Let’s lead in Wisconsin and flip state legislatures and then see if we have any money left
April 7, 2020.
That’s the date of the Wisconsin primary. It’s also the date of the next Wisconsin Supreme Court election. If you pay close attention to Badger State politics, you may be still be having night terrors revolving around the last Wisconsin Supreme Court election in early 2019:
Conservative Judge Brian Hagedorn has defeated liberal Judge Lisa Neubauer (pictured) in Wisconsin’s Supreme Court election. Neubauer conceded on Wednesday in a very close race, where Hagedorn won by 6,000 votes despite being the underdog. This result is a significant reversal from 2018 when the conservative Judge Michael Screnock lost by 12% to the liberal (now Justice) Rebecca Dallet. More importantly, this election was a flip from blue to red. The state Supreme Court result not only has significant consequences for policy in Wisconsin, but it is an important signifier heading into 2020.
Ben Wikler — the activist renknowned for his work at MoveOn and as a leader in the effort to save the ACA and is now the chair of the Wisconsin Democratic Party — told us that April 7, 2020 is the day to watch if you want to know where Wisconsin will lead America in 2020 general election.
If Trump wins Wisconsin, he wins. This is true of lots of other states, most notably Michigan, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire. But models keep showing Wisconsin as most likely to decide the election.
And activism and turnout matter far more in the state where Tony Evers beat Scott Walker in 2018 to become governor by fewer than 30,000 votes. This is because all of the damage the right has done to democracy in Wisconsin, most notably an “insurmountable” voter ID law passed just before the 2016 election, was frozen into place by the outgoing governor. Meanwhile, both Michigan and Pennsylvania — where Democratic governors both won easily in 2018 — have vastly improved their voting access.
So Wisconsin is the Tipping Point State or, as the great Anat Shenker-Osorio said, the state that “leads the way, turns the tide, grand Marshalls the parade to a better, safer, saner, more just and stable future.”
That’s why Wisconsin Democratic Party is determined to test out the turnout machine it built for the 2018 election on April 7, 2020. They’re engaging the neighborhood teams that made the Obama campaigns such successes, cleaning up their lists, and making sure have the papers they need to vote. And The Wisconsin Democratic Party is the only organization building this kind of operation for November because there are no other statewide elections this fall.
WISCONSIN’S DEMOCRATS NEED OUR HELP.
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THREAD: Trump is moving NOW to lock down Wisconsin, 2020's tipping point state, a year early—but we've got the plan to stop him. We'll knock 50,000 doors for our #1Year2Win campaign—& need your help to fund it. Can you read this thread, RT, & chip in here? https://t.co/unfYOLI1e9
— Ben Wikler (@benwikler) October 28, 2019
Wikler told us Democrats tend to wait to do their panic giving. That’s when the money is less useful because ads cost more and can’t be properly spent on the single most effective way to swing votes.
His advice?
“Start your panic giving now.”
Most of us aren’t billionaires. Michael Bloomberg can spend $200 million before the Iowa Caucuses. Most of us can’t. So we have to focus our money on the elections that need to be won and are winnable.
People say that every election is the most important one of our lifetime. That was actually true in 2016, especially for the federal judiciary.
But the fate of democracy and the planet aren’t just on the ballot in 2020.
For the first time in 20 years, the pre-redistricting election is being held on a presidential Election Day.
We must win the presidency, but we cannot squander this opportunity to flip state legislatures red to blue.
We won’t have this opportunity again until 2040.
— Jessica Post (@JessicaPost) December 6, 2019
With about $30 million in 2010, Republicans were able to gerrymander majorities that insulated them from voters and killed legislation like immigration reform that are supported by overwhelming majorities of Americans. That, as much as anything, opened the opportunity for a demagogue like Trump.
Democrats are getting much smarter about trying to flip state houses to draw fair maps for 2020. You can also help that effort, if you have any money left over, by giving to hundreds of candidates at once by supporting Run for Something.
And, of course, you should join Give Smart to make sure you’re getting the latest insights on how to make your money punch about its denomination.
We can make a better, safer, saner, more just and stable future. But first, let’s panic.
