Katrina worked with Governor Evers’ Department of Corrections and across the aisle to pass legislation into law requiring lifetime monitoring of sex offenders. 

In the outright lie above, Cooke and her conservative dark money allies are lying about Katrina’s record. Here are the facts: in 2015, every Democrat in the State Assembly voted against a bill that created a new 1,500 foot “setback” for sexually violent predators, hearing from experts who said it would simply move the sex predators to the most rural areas of Wisconsin where they can’t be monitored as reliably.

Just two years later, Katrina worked across the aisle to repeal the bill’s language in the budget because the new law was shipping predators to rural communities and making it harder to monitor sexually violent predators. In an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote, lawmakers from both parties voted to return sex predators to their home counties because of her leadership. 

And Katrina didn’t stop there. She kept working across the aisle to keep her community safe from violent sex criminals, introducing bipartisan legislation to ensure counties can find the best possible placement for them to keep community members safe. 

Katrina has been a tireless defender of public safety in her community, even traveling to Chippewa Falls to testify in court against a violent sex offender being placed in her county and working with local law enforcement to ensure sex offenders are monitored. 

Because of her leadership on this key public safety issue, Katrina has been recognized by community leaders and the Wisconsin Electric Cooperative Association. Just this year, the Wisconsin Electric Cooperative Association recognized her with the Champion of Electric Cooperative Award, saying: 

Shankland led the charge advocating for changes to the law relating to the placement of sexually violent persons after a designated placement near the Central Wisconsin Electric Cooperative, where children are often present.

As a lawmaker, Katrina worked with both parties, law enforcement, district attorneys, rural electric cooperatives, town board chairs and mayors – anyone and everyone who was serious about protecting her community – to crack down on sex offenders. 

Mike Wade, CEO of Central Wisconsin Electric Cooperative:

"When a home in a remote area of rural Wisconsin became a residence for sex offenders, Rep. Shankland came to our aid and worked to change the law so that sexually violent persons could only be released to their home counties. Rep. Shankland acted swiftly to create a commonsense law designed to help Wisconsin families feel safe and protected."

Mike Pagel, Chair of the Town of Lanark and Portage County Towns Association Chair:

“Katrina Shankland has helped our town on multiple occasions, most notably when we became a target for placement of a Violent Sex Offender. She recognized the threat to families with children who lived in the subdivision where the placement was proposed and her response was immediate, vigorous, and persistent. Because of her efforts, which included working closely with local law enforcement, the Town of Lanark does not have any Violent Sex Offenders!”

Mike Wiza, Mayor of Stevens Point:

“Katrina was crucial in keeping our community safe when a violent sex offender was going to be released in Stevens Point without a residence. She worked to ensure this criminal wouldn’t be allowed to choose homelessness and wander our streets. When there are issues I need assistance or guidance on, Katrina quickly ensures our community has all the resources it needs. There is no greater asset to our community. Katrina has helped keep our community safe from violent sex offenders, ensured our drinking water is and remains safe, and ensuring broadband is available to everyone.”

Above all, one fact stands out among the rest: Katrina will work with anyone to deliver results for workers, farmers, and families. She’s proud of her record of passing 225 bipartisan bills under governors from both parties. The people of Western and Central Wisconsin deserve nothing less.