Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul and his GOP opponent Eric Toney participated in their first head-to-head debate of the general election on WISN’s “UpFRONT.” Toney called on Kaul to address staffing shortages in the Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI), repeatedly claiming that a 25% vacancy rate exists among DCI positions. “Release the organizational charts for DCI, redacted without names, to see how many positions there are, how many vacancies there are,” Toney said. “You’ve refused to address that issue.” According to a recent open records request obtained by WisPolitics.com, DOJ reported that 10% of special agent positions and 13% of criminal prosecutor positions are currently vacant. When questioned about the accuracy of those numbers by UpFRONT’s host, Kaul confirmed they were correct. “That data is accurate,” Kaul said. “Mr. Toney has seen that, so what he’s been saying for this debate is a lie.”
The two candidates were also asked about their views on marijuana legalization. Kaul said he would support legalizing marijuana for medical use while Toney said he would not support any sort of legalization until federal authorities had researched the efficacy of the drug for medicinal treatment. “Mr. Toney knows the federal government hasn’t allowed for testing, which is why the science is behind,” Kaul said. “This is a game where you can never meet the test [Toney] set.”
Watch the debate here
