Hundreds of thousands of protesters filled the streets from Madison to Washington D.C. over the weekend.
The reasons are varied, but many protesters this weekend say they were marching to make sure their voices are heard in today's political arena.
Here, in Northeast Wisconsin, lawmakers are at odds over whether that will happen on the state level. But lawmakers on both sides say they're listening to their concerns.
A smooth handing over of power is something Republican State Representative Andre Jacque says we should be proud of.
"I think that one think that people across the political spectrum can really celebrate is the fact that we have had a peaceful transition of power," says Jacque (R - De Pere), "not only at the federal level, but the state level."
Jacque says he condemns the violence that erupted at some protests.
"I think, unfortunately, that drowns out the message that some of the protestors might be looking to send," adds Jacque.
But he isn't surprised by the peaceful marches, with many gathering to support women's rights and public education.
"We can certainly have good discussions about those issues," says Jacque.
With Republicans in control of the state and federal government, Jacque says he's confident state lawmakers will produce bills addressing many of these concerns.
"Many of them really couldn't be seen as partisan," adds Jacque. "They're very bi-partisan, and I'm very pleased with that."
Other lawmakers in Wisconsin are more directly embracing the message that many peaceful protestors brought with them over the weekend.
"These people aren't going away," says Rep. Amanda Stuck (D - Appleton). "They're going to continue to make their voices heard, continue to raise these concerns as long as these issues exist and remain, and I do think people are taking notice of that."
Stuck says he is concerned for the future of bi-partisanship in Wisconsin, and the nation.
"Myself, and all of my colleagues on the Democratic side," says Stuck, "are ready to fight as hard as we can for the people in our state."
Representative Jacque says he has about 40 bills in various stages--ranging from drunk driving enforcement to human trafficking--that he's hoping to find bi-partisan agreement on this session.
