Weekly News from Your Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair     2018 DPW State Convention speaker announced: Mayor Pete Buttigieg!     We are thrilled to welcome South Bend, Indiana mayor Pete Buttigieg to our state convention this year. Mayor Pete is a rising star and a trailblazer whose progressive, Democratic values resonate even in some of the reddest parts of our nation. Pete was elected mayor in 2011 at the age of 29 with 74% of the vote, making him the youngest mayor of a major U.S. city. Under his leadership, South Bend has seen some of its fastest growth in years. In 2013, GovFresh.com named him national Mayor of the Year and the Washington Post has described him as "the most interesting mayor you've never heard of." He is a veteran of the war in Afghanistan and impressed many with his straight talk on the issues when he ran for Chair of the DNC. Mayor Pete is a shining example of the incredible young leaders we have in our Party. I can’t wait to welcome Mayor Pete to Wisconsin! In an increasingly exciting year for Democrats and with national attention turned toward Wisconsin, it is a great time to host a fellow Midwesterner.     The DPW State Convention will be held at the Best Western Premier Waterfront Hotel & Convention Center in Oshkosh on Friday, June 1 and Saturday, June 2. It is our biggest event of the year and it is a great opportunity to meet fellow Democrats from across the state and work toward Democratic victories!        "The Fight for Wisconsin Is On as Outside Money Pours Into Senate Race"   It’s no surprise that our Senator Tammy Baldwin is the top target of big money special interests. They want Washington to keep working for them, not Wisconsin! The fact is, people here in Wisconsin know that Tammy has been listening to them, not special interests. They've seen her write legislation to stop greedy hedge funds from profiting at the expense of hardworking families. They’ve seen her reach across party lines to lead on Buy America reforms to protect our state’s economy, advocate for dairy farmers and our small towns, and lower Wisconsin families’ prescription drug costs. Tammy cares about the people she represents, and Tammy is putting Wisconsin first.     "For many national Republicans, Ms. Baldwin has emerged as the top target in the 2018 midterms: Donors from outside the state are spending twice as much money on the race so far as on any other Senate contest this year, according to an analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan group that tracks money in politics. Much of the money has gone toward television and radio ads... The fight may become the most expensive Wisconsin Senate race ever: An analysis by the state Democratic Party found that nearly $10 million in advertising had already aired or been purchased by outside groups against Ms. Baldwin or in favor of Mr. Nicholson. (Mr. Nicholson’s camp put the number at nearly $9 million.)"       Walker turns to VP Pence to help save him     VP Mike Pence came to Wisconsin this week to fundraise for our desperate Governor Scott Walker. They bragged to their donors at a “policy round table” about the #GOPTaxScam they passed (which would give GOP mega-donors like the Koch brothers an extra $1 billion every year), then went to a fundraiser where they collected money from the very same mega-donors that they just gave a trillion dollars in tax cuts. This is pay to play at its worst, and it leaves the rest of us behind. The Republican tax law sends 80% of its benefits to the wealthiest 1% and big corporations like Exxon, Wells Fargo and Pfizer. To fund these tax breaks for the wealthy elite, the GOP has made devastating cuts to Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. The GOP agenda is simply unfair and lacks the sort of compassion for our neighbors we Democrats value. While Republicans have created economic insecurity for hardworking Wisconsinites, Democrats have fought to restore tax fairness. That means giving middle-class families a tax break and building an economy that works for everyone, not just those already at the top. We believe in strengthening our communities and ensuring that every person has the opportunity to get ahead.         Louis Woo, a Foxconn executive, was also in attendance at the Pence-Walker donor round table. This week, the Walker administration officially approved Foxconn’s request to pollute our air and draw 7 million gallons of water from Lake Michigan every day. As if signing away $4.5 billion of taxpayer money weren’t enough, Walker has happily sacrificed our air and water quality for Foxconn. What’s worse, we don’t even know the full extent of the damage Foxconn will inflict on our environment -- Republicans exempted Foxconn from producing an environmental impact statement, a necessary review to ensure that our natural resources are protected. Foxconn should be held to the same expectations as Wisconsin-owned businesses. Clearly, we need a new negotiator-in-chief who prioritizes investing in Wisconsin entrepreneurs who care about the air their family breathes and the water they drink. Imagine if instead of giving $4.5 billion to a polluting foreign corporation we had invested in hundreds, even thousands, of small businesses across the state that share our values of environmental sustainability! A healthy environment and healthy economy is essential for healthy communities, and Scott Walker has shown he’s far too willing to sacrifice the future and livelihood of our state for an election-year campaign stunt.

Town Hall Meeting

 With Beth Myers, 7th Congressional District State Representative

 

Thursday, May 3, 2 locations and 2 times,1:00 PM and 6:00 PM. 

1:00 PM at the Senior Center in Mercer, 2518 Martha Lake Road, Mercer, Wisconsin, 54547.  Directions:  From Route 51, Turn east on Harper St (which is just north of Snow's Grocery Market), then turn right onto Martha Lake Road.  

6:00 PM at the Iron County Senior Center in Hurley, 308 3rd Avenue S, Hurley, Wisconsin 54534.   Directions: Going north on Route 51, go just past the Iron County Sheriff's Office (the building with the helicopter on display), and turn left on 3rd St.

Weekly News from Your Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair   It finally happened - Speaker Paul Ryan announced his retirement from Congress. Frankly, this came as no surprise to us in Wisconsin who were no more excited about his work than the rest of the nation was. Wisconsinites want compassionate leaders that will work to make our communities thrive and all of our lives better. That wasn't Paul Ryan. With poverty in Wisconsin at a 30 year high, instead of investing in programs to give people the tools and opportunity to climb out, Ryan pushed healthcare legislation that would have ripped coverage away from 100,000 Wisconsinites, leaving them on the brink of financial ruin if they became sick.   With Wisconsin roads and bridges in desperate need of repair, Paul Ryan ignored this crisis and the opportunity for high-paying jobs the infrastructure investment would have created and instead lead the effort to give huge tax breaks to the wealthy. Clearly, good-paying jobs for Wisconsinites was not his priority. But when Speaker Ryan paid for huge tax breaks to the ultra wealthy by going after Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, I knew he was done. Hard-working Wisconsinites have paid their fair share for years into Social Security and they weren't going to stand for some politician stealing their benefits and ripping health care from them in order to give wealthy corporations a windfall of cash.  Paul Ryan leaves behind a legacy of tax cuts for the wealthy at the expense of working families. In this age, our nation needs real leaders who will stand up for our values. Instead, Paul Ryan has run away, and his abrupt departure from Congress is as sure a sign as any that voters will reject the extreme GOP agenda in November.

Special Update from Your Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Tomorrow's the day! I need you to get out and vote for Judge Rebecca Dallet for Wisconsin Supreme Court. She has worked for more than 20 years in Wisconsin's courtrooms as both a prosecutor and a judge in Milwaukee County, advocating for Wisconsin families and victims of sexual assault, child abuse and domestic violence. She has worked hard for decades to keep our communities safe, stand up for our rights and put the people of Wisconsin first. Judge Dallet will restore fairness to our state's highest court. She embraces our Wisconsin values like supporting working families, strong public schools and protections for clean air and water. Please, vote for Judge Dallet tomorrow and forward this email to 5 friends and ask them to do the same. We need everyone pulling to get Judge Dallet to the Supreme Court. We can't let right-wing special interests, who have spent over $2 million propping up Michael Screnock, send their rubber-stamp to the Supreme Court. 1. Check your registration. If you're not registered at your current residence, you can do so on election day with a proof of residence document.  2. Find your polling place. Polls will be open from 7am to 8pm. Don't let bad weather prevent you from getting to the polls -- make a plan! 3. See if you have a photo ID that qualifies.  You'll need to bring a photo ID to vote. A Wisconsin-issued driver's license, expired or not, qualifies as does a U.S. Passport, military ID card or tribal identification card. Check to make sure that you have one that qualifies. While you're out voting for Judge Rebecca Dallet, be sure to vote 'NO' on eliminating the State Treasurer. Both Republicans and Democrats agree that Wisconsin has to protect our fiscal watchdog.