Democratic attorney general candidate Josh Kaul gets support from Le Grand, Medinger in La Crosse

The Democrat running for attorney general of Wisconsin is listing what he considers to be failures by Republican AG Brad Schimel.

Josh Kaul told reporters Tuesday at the La Crosse County Courthouse that some hazardous conditions in the state have gotten worse in the time Schimel has been in office.

“His mishandling of the rape kit backlog,” Kaul said. “The crime lab has been mismanaged under Brad Schimel. The average testing times for DNA, for example, has increased significantly.

“We have an attorney general who suggested that we consider arming teachers, which is an alarming idea.”

Kaul was joined by former circuit judge Roger Le Grand and former La Crosse Mayor John Medinger, who spoke publicly supporting the Democrat.

Le Grand, who also served as district attorney, said he’s impressed by areas where Kaul has differences with incumbent Schimel.

“Just to mention two — the opioid crisis and, basically, making sure that victims are protected in the state,” Le Grand said outside the county law enforcement center, as traffic passed by on 4th Street.

Kaul says Wisconsin has to do more to battle the growing use of opioids and meth.

“To me, that means ensuring that enforcement efforts are targeting large scale traffickers, who are sending drugs like heroin, fentanyl and meth across county lines and state lines,” Kaul said. “But it also means expanding access to treatment, so that people who fall into the trap of addiction are able to get the help that they need to get back on their feet.”

Kaul added that, as a federal prosecutor in Baltimore, he tried cases against drug traffickers and gang members.