Hi John,
In difficult times like this, I turn to nature. When I need time to process, I take a walk in the woods or spend time in my garden. I look to the plants and acknowledge their resilience. Through the seasons, they just keep growing.
And that’s what we need to do – keep going and keep growing.
We must continue advocating for the waters, the lands, and the people in our state who depend on them. We must keep organizing and fighting for a more sustainable future for our children.
We know the election of Donald Trump is detrimental to our planet and our democracy. He has pledged to gut environmental protections and pave the way for corporate polluters to do what they want. That loss hit me hard and I’m sure many of you are feeling the same way.
But we have a long-term strategy to build power and protect our environment at the state and local levels. There were some key wins on election night that will help us do just that:
Seventy-nine percent of our endorsed candidates won their races. Endorsed candidates Jodi Habush Sinykin, Jamie Wall, Sarah Keyeski, Kristin Alfheim, Brad Pfaff, and Kelda Roys all won their races in the State Senate. I can’t underscore enough how crucial these wins are – they set the stage to win a pro-conservation majority in the Senate in 2026. And the governor’s veto is now protected against a supermajority.
Jodi Habush Sinykin's (SD 8) and Jamie Wall’s (SD 30) Senate races in particular were extremely close races. Your support led directly to those wins. Together, we invested $1.3 million in these races and knocked on roughly 90,000 and 80,000 doors respectively.
In the State Assembly, democrats picked up 10 new seats and re-elected Rep. Steve Doyle, one of our conservation champions. Most importantly, with new fair maps, we have competitive districts and the power to hold the legislature accountable to the will of the voters. The fact remains – everyone needs clean drinking water. With this new legislature, we see a new opportunity to make pivotal progress on clean drinking water and pro-conservation legislation.
Additionally, U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, a steadfast advocate for our climate and democracy, was reelected to Congress – a critical win.
We know we've got a difficult road ahead of us with Trump moving into the White House. That means everything we do at the state level matters more than ever. Luckily, we are better positioned than we've been in a decade to hold the line in Wisconsin.
Take some time this week to rest up and heal, because the fight is far from over. We'll be calling on you to help us win for clean water, clean energy, and democracy in Wisconsin, and we know you'll answer that call.
