Ben Wikler says: “Wisconsin is the state that produces presidents
Based on recent elections, Ben Wikler, chairman of the Wisconsin Democratic Party, says, “Wisconsin is the state that produces presidents.”
CHICAGO – Democrats in Wisconsin had already seen a surge in enthusiasm for races for seats in the state legislature with the adoption of new voting districts for the Nov. 5 election.
Then Democratic President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the race against former Republican President Donald Trump, and Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz rose to the top of the party’s list of candidates.
“I have to tell you, before the (presidential) transition, it was a little difficult to find volunteers, and now we’re regularly sending out 100 shifts (in Racine) every weekend,” Democratic Caucus Chair Greta Neubauer said in an interview. “People are coming because they’re so excited about the momentum, the hope and the joy of this campaign opportunity, and that’s obviously tremendously helpful for our people as well.”
Democrats in Wisconsin have recruited candidates for every Senate seat in the state and all but two of the 99 House seats – the party’s biggest recruiting effort in years. Republicans, meanwhile, will fight to retain their long-held majorities in the House.
Two communities where Neubauer says there is “incredible enthusiasm” are Sheboygan and Wausau.
In Sheboygan, Republican Rep. Amy Binsfeld faces Democrat Joe Sheehan, who previously served as superintendent of the Sheboygan Area School District. According to an analysis by John Johnson, a research associate at Marquette University’s Lubar Center, the new district around Sheboygan leans 52.1% Democratic.
In Wausau, Rep. Pat Snyder (R-Schofield) will face Democrat Yee Leng Ziong of Weston, who currently serves on the Marathon County Board of Supervisors and the DC Everest School Board. According to the Lubar Center’s Johnson, 52.6% lean Republican in the new Wausau-based district.
Lawmakers and candidates from across the country gathered on Monday, the opening day of the Democratic National Convention, at an event organized by the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, the party’s committee dedicated to winning seats in state legislatures. The DLCC has already pledged to spend nearly $50,000 on elections in Wisconsin.
“Wisconsin has been really incredible because despite the heavily gerrymandered districts, they have continued to put a lot of energy into the opportunities and future prospects. We are really excited about the leadership coming out of this state,” DLCC President Heather Williams said in an interview.
The energy transition since Harris and Walz took the helm has been “tangible,” Williams said.
“I think voters see this as a manifesto that looks forward, that looks at the opportunities for our future, not dwelling on the past. And it’s not necessarily revenge, is it? I think that’s incredible,” she said. “We only have a little over 11 weeks left to use that. And I think our job at the legislative level is to make sure people vote by the end of the ballot.”
A spokesman for the Wisconsin Republican Party rejected Democrats’ claim that their enthusiasm had been rekindled.
“For all the glitz and glamour of their rebalancing efforts, Kamala Harris and the Democrats cannot hide their record of high inflation and open borders. If Wisconsin Democrats think they can change voters’ minds by putting a new label on a tainted product, they are in for a rude awakening on Election Day,” said RPW spokesman Matt Fisher.
When asked which states the Democrats should use as a guide in Wisconsin, Williams pointed to Minnesota and Michigan, where Democrats won three seats in the Capitol in 2023.
Michigan State Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks of Grand Rapids said in an interview that it was “incredible” to take majority control of the state Capitol after being in the minority for a decade.
Over the past four years, she said, Democrats have succeeded in passing laws that have improved school funding, regulated access to guns and security, increased the earned income tax credit and reduced taxes on retirement income.
But the Democratic majority in Michigan is narrow, Brinks said, meaning Republicans could still try to block legislative initiatives and Democrats would need to be disciplined and work together to achieve success. Her advice if Democrats win the majority in Wisconsin: “Be prepared to have those difficult conversations and cast votes that really make a difference in people’s lives, even if they are difficult.”
Fisher of the Wisconsin Republican Party also noted that nearly all of the state’s Democratic legislators voted against the maps they are now celebrating. The maps passed by 18-14 votes in the Senate and 63-33 in the Assembly. At the time, Democrats argued that the process of drawing maps should be handled by the state Supreme Court, although the court said it would intervene if the legislature and Evers could not reach consensus.
“While Wisconsin Democrats bend over backwards and praise the same ‘fair maps’ their own representatives voted against, Republicans are focused on earning the trust of Wisconsinites by lowering inflation, investing in families and securing our communities and our southern border,” Fisher said. “Once the votes are counted, Wisconsin Democrats will only be able to blame their defeats in November on their abysmal record and extreme agenda.”
The focus of the Democrats’ campaign efforts in Wisconsin is knocking on the doors of potential voters, Neubauer said.
In those conversations, she said, candidates often hear about abortion access, rising costs and democracy.
When asked how many of the 99 seats the Democrats hope to win in the legislative session, Neubauer made a bold prediction: “We will win 52 seats. … We think that is quite possible.”
Jessie Opoien can be reached at [email protected].
