Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is scared as hell. Walker started getting a little antsy back at the end of December about the obvious trend of Democratic success in special elections when he quietly came up with a super-genius idea: He simply wasn’t going to hold them anymore.
You read that right. Rather than risk losing special elections for two legislative seats—which became vacant because he appointed their representatives to cushy jobs—he’d instead let them remain empty and leave their residents without representation in the state capitol for nearly a year
It’s no excuse for giving democracy the middle finger, but Walker wasn’t wrong to be worried. In January, Democrats flipped a historically and solidly Republican state Senate seat in a special election, leading Walker to freak out more than a little bit—publicly, too. Of course, that loss ensured he’d only stick even more firmly to his whole “no more specials” plan.
But Democrats, being the only remaining political party in America that still believes in the rule of law, were not having any of that. They sued to force Walker to follow state law and call the special elections to fill the legislative seats he wanted to leave vacant. The governor’s nakedly anti-democratic ploy was thoroughly smacked down by a state court judge—a Walker appointee, no less.
You’d think that might have settled the matter, but not so much. Walker’s cronies in the legislature sprung into action with plans to push through emergency legislation that would LITERALLY OUTLAW special elections.
You read that right again. Don’t want to lose special elections? Just cancel ‘em. For good.
Satisfyingly, this Putin-esque effort also got smacked down by the courts, not once, but twice. A humiliated Walker had no choice but to finally call the special elections to fill the vacant seats in Assembly District 42 and Senate District 1, and they’re being held on June 12. But with his paranoiac attacks on democracy, Walker’s now only made it even more likely that Republicans will lose.
And that’s why Daily Kos is pleased to endorse Ann Groves Lloyd and Caleb Frostman, two Democrats running in the elections that so terrify Walker. Can you send them $3?
But as panicked as Walker is, it’s important to remember that both of these vacant seats are decidedly red. Lloyd is running in AD-42, a district that supported Trump 55-40 in 2016—though it did narrowly go for Obama 51-48 in 2012. As someone who suffers from fibromyalgia, securing Wisconsinites’ access to health care is a top priority for Lloyd. Her upbringing in a small town helped inform her commitment to progressive values like reproductive rights and equal pay.
Frostman, meanwhile, is the Democratic candidate in SD-01, which is even more Republican: It backed Trump 56-39 in 2016, though Romney won only 52-47 in 2012. This seat is the more challenging of the two on the ballot June 12, but it’s winnable, and Walker knows it. For frame of reference, Trump won 55-38 in the state Senate seat that Democrats flipped in January.
Frostman is an avid sportsman, which is one of the reasons he’s so committed to conservation and protecting Wisconsin’s environment and natural resources. A local businessman, he’s a mainstream progressive who cares deeply about affordable and accessible health care and wants to expand economic success through policies that help workers, like affordable childcare.
Walker has two more reasons to be spooked: Just last week, progressive Judge Rebecca Dallet pulled off a massive 56-44 statewide win for an open seat on the state Supreme Court, demolishing Walker’s handpicked candidate, and now Wisconsin’s own Paul Ryan has announced he’s headed for the hills. So, frankly, Walker’s fears really are quite reasonable! But we can count on the deep-pocketed conservative allies who’ve aided and abetted the rise of Walker and his GOP lackeys to spend heavily to keep both of these seats out of Democratic hands. That’s why Lloyd and Frostman need our help.
