A new Marquette University Law School poll shows 80% of Wisconsin adults believe the $1.8 billion budget surplus deal proposed by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos should have passed — and that support crossed party lines.
The deal would have provided rebate checks, property tax relief, tax cuts, and funding for schools and special education. It won bipartisan support in the Assembly but failed in the Senate by 2 votes, with no Senate Democrats and 3 Senate Republicans voting against it.
According to the poll, 77% of Republicans, 82% of Democrats, and 81% of independents supported the deal. Nearly 7 out of 10 voters said it was better to pass the deal now than wait until next year after the election.
The failed deal is also shaping the race for governor. Nearly 75% of voters say it will be somewhat or very important to their vote, with that sentiment holding across party lines heading into the August primary.
Watch: Most Wisconsinites backed failed $1.8B surplus deal: Will this impact voters in the governor's race?
Among Democrats running for governor, Missy Hughes was the only candidate to directly support the deal.
"The main thing was that it was a bipartisan compromise, and I recognize that governing is hard, and you need to compromise in order to move things forward. In looking at the deal, which had relief for property taxpayers, it had money for our public schools, it was something that I thought Wisconsinites were going to want to see move forward," Hughes said.
Other Democrats were less supportive. State Rep. Francesca Hong and state Sen. Kelda Roys both voted no. Roys called the deal an election-year gimmick.
"We shouldn't fritter away this potential 'surplus' on an election year gimmick," Roys said.
Wisconsin’s kids deserve leaders who put their futures first. We shouldn’t fritter away this potential ‘surplus’ on an election year gimmick until we’ve paid what we owe to our kids.
— Kelda Roys (@keldahelenroys) May 11, 2026
Hong called it a "backroom deal" and "a payday loan taken out at the expense of our children."
@GovEvers' bargain with the GOP is bad for Wisconsin, and I will be voting no.
— Francesca Hong For Governor (@FrancescaHongWI) May 11, 2026
This backroom deal is a payday loan taken out at the expense of our children, our infrastructure, our economy, and our future.
Former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes said the deal "delivers meaningful dollars for our schools" but did not fix "the broken system that's failing Wisconsin."
@GovEvers' bargain with the GOP is bad for Wisconsin, and I will be voting no.
— Francesca Hong For Governor (@FrancescaHongWI) May 11, 2026
This backroom deal is a payday loan taken out at the expense of our children, our infrastructure, our economy, and our future.
Lt. Gov. Sarah Rodriguez described it as "a compromise that's far from perfect."
The deal between Governor Evers and Republican legislators is a compromise that’s far from perfect, and it’s a reminder of how much better off Wisconsin would be with Democratic majorities in the state legislature.
— Sara Rodriguez (@saraforwi) May 12, 2026
I support increasing funding for public schools and special…
Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley said more education funding was a win, but added, "a one-year property tax break is not a long-term affordability plan."
More funding for our schools and special ed programs is a win for Wisconsin. Governor Evers deserves credit for finding the common ground to make this possible. But a one-year property tax break is not a long-term affordability plan.
— David Crowley (@DavidCCrowley) May 11, 2026
Joel Brennan said the negotiations needed to be more open to the public and that the deal "does nothing to address the cost-of-living crisis that is still crushing Wisconsin families."
Democrat Brett Hulsey credited Gov. Evers for trying to get a deal but concluded: “This deal is close but no cigar."
Some Democrats expressed concern that supporting the deal could have put the state at a $2.8 billion structural deficit later. Hughes pushed back on that possibility.
"I have not seen a lot of conversation about fiscal responsibility through the course of this campaign, and I continuously talk about the need to continue building our economy. A structural deficit is based on there being absolutely no growth, and I intend to be a governor that continues to grow the economy," Hughes said.
On the Republican side, Rep. Tom Tiffany also opposed the deal, saying he wants to return the entire $2.5 billion surplus to taxpayers.
"No, I don't think it was a mistake because what I want to do is return all the surplus to the taxpayers," Tiffany said when asked if opposing the deal was a mistake.
Tiffany acknowledged some elements of the deal had merit, but said he would have approached it differently.
"I think generally there were some good things in there, and you laid out some of those, but the one thing that I would have put in there was the end of the 400-year property tax increase," Tiffany said.
This story was reported on-air by Charles Benson and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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