Intro
How did we get here? It's the most common question friends and family ask me. Keep in mind that some of them did not know their position on the issue of abortion. They ask how they can strike down Roe just like that. Poof, it's gone. Like some insane magic trick at a carnival show but in a carnival show, there is strategic plotting behind the curtain. That has been my answer. It didn't happen just like that. Plots like this take over a decade to implement. Thought out years in advance and the sad thing is we let it happen, especially in Wisconsin.
2010 — Tea Party Wave
It started in 2010 when we saw the rise of politicians like Scott Walker and Rebecca Kleefisch. While we saw progressives like Russ Feingold lose his seat. That was a pivotal moment in Wisconsin politics because it gave birth to Ron Johnson, Everything you hear about Ron Johnson's involvement with the January 6 attack on the capital. I remind people that we had Russ Feingold. You may not have agreed with him 100% of the time, but in no way would he plot something like this. We saw Sean Duffy, a Republican from MTV, win a seat that Democrats had since the 70s. It was a redistricting year, so they were allowed to draw their districts. The 2010 midterm elections were the catalyst that spiraled into a much larger, darker picture. Sadly the 2010 mid-terms saw a 49% turnout. Democrats stayed home while Tea Party Republicans came out in waves. Scott Walker became a household name when some Democrats like myself said, "This guy is beatable ."All we need is the right candidate and message, and boom, the political career of Scott Walker is over.
2011 Spring Election
Unlike the U.S. Supreme Court. Wisconsin has the long-standing tradition of electing its justices by popular vote. That way, people, not politicians, can select their justices. The turnout was 34%, higher than most spring elections, but it could have been higher. Judge David Prosser drew a challenge from Joanne Kloppenberg and barely won. Again this race was winnable but critical to deciding the future of spring elections.
2011 ( Recall)
Walker made a political name for himself by rejecting federal funds for Obamacare, signing ACT 10, and cutting money from public education in favor of charter schools. This prompted a recall attempt for the Governor and a bunch of state senators. Unfortunately, this did more harm than good. Republican Jerry Petrowski replaced Republican Pam Galloway, and the sole victory was Jess King replaced Randy Hopper, but it did not last long. Walker won his recall attempt and gave him the confidence that he could run for President someday.
2012 Senate District 18
Wisconsin Senate Republicans expanded their majority by defeating Jess King with the President of the Fon Du Lac City Council, Rick Gudex. Gudex was appointed Senate President by Scott Fitzgerald. Gudex was also on the Eden Village Board when he lived there. Eden is also located on the 18th, and I can't stress enough why local elections matter.
2013 Spring Elections
Pat Roggensack was re-elected by a large margin on the State Supreme Court. An election that only had a 20% turnout. No Democrats turnout for this election. No Mayor race/County Exec race in Milwaukee could have had something to do with it. Another low turnout was a catalyst for what was to come as Pat Roggensack was elected chief justice of the supreme court.
2014 Midterm Elections
In 2014, Wisconsin voters decided they wanted four more years of Scott Walker. Wisconsin Republicans in the Senate once again expanded their majority. John Lehman ran for Lt. Governor, and Van Wangaard won his seat back.
2016 Spring Election
Before I got into the 2016 national implications, there was another spring election. It was close and hard-fought, but Kloppenberg did not prevail. Justice Rebecca Bradley beat Judge Kloppenberg with 52% of the vote. Voter turnout was almost as high as in the 2010 midterms for this presidential primary. Plus, there were crucial races in Milwaukee and Madison.
2016 Presidential Election
We all know who won Wisconsin by a narrow margin. Russ Feingold tried to win his seat back, and while he outperformed his 2016 numbers, he did not prevail. Giving us six more years of Ron Johnson. Former President Trump got three supreme court nominations, and Ron Johnson voted to confirm all three.
2019 Spring Election
Wisconsin elected Brian Hagedorn to the supreme court by a little over 6,000 votes. This election had a 27% turnout. Think about it. That is probably one or two counties. Again another winnable one.
2020 ( A Wisconsin pillar falls)
Republicans took over a seat that Democrats had for almost 20 years following the retirement of Dave Hansen. Let me tell you that Dave Hansen was winning under Gerrymandered maps. Dave Hansen was one of those once-in-a-lifetime politicians. He started as a truck driver, if I am correct.
Conclusion
The final tally is Republicans have a 4-3 majority of the state supreme court and a more significant majority on the United States supreme court. They have 22 Republicans in the Senate and 61 Republicans in the Assembly. These numbers are unbelievable; frankly, you can't blame it all on Gerrymandering.
It wasn't all bad, though. We elected and re-elected Tammy Baldwin to the U.S. Senate against one of the longest-serving Governors in Wisconsin. Then again, against a very conservative Assistant Minority Leader in the State Senate. We finally beat Scott Walker in 2018 with Tony Evers. If we can keep the Assembly under 66, he will have the most vital veto pen in the country. Finally, we elected competent justices like Rebecca Dallet and Jill Korofsky and gave Tony Evers an excellent replacement in Jill Underly.
But the work doesn't end there. We need to beat Ron Johnson and re-elect Tony Evers and Josh Kaul. Keep seats in democratic hands like the 25th Senate District. Start competing on their turf as Sarah Rodriguez did in the 13th Assembly District. There is a path to victory, but it all starts with one person. You. You have to want it. When a general election turnout is close to a presidential primary, it generally means We have work to do.