Hello and for my first diary I will introduce you to an amazing person who is taking on the challenge to flip a Wisconsin district from red to blue — Tricia Zunker. First a short introduction to WI-7.
This is a big, sprawling district that encompasses 1/3 of Wisconsin and 710,000 people. As you can see it is mostly rural with the main employment being timber, agriculture, mining, tourism, and shipping. Wi-7 also has all the usual rural problems of healthcare, education, transportation, income, etc. Unfortunately the previous Republican representative, Sean Duffy, has done little to help the people that live and work here.
That big green area covering 26 counties is WI-7. I’m not going to sugarcoat the challenge since this district has, in recent history, gone red. The boundaries were changed in 2011 by removing a left leaning college town and adding St. Croix county (far lower left of the green area) which has traditionally been very Republican. I can attest to this since Mrs Robot and I live in St. Croix county.
A funny thing happened in 2018 with a Democrat winning in this supposedly safely red region. Patty Schachtner won a special election for the Wisconsin State Senate district 10 seat by a decent margin. For those interested in the details here are some links.
Patty Schachtner Ballotpedia Entry
Patty Schachtner Wikipedia Article
While I don’t know exactly why Patty won I can tell you that she has a history of work and service in this county and I think that the residents saw a person they trusted to put in a position of power.
So now we come to 2020 where a faded reality TV star, Sean Duffy, has retired after several years of doing very little for the regular people in this district. The Cook Political Report wrote that Duffy's Resignation Moves WI-07 from Solid to Likely Republican which is a big change. To maximize this opportunity we really need someone who has a stellar history in Wisconsin and loads of energy to win the special election and here is that person.
Tricia Zunker has the smarts, energy, and commitment that I would expect of three people combined. Here is a list of her background and accomplishments.
- University of Wisconsin graduate and then going on to earn a law degree from UCLA
- Her mother is a member of the United Steelworkers union in Wausau
- Her late grandfather farmed in Marathon County, Wisconsin.
- President of the Wausau School Board of Education
- Member of Ho-Chunk Nation (a Native Nation in Wisconsin).
- Associate Justice of the Ho-Chunk Nation Supreme Court serving her second elected term
- Founding director of Central Wisconsin Indigenous Peoples' Day Committee
- Serves on the ACLU of Wisconsin Board of Directors as a member of the Executive Committee
- Instructor and Dean of Faculty at California School of Law
- Instructor in the Legal Studies department at University of Maryland
- Instructor in the Criminal Justice department at Colorado State University-Global Campus
Yes, that is her current list of activities! She has won three elections so far, twice for the Ho Chunk Nation Supreme Court and once for the Wausau School Board, which is proof that Tricia has the ability to campaign, win, and lead in this district. I will give you a few quotes from news sources.
Zunker said her upbringing means she understands struggle and hard work. And she said her time on the Wausau School Board has taught her the importance of community engagement from elected officials, and how to work with others who have differing political viewpoints. It really is possible, she said.
From a Wisconsin Public Radio interview
She considers herself a defender of the Constitution and passionate about issues related to protection of tribal sovereignty, civil rights, privacy rights and a woman’s reproductive decision-making, LGBTQ+ rights, and other social justice issues.
From the Wisconsin ACLU website bio
“I have incredibly good feelings about this race,” Zunker told Native News Online. “I have traveled to all areas of the district and I get positive feelings when I connect with the voters. The people are tired of the bickering — the gridlock — that is happening in Washington right now. We have some serious issues. Here in Wisconsin our dairy farmers and ginseng farmers are hurting. And, it appears Washington is turning its back on them.”
From Native News Online
I can tell you that, after talking with Tricia, she is very real and devoted to improving the lives and futures for everyone — and she has a history to back that up. This will be a tough fight and this area has long been a swing district. Most of the recent elections have shown very close margins with both parties winning various seats. Sean Duffy’s retirement opens up a real opportunity to flip a seat in an important state for the November election and, if anyone can win, that person is Tricia Zunker.
This is a strange year because the special election is in May and then the seat is up for election again in November. Yes, the seat is contested twice in six months! If Tricia can win the May special election then that will give her some advantage in the high turnout November election, and we will need every advantage. Anyone in Wi-7 please turn out for the February primary and the May special election. If you can please send in some money as every dollar helps. I will add links below to learn about and support this amazing person that we need to represent us! Thank you for your time reading this and your support.
Actblue for Tricia Zunker
Tricia for Wisconsin
Native Knot article
Wisconsin Public Radio Article
In depth video interview of Tricia
Youtube video from Tricia
Another great interview of Tricia
Twitter Page
Ballotpedia Page
Democrats can win in Wisconsin