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It’s
dizzying. And
it’s time to focus.
Today,
the Democratic Party of Wisconsin is moving into general election mode.
Three
of the four leading candidates for Senate ended their campaigns and endorsed
Mandela Barnes this week, and Republicans have begun their attacks on the
candidate poised to become our official nominee. Ron Johnson and the GOP want
a ten-day head start so that they can define this race before the August 9
primary results are announced.
Normally,
the Democratic Party of Wisconsin is neutral until a primary campaign is
over. But in unusual circumstances, our state party Constitution empowers
party units to request an endorsement vote of the Administrative Committee.
Yesterday, accordingly, four party units made such a request, and this hour,
the Administrative Committee completed its vote, with an overwhelming margin
voting in favor.
This
email marks the announcement that the Democratic Party of Wisconsin is
endorsing Mandela Barnes for the United States Senate. The process of
transitioning to the general election begins now.
The
fight is on.
*
* *
Let’s
retrace how we got here.
A
week ago, the Democratic primary for Senate had an eight-way primary, with
four candidates polling above 1% and every candidate running a spirited,
positive campaign. And
then, in the space of five days, three of those candidates—Tom Nelson, then
Alex Lasry, and then Sarah Godlewski—suspended their campaigns, and endorsed
Lt. Gov Mandela Barnes.
Suddenly,
the result of the primary became a near certainty. Ron Johnson immediately went
on the attack. Governor Evers and Senator Baldwin, who, like the DPW, had
maintained their neutrality in the primary up until now, endorsed Mandela,
joined by all three members of Wisconsin’s Congressional delegation. And four
Democratic Party of Wisconsin units—the Waukesha, Racine, and Portage County
Dems, and the LGBTQ caucus—recommended that the DPW endorse Mandela
Barnes.
There
are 101 days until November 8. Ten of those days take place before the polls
close in the August 9 primary. But the GOP isn’t waiting—they’re coming now.
The Democratic Party of Wisconsin very rarely endorses during primaries, and
without an endorsement, it cannot partner with a campaign to respond to GOP
attacks. With an endorsement, however, the party can punch back; can equip
organizers and volunteers with information about the nominee, to debunk GOP
lies; and can jump into integrating the campaign and the state party
operation which, to this moment, have remained separate.
Article
VIII, Section 1 of our state party Constitution indicates that, ordinarily,
the party is “prohibited from endorsing or supporting” any candidate in a
partisan primary. But our party’s Constitution contains an exception: in, as
the Constitution says, “unusual circumstances,” local party units can
recommend an endorsement to the statewide administrative committee, which can
approve the request with a two-thirds vote.
After
the request for endorsement, members of the Administrative Committee cast
their ballots. The results, tallied moments ago, were decisive. More than two
thirds of the Committee voted to endorse. Now, we can initiate general
election operations that will be crucial to allowing our Senate candidate to
be successful in what is sure to be one of the most competitive races in the
country.
During
this period, the party’s organizing and communication will be focused not on
Democratic primary voters, but on persuadable general election voters—those
who would likely vote Democratic if they did vote, but are at risk of not
voting at all, and those who might go for either party’s nominee.
In
other words, the endorsement is moving now to win the general election. How
to vote in the primary itself is of course up to each individual, and many
have already voted; the primary ballot includes eight names, although only
five are still actively campaigning. (If you previously voted via mail and
now want to change your vote, contact your clerk as soon as possible about
“spoiling” your ballot; you’ll be issued a new one.)
All
of the candidates in the primary have run spirited, overwhelmingly positive
campaigns focused on their own records and values, the necessity of defeating
Ron Johnson, and their visions for a better future. Steven Olikara, Peter
Peckarsky, Kou Lee, and Darryl Williams remain in the race; like the three
candidates who just endorsed Mandela and stepped away, all have earned our
respect and gratitude. Regardless of how any of us vote, I hope that we can
all join in thanking every candidate for their courage in entering this race,
their integrity, and for their work to advance our values.
In
the Senate race, the nation’s eyes are on us. Each day brings fresh evidence
of the urgency of defeating Ron Johnson. From recent revelations about his
role in the January 6 attempted coup to the Republican obstruction of
veterans health legislation this past week, from cynical opposition to the
Inflation Reduction Act to his ongoing effort to pick the pockets of
middle-class and working-class Wisconsinites in order to line the pockets of
his ultra-wealthy, ultra-MAGA benefactors, Ron Johnson keeps raising the
stakes in what could be the most significant and hard-fought Senate race in
America. Defeating him—by replacing him with Mandela Barnes, son of a public
school teacher and a third-shift auto worker, a Wisconsin Democrat who will
work every bit as hard as his constituents do to support their families—must
be our unified aim.
No
matter your journey to this moment, I hope you’ll join me in devoting every
iota of your will to defeating Ron Johnson, reelecting Governor Evers and
Attorney General Kaul, and electing Democrats up and down the ticket. That is
our one path to saving our democracy, in a time of tremendous peril.
As
they say, things change gradually—and then suddenly. We’re in a new chapter
of a political moment that will be recounted in the history books. Let’s
unify, focus, and enter the political fight of our lives.
In
solidarity,
Ben
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