As a kid growing up in Wisconsin, our state was known as setting a kind of standard for good, clean, functioning government. How things have changed. A secretive GOP-led gerrymander in 2011 led to electoral maps that are so unrepresentative that, even though Wisconsin elected a Democratic Governor in 2022 by more than 3 points, we came within a couple of thousand votes from a complete GOP supermajority in both houses of the state legislature. With no hope of accountability from voters, I have witnessed the resulting corruption and arrogance from elected GOP officials up close by way of the scandal over Cedar Gorge in Ozaukee County. I know that is just the tip of the iceberg — the ongoing treatment and abuse of Milwaukee by the state GOP is beyond the pale.
How bad is the situation in Wisconsin? In 2020 the Harvard Electoral Integrity Project gave our state the worst score in the entire nation, likening the quality of democracy here to nations like the Congo and Bahrain.
Fortunately, we have a chance on February 21st to vote for a nominee for the State Supreme Court that can go on to the general election on April 4th and flip the 4-3 political balance of the court, suddenly opening the door to legal challenges that are likely to give us Fair Maps and strike down the 1849 abortion ban. Wisconsin can be a real democracy again, opening up endless possibilities for the future of the state. Click here for a great explainer on the stakes of the race.
Last week I was lucky to hear Wisconsin’s top pollster, Dr. Charles Franklin from the Marquette Law poll, share the history of turnout for spring elections. He predicted turnout to only be in the neighborhood of 30% for the general election in April! In addition, my more-politically-connected friends have shared that some recent internal polling showed neither liberal-aligned court candidates making it through to the general — effectively ensuring Wisconsin remains a “democracy desert,” perhaps forever. I have a hard time believing Judge Janet doesn’t make it through, but that info gave me serious pause about my assumptions.
There is no reason to take anything for granted for the February 21st primary, much less the April election. Friends and family that you assume will vote may not even know this election is happening, or how fundamental the stakes are—of course this is especially true for folks that you know are “not very political.” This is a case where lawn signs and word-of-mouth both really matter for awareness, especially if you’re in a “blue” area. I encourage you to share the link to this post if it is helpful or find another way to spread the word on this race, leaving nothing to chance. This is it. The whole enchilada. For all the marbles. We may not get another chance to flip the court in our lifetimes, especially if extreme conservative policies keep young people and young families away from the state moving forward.
Given all of this, here are some recommendations for the February 21st Primary from a SE Wisconsin perspective:
I am supporting Judge Janet Protasiewicz in the primary because she has run the strongest campaign and has the best chance to win in April. I saw Judge Everett Mitchell speak a few months ago. He was very impressive and genuinely inspirational. I’m sure he would be a fantastic and empathetic member of the court, but whenever I’ve checked on his campaign it has seemed like not much is going on organizationally. I’m not voting based on who will be the better Judge, or even whom I prefer to be on the court, but who is in the strongest position to win and, based on campaign organization and strength, from what I can tell it isn’t even a question.
If you are in Ozaukee County, please see recommendations for other races from Oz Dems here.
While she is unchallenged for the primary, Democrat Jodi Habush Sinykin is running for a HUGELY important special election in the 8th State Senate District. If she loses, the GOP will have a supermajority in the state senate, giving them impeachment power — they could impeach Gov. Evers, for example. So if you know anyone in the 8th — including Whitefish Bay, River Hills, Fox Point, Bayside, Mequon, Grafton, Thiensville, Germantown, Menomonee Falls or Richfield (I’m missing some but you can see the district lines here) — it’s worth reaching out to them to make sure they understand the stakes of this special election.