What we do for these last 8 days in Wisconsin could doom democracy in the tipping-point state—or rebuild it, far beyond what seems possible.
Our elections are tied. Chip in now so we can fight for every last vote. Then read on and share.
In this moment, a tiny change in votes in Wisconsin could start a domino effect that could shape the future of American history. For worse, or better.
Right now, we’re not only at the edge of a cliff—but we’re also at the start of two different paths away from that cliff’s edge, leading up to the mountaintop. To an era of genuine, functional democracy and freedom.
Wisconsin is a policy laboratory. If the GOP makes their control voter-proof here, they’ll take those policies nationwide. Read this important story for details. But recognize, too, that this week could open the door to dismantling their control.
First, the nightmare scenario: Mandela Barnes and Tony Evers could lose, and Ron Johnson and Tim Michels could win. Republicans could get a veto-proof supermajority in our state legislature. What would happen?
Wisconsin’s been the tipping point state in the last two presidential elections. Both of those elections came down to less than a percentage point. If democracy breaks even further in Wisconsin, the Electoral College math gets grim—fast.
Tim Michels, running for governor of Wisconsin, has explicitly said that his first priority will be to “fix” the election system by signing all of the voter suppression and election subversion laws that Governor Evers, our Democratic incumbent, has vetoed.
If Tim Michels rigs our elections, he will likely do it before the April 4, 2023 state Supreme Court election, which will determine the balance of power on Wisconsin’s highest court. The state court could uphold the rigging before the 2024 presidential.
Governor Tony Evers, on the other hand, supports fair elections and has been a brick wall to save our democracy—refusing to concede to Republican attacks and allowing the bipartisan Wisconsin Election Commission to do its job.
In fact, the MIT Election Performance Index called Wisconsin’s 2020 election one of the best-run in the nation—#4 out of the 50 states.
If Tim Michels can scrap the bipartisan Wisconsin Election Commission and install radical Republicans—as he has promised—every rule governing how elections function could be shaped to advance the GOP’s partisan agenda.
But if that’s not enough to give Trump a victory, and Trump still loses 2024, Tim Michels could refuse to certify the election.
In fact, when asked about it directly, he only committed to certifying the election if he can fix the election system first.
To win the electoral college majority in 2024, we’ll need Wisconsin.
And if we lose the governor’s race now, the path to having a free, fair, and secure presidential election becomes stunningly bleak.
The governor’s race is tied. This CBS/YouGov poll says it’s 50-50. Just about every poll has it within a point or two.
Republican Super PACs and Tim Michels’s campaign are flooding the airwaves with hideous ads like this one—which is, as you can probably guess, false.
Any funds WisDems receive tonight can still be used effectively to support candidates like Governor Evers and win this tied race. The GOP here always makes big moves in the final days. Let’s make sure we can counter them. Chip in to fight back.
If Tim Michels wins, he’s likely to sign whatever bills the Republican-dominated legislature sends him.
But the GOP has another path to control: gaining supermajorities in both chambers of our state legislature. I talked about this with Chris Hayes:
While other states got better maps after redistricting, Wisconsin's GOP-controlled state Supreme Court chose the most extreme gerrymander possible—a map literally drawn by Republicans in our state legislature to maximize their control.
The Wisconsin GOP is incredibly close to supermajorities in the state legislature. Under these new maps, all they have to do is pick up a handful of additional legislative districts. Supermajorities are now “within reach.”
While we work to turn out voters in every square inch of Wisconsin, we’re supercharging state legislative campaigns in the districts most likely to affect supermajority control. Chip in to support that essential, far-from-the-spotlight battle.
If the GOP gets supermajorities in the state legislature here, the governorship, or both, they can change election laws or subvert the results, and potentially move Wisconsin’s 10 Electoral College votes into the GOP column. We cannot let that happen.
Then, there’s the Senate race. If Ron Johnson gets reelected, the GOP’s path to breaking the Democratic senate majority is far simpler.
We have 8 days to turn out every possible voter to send Mandela Barnes to the Senate and save the Democratic majority.
We know that if Mitch McConnell gets control of the Senate, he won’t seat any further Supreme Court justices if a vacancy should arise until there’s a GOP president.
The control of the U.S. Senate and the future of the Supreme Court are on the line in Wisconsin’s Senate race right now.
If Wisconsin Republicans win supermajorities or the governorship, and if they win the U.S. Senate race, the next two years, and many more years beyond, look grim indeed.
These massive threats to our democracy are the reason why our whole team and thousands of volunteers across Wisconsin are using every waking minute to turn out every possible voter for Democrats.
And why you should sign up to volunteer, too.
And help us reach our final end-of-month goal before the election by midnight tonight. Chip in at this link.
But we’re motivated not just by the threats.
It’s also the opportunity of what we can do if we win these races.
As broken as Wisconsin’s democracy is now, there are two different paths to break out of this near-authoritarian cage.
The federal government is our first path.
If we hold the House and expand two seats to the Senate, we could pass the Freedom to Vote Act and John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which would ban partisan gerrymandering and undo voter suppression laws.
Wisconsin is now the 47th most expensive and difficult state to vote in. Passing national legislation could change that overnight and guarantee voting rights in a way that would improve our democracy here and everywhere.
Ending partisan gerrymandering could mean that if Democrats win a majority of votes in our state assembly, they would actually win majorities.
The idea of “majority rule” would be restored to our state, at long last.
The possibility of progress on everything we care about—from health care to reproductive freedom to allowing our cities and local governments to fully fund public safety and other public services—would become a reality.
Listen to this episode of The Run-Up, Astead Herndon’s great New York Times podcast, to hear about the significance of “The Maps”—and why it’s so urgent to end gerrymandering.
That’s Path One to becoming a functional democracy: Federal legislation.
Path Two runs right through Wisconsin.
If we win the governorship, prevent supermajorities, and win the April 4, 2023 state Supreme Court race, the state’s highest court could actually side with democracy instead of the authoritarian, power-at-all-cost impulses of the modern GOP.
In a state with fair maps, a blue year could result in a blue government and blue policies that expand freedom for everyone rather than restricting it.
If we win now, win in April, and get new maps before the 2024 presidential election, we could have a shot at making Wisconsin a blue trifecta state that year—and pass democracy reforms into law in 2025.
That is only possible if we win in these next 8 days.
Winning in Wisconsin won’t just prevent a disaster. It would also open the door to something far better.
What we decide to do in these final 8 days, and really in the next 24 hours, will determine which path we take.
We have an ambitious fundraising goal before the end of this month. The WisDems know exactly how to put that money to work. Join us.
If you can chip in whatever you can, do it.
If you can share this story, and send it to people who you think should share it too, do it.
If you can text this donation link to three friends, who you think have a few extra bucks to chip in, do it.
It’s all on the line, and what happens in Wisconsin will not end here. It will spread across America.
It’s either the onslaught against democracy—or the dawn of the era of functional government. It’s all in our hands. It’s totally up to you.
How will you use this moment?
How will you use your time and resources in this final stretch?
Let’s do this.