FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 19, 2026
CONTACT: info@erictoney.com
Fond Du Lac County Law Enforcement Unanimously Endorses Eric Toney for Attorney General
Sheriff, Local Chiefs say only one Fond du Lac native has earned their trust to lead the DOJ
FOND DU LAC, WI – Josh Kaul and Eric Toney have one thing in common: they both grew up in Fond du Lac County. That’s where the Fond du Lac similarities end. After nearly eight years watching Kaul run the Department of Justice in Madison, and thirteen years working alongside Eric Toney in Fond du Lac County, local law enforcement has made its choice clear. They trust Toney, not Kaul, to lead Wisconsin’s DOJ.
Today, nine Fond du Lac-area law enforcement leaders unanimously announced their endorsement of Toney, a hometown prosecutor who they say has consistently shown up for them, while Kaul’s DOJ has left them waiting on broken crime labs and shut out of decisions that affect their ability to protect their communities.
“Law enforcement needs public safety focused leadership at the DOJ, and right now we don’t have it. The crime labs are supposed to help us get justice for victims and keep dangerous people off the street,” said Ryan Waldschmidt, Fond du Lac County Sheriff. “Instead, we’re waiting longer for DNA results than we were years ago despite more staff, more funding, and less evidence being tested. It’s a public safety problem and while victims see justice delayed, Josh Kaul continues to pass the buck blaming others for his mismanagement. We need new leadership to fix it.”
“The relationship between a DA and local law enforcement is important to promoting public safety. I’ve worked with Eric for years, and I can tell you he actually listens. He asks what we need and follows through and our county is safer because of him. Our officers know that Eric has our back. And more than that, he makes sure victims actually see justice, not just empty promises. That’s the kind of Attorney General Wisconsin needs,” said William Walner.
Toney, the Fond du Lac County District Attorney and past president of the Wisconsin District Attorneys Association, has built his campaign on restoring competence and accountability to the DOJ after two terms of broken promises under Kaul. Crime labs that have gotten slower despite more staff and funding. The drug crisis in Northern Wisconsin has been ignored as narcotics agents disappeared from the region entirely.
“Josh Kaul is the type of politician people hate. After two terms of promising to fix the crime labs and clean up our streets, things are only getting worse. Now he’s asking voters for a third term,” Eric Toney said. “Law enforcement here in Fond du Lac knows me. They know I show up, I listen, and I back them up. As Attorney General, I’ll bring that same accountability to every one of Wisconsin’s 72 counties. It’s time to put public safety over politics.”
FULL LIST OF ENDORSING LAW ENFORCEMENT LEADERSHIP IN FOND DU LAC COUNTY:
- Sheriff Ryan Waldschmidt, Fond du Lac County
- Pete Vergos
- Andrea Dowland
- Howard Stibb
- William Wallner
- Jeremy Rasch
- Aaron Goldstein
- Renee Schuster
- Anthony Liebenow
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