In what John Nichols called the cruelest election in the history of Wisconsin, voters "were sabotaged by politicians. They were subverted by judicial activists on the courts. They were forced to choose between sheltering at home and protecting themselves from the coronavirus pandemic, or exercising their right to vote."
It's amazing and inspiring what people were willing to risk and how much they had to put on the line to make their voices heard.
The results were more than a silver lining on a dark cloud. They were a burst of sunshine.
Not only was there the big win in the state Supreme Court election, there were victories in local elections all over the state. These last couple of days I've been delighted to hear all the reports of friends and allies winning seats on local boards and councils. Some are Our Wisconsin Revolution stalwarts—members and chapter leaders—and some just recently got our attention and support.
We just recently got to know Zoe Roberts and Missy Christopherson. Both impressed us greatly and earned our endorsement. Now both have been elected to the Eau Claire County board.
One of our regional organizers, Emily Voight, is now on the Calumet County board. One of our earliest members, Fabi Maldonado, was reelected to the Racine County board. Ka Lo won a seat on the Marathon County board and Tom Killian was elected to the Wausau city council. Susan Johnson is now on the Janesville city council, Brittany Keyes was elected to the Beloit city council and Doug Wilde won a seat on the Rock County board. Kriss Marion was victorious in her bid for a seat on the Lafayette County board, Mary Dougherty is now on the Bayfield County board, and Michele Doolan was elected to the Dane County board. To name just a few.
We showcased teen climate activist Max Prestigiacomo at our February 29 Organize to Win Summit. One of the featured speakers at that event is now the youngest elected official in the country, having won a seat on the Madison city council.
Not all of our favorite candidates won. In one of the highest profile races—the contest for Milwaukee County executive—the candidate who earned our endorsement, Chris Larson, fell just short. He was defeated by only 1,039 votes out of more than 192,000 ballots cast.
You never win 'em all. But what happened across the state in this election leaves me more convinced than ever that acting locally while thinking globally is how transformative change will be brought to Wisconsin and America.
Speaking of acting locally, Our Wisconsin Revolution leaders throughout the state have been working their tails off to promote passage of referendums to get big money out of politics and reform the way legislative and congressional district boundaries are drawn. The spring election results gave them a lot to show for all their efforts.
Twenty-two communities—including nine counties and 14 villages and towns—passed Fair Maps referendums calling for independent, nonpartisan redistricting. All of them were approved by large margins.
That's not all. Seventeen more communities voted to support amending the U.S. Constitution to overturn the Supreme Court's disastrous Citizens United decision allowing corporations to spend as much as they want to influence elections. All of those referendums were passed by overwhelming majorities, too.
We've got a long way to go. The climb is steep. We'll just put one foot in front of the other. We've got to keep looking for people in every part of the state who have what it takes to be change agents and transformational leaders, and encourage them to act locally while thinking globally. We've got to keep working to change the conversation about the mammoth problems facing our country, like how unwise it is to have health insurance tied to employment, especially during a pandemic.
For now, though, I am feeling uplifted and recharged. I hope you are too.
You can't see it in an email, but if you could you'd see me smiling from ear to ear.
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