| Dear fellow Wisconsin Democrats,
Eight of the nine top Republican candidates for president came to Wisconsin this week for the first presidential primary debate. (The ninth one was apparently too busy gearing up for a trip to Fulton County, Georgia.) What we saw on the Republican debate stage was ghastly. It’s not worth fact-checking all the lies, or parsing out which candidate explicitly promised a national abortion ban instead of just hinting at one. The big takeaway is this: they’re all a pack of MAGA extremists—MAGA wannabes, MAGA trolls, and the founder of MAGA himself. And we’ve got to do absolutely everything we can to make sure none of them get anywhere near the presidency. Alongside everything we heard:
—It’s striking to consider what we didn’t hear:
And meanwhile, the guy who skipped the debate spent the evening talking to Tucker Carlson and repeating his lies about 2020 being stolen. In a way, the real story on Wednesday night wasn’t about what the candidates said in the debate. It was about where the debate took place. To understand why the Republican Party chose Wisconsin, just take a look at the graph: |
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Just because these Republican presidential candidates shouldn’t win doesn’t mean they can’t win. We learned that in 2016. In 2024, we can’t afford to make the same mistake. Over the next fourteen months, it’s up to us to make sure that every Wisconsinite knows who is fighting for them… and just how extreme the MAGA candidates have become. The debate this week was reinvigorating and motivating and just a bit terrifying. We know now, better than ever, what’s at stake next November. And we know what we need to do. There’s no time to waste. In solidarity, Ben |
We’re the home of the nailbiter. We’re the tipping point state. And that means that we’re the state where every vote—and more importantly, every voter—has enormous power to shape the future of our nation. In fact, because of climate change and other existential issues, that means your ballot will affect the lives of every future human generation.
FIGHT |
WisDems Chair Wikler: “In Wisconsin, MAGA Extremism Falls Flat” |
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Before the GOP circus took the stage in Milwaukee Wednesday evening, Democrats set the record straight on the GOP’s disastrous plan—or lack thereof—for our country. State and national Democratic leaders outlined the clear contrast between the GOP’s extreme MAGA platform and President Biden and Vice President Harris’ record of delivering for the American people. |
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WisDems Chair Ben Wikler was joined by Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison, Biden-Harris campaign Co-Chair, former Congressman Cedric Richmond, and Biden-Harris National Advisory Board Member, Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway, to highlight how the ultra-MAGA agenda peddled by the Republican presidential candidates is the wrong choice for our country. Wisconsinites know better than most GOP extremism does to a state. We endured eight years of neglect under Scott Walker with his far-right agenda that left working Wisconsinites behind—and we have no desire to go back. Wisconsin voters have repeatedly rejected the exact brand of MAGA extremism parroted on the debate stage Wednesday evening, and Democrats are already on the ground organizing to ensure the GOP never regains their foothold in our state. |
Bidenomics vs. GOP Economic “Plan” |
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On Wednesday night, the GOP presidential hopefuls took aim at President Biden’s economic agenda, overlooking entirely how Bidenomics is delivering a manufacturing boom across the country and bringing down costs for working families. The MAGA Republican candidates showered praise on the disastrous 2017 Trump tax cuts that overwhelmingly benefitted corporations and the ultra-wealthy, and pledged to extend the cuts if elected. The GOP candidates would rather rail against President Biden’s economic plan and rig the economy against the middle-class than support hardworking families struggling with rising costs. The bottom line is that Bidenomics is working for Wisconsin—and for America. Under President Biden’s leadership, our nation’s economy is thriving with unemployment nearing historic lows and job creation soaring. Over 13 million jobs have been created since President Biden and Vice President Harris took office, including thousands right here in Wisconsin. The choice is clear. Between tired trickle-down economic theories that have failed working families and an agenda that builds our economy from the bottom up and the middle out, only Bidenomics will build a fairer, stronger American economy. |
Mike Gallagher Misses The Mark on Broadband |
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Yesterday, WPR reported that Green Bay Rep. Mike Gallagher climbed a cell tower to “raise awareness for broadband issues.” Gallagher’s climb was nothing more than a photo opportunity—an attempt to rewrite his own record of voting against critical funding that will support broadband expansion throughout Wisconsin. Wisconsin will see more than $1 billion through President Biden and Wisconsin Democrats’ Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to invest in broadband expansion across the state. In 2022, every Wisconsin Republican in Congress, including Mike Gallagher, voted against the bill that is already funding broadband projects and connecting Wisconsinites to reliable, high-speed internet. President Biden and Democrats in Congress understand that without access to reliable broadband, Wisconsinites are cut off from the world, unable to start businesses, complete homework, or even stay in touch with friends or family. By passing legislation like the American Rescue Plan and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Democrats are connecting more Wisconsin homes and businesses to internet than ever before—and nothing Mike Gallagher does will change the fact that he voted against the legislation delivering these results. |
