Public Health Concerns Over Drinking Water Have Caused Some Republicans To Abandon Traditional Anti-Regulation Stance, Investigative Reporter Says
Monday, August 8, 2016
(WPR)---Water contamination is proving to be a key campaign issue in districts across Wisconsin, causing some Republicans to break from the party's anti-regulation platform.
Several high profile incidents around the state have put residents and those seeking office on high alert. Concerns escalated after hundreds of thousands of Wisconsin residents were found to be at risk of consuming water contaminated by bacteria in May.
Concerns have also surfaced from a slew of reports of groundwater contamination in Kewaunee County, linked to dairy farm waste, as well as a recent state audit that found that the DNR ignored its own water pollution rules.
With its Failure at the Faucet series, the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism has been shining a light on the water pollution cases across the state.
Andrew Hahn, a reporter involved in the series, said it's clear that water has trickled in as a major political issue throughout the state, particularly in geographic areas that are vulnerable to groundwater contamination.
That includes the 72nd Assembly District, where state Rep. Scott Krug, R-Nekoosa, will face one of two Democrats vying for the seat in a primary race that has centered around water issues.
While all three candidates are a different blend of ideology – from steadfast Republican to emphatic Bernie Sanders supporter – Hahn said all three are calling for regulatory changes.
Krug told Hahn that it would be "political suicide" if he didn't address water pollution, causing the Republican to separate himself from the party's typical stance on regulation.
"Some of these Republicans find that politically they have to kind of abandoned the traditional Republican stance that regulation is bad for the economy because these issues are so emotional and so big in their race," Hahn said.
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