I don’t feel bad for him at all:
A Madison-based conservative social issues group urged its members to call the office of Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson after he signaled support for a bill to codify same-sex marriage.
In an email sent July 21, Wisconsin Family Action called the Respect for Marriage Act a "dangerous" bill and said of Johnson, "we need to convince him to vote no."
"It's a direct threat to religious freedom," Julaine Appling, president of Wisconsin Family Action, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
As he faces a tough reelection fight in November, Johnson recently made two significant pronouncements on social issues — same-sex marriage as well as abortion.
Johnson said he wouldn't oppose the Respect for Marriage Act — which passed the House — if it comes up for a vote in the U.S. Senate, even though he said the bill was unnecessary.
Democrats have sought to codify same-sex and interracial marriage in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's reversal last month of the landmark Roe v. Wade decision protecting abortion rights.
In its email, Wisconsin Family Action asserted same-sex marriage is "not settled law" and that the bill could result in the federal government recognizing "as valid any marriage recognized as valid by a state, including polygamy." It also raised objections on religious grounds.
Appling was among those who led the effort in 2006 to pass a constitutional amendment in Wisconsin banning same-sex marriage and civil unions. In 2014, a federal judge overturned the ban.
Johnson has managed to piss off so many in Wisconsin that it’s no wonder his approval rating sucks.
Meanwhile, two interesting developments over in the Democratic Primary. First this:
Democrat Tom Nelson dropped out of the Wisconsin Senate primary on Monday and threw his weight behind Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, a move that aims to consolidate progressive Democratic support in one of the party’s tightest primary battles.
Nelson, who served as the Outagamie County executive since 2011, delivered the announcement on Twitter and said “We ran out of money. So I am suspending our campaign and endorsing the one candidate not trying to buy this election: #TeamMandela.”
Nelson had been in fourth place, receiving the support of just 7 percent of Democratic primary voters, according to recent polls.
“Friends, good news bad news. Bad news is I’m suspending the campaign today and I want to thank everybody for all the great work that you’ve done for us,” Nelson said in a follow-up video posted to social media. “The good news is, I’m proud to say that the progressive vote is consolidated and the progressive family is one because today I’m endorsing Mandela Barnes for the U.S. Senate.”
The end of Nelson’s progressive campaign is a boon to the campaign of Barnes, Nelson’s closest ideological rival, who clinched the endorsement of Bernie Sanders. Barnes currently leads the Democratic pack with support from 25 percent of likely Democratic voters, compared to Milwaukee Bucks executive Alex Lasry, who trails Barnes at 21 percent, and state Treasurer Sarah Godlewski, who ranks third at 9 percent.
And now this:
Democrats are consolidating behind Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes as their candidate to take on Republican Sen. Ron Johnson.
Milwaukee Bucks executive Alex Lasry is planning to drop out of the Democratic Senate primary Wednesday afternoon and endorse Barnes, both campaigns told POLITICO.
His departure from the field leaves a nearly open path for Barnes to capture the nomination in the Aug. 9 primary. Lasry, who loaned his campaign more than $12 million, has been Barnes’ top opponent for months.
“We’ve been saying since day one the most important thing that we can do for Wisconsin is to get rid of Ron Johnson,” Lasry said in an exclusive interview. “I firmly believe that if there was no path to victory, the best thing to do is to make sure that we can as early as possible rally around a nominee so that we can spend every second that we have making sure that we’re working toward that goal.”
It’s now down between Barnes and Godlewski in the primary.
Primary Day in Wisconsin is August 9th. Click here to register to vote or check your registration.
Health and Democracy are on the ballot next year and we need to keep Wisconsin Blue. Click below to donate and get involved with the Wisconsin Democrat of your choice and these Wisconsin Democrats campaigns:
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Alex Lasry for U.S. Senate
Josh Kaul for Attorney General
Doug La Follete for Secretary of State
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