Ben Wikler Profile picture
Sep 24, 2020 10 tweets 3 min read Read on X
NEWS: The GOP is pouring $2 million in dark money to defeat Ron Kind in Wisconsin’s swingiest Congressional district. They know Trump will lose Wisconsin if @KindforCongress wins big. So let’s make sure that Kind soars to victory: secure.actblue.com/donate/dpw-kin…
Why is the GOP pouring so much money into Wisconsin’s 3rd District, a gerrymandered masterpiece that covers western and central Wisconsin? Simple: Because whoever wins here wins Wisconsin. politico.com/news/2020/09/2…
The GOP is freaking out because the Supreme Court vacancy has driven home for everyone that healthcare is on the ballot. Dems won every 2018 statewide election on the promise to protect people with pre-existing conditions. The 2020 stakes: even higher.
As many as 2.4 million Wisconsinites have pre-existing conditions; their right to healthcare is threatened if Trump & the GOP prevail. The stakes in WI03 are intensely personal for voters. The GOP knows Ron Kind will protect & expand care, not take it away.wisdems.org/news/on-day-of…
Ron Kind represents a purple district—and regularly condemns the Trump administration’s repeated attacks on the Affordable Care Act, while fighting for COVID support. That’s an enormous electoral strength. But it also infuriates the GOP. So they’re targeting him.
Meanwhile, the GOP’s Derrick Van Orden moved to the district a year ago & says he decided to run against Kind as payback for Kind’s opposition to Trump. He’s an anti-science, anti-choice extremist—even when the life of the mother is at stake.
Derrick Van Orden has made crystal clear that he would vote to take away the Affordable Care Act, striking down protections for people with pre-existing conditions. Making sure voters know this can help shut down the GOP’s play for votes here.
Obama won WI-03 by 11 points in 2012. Trump won it by 5 points in 2016. Now, in 2020, the right-wing dark money group behind the attacks on Ron Kind claims Trump is ahead there. Having Ron Kind’s back now builds support for Dems at every level.
The GOP has glaring weaknesses. They’re a disaster on COVID. They’ve driven the economy off a cliff—and are still pushing tax cuts for big corporations and the rich, at the expense of Medicare & Social Security. Let’s make sure voters know it.
And in full partnership with Ron Kind’s powerhouse campaign, the @WisDems team will be organizing voters county by county, neighborhood team by neighborhood team.

If you want to help with that kind of work—from wherever you live!—sign up here: wisdems.org/act-now

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More from @benwikler

May 23
This week, Elon Musk (who is still working w/Trump!) announced that, “In terms of political spending, I’m going to do a lot less in the future.”

"I think I've done enough."

It looks like your work in this spring’s Supreme Court race fueled a sea change in American politics. 🧵 Image
It’s never a great idea to take Elon Musk at his word. But even the act of publicly backing away from his previous position—where he was regularly promising to fund primary and general election campaigns against anyone who got in Trump’s way—is a huge shift.
In light of Elon Musk promising to back off funding elections, let’s review the path to this moment. There’s value in celebrating wins.
Read 31 tweets
May 16
GOOD NEWS: The GOP’s raid on health care to fund a multi-trillion $ tax cut for billionaires has hit rocky shoals—and, so far, doesn’t have votes to pass.

BAD NEWS: Among GOP in the House & Senate, objectors think it doesn’t go far enough.

Ron Johnson is the worst of them. 🧵
Ron Johnson is on a media tour describing the so-called “big, beautiful bill” as “the Titanic” because its cuts don’t go far enough.
politico.com/live-updates/2…
So what is it that Ron Johnson thinks should be cut?

As he wrote in an op-ed, he wants to target “ObamaCare, which seems to have found new life under the name ‘Medicaid expansion.’”
wsj.com/opinion/the-ug…
Read 22 tweets
May 2
A week ago today, FBI agents arrested Judge Hannah Dugan on courthouse grounds on outrageous charges. Immediately, Trump officials like Kash Patel and Pam Bondi began to celebrate. But this is not going well for them, and it’s going to age like milk on a Miami sidewalk. 🧵
Let’s review what happened.

The arrest of Judge Dugan stemmed from a Keystone Kops type episode that took place a week earlier, when immigration enforcement attempted to arrest an individual in Dugan’s courtroom.
Judge Dugan sent the enforcers out, telling them to talk to the chief judge. Then she sent the individual out via the “jury door.” The FBI now wants to prosecute her for supposedly obstructing a U.S. agency and concealing an individual to prevent an arrest. But there’s a problem.
Read 25 tweets
Apr 23
Last summer, I had the chance to recommend three books on The Ezra Klein Show. Today, on #WorldBookDay, I stand by those recommendations. 🧵
1. The Reasoning Voter, by Samuel Popkin. Terrific book exploring how voters (especially those who generally tune out politics) use available info to make decisions about who’s on their side. BOOK COVER The Reasoning Voter Communication and Persuasion in Presidential Campaigns Samuel L. Popkin "If you're preparing to run a presidential campaign and only have time to read one book, make sure you read Sam Popkin's The Reasoning Voter. If you have time to read two books, read The Reasoning Voter twice." - James Carville
2. Finding Freedom: The Untold Story of Joshua Glover, Freedom Seeker, by Ruby West Jackson and Walter T. McDonald. One of Wisconsin’s proudest stories about a traveler on the Underground Railroad, and the Wisconsinites who rallied to his side. BOOK COVER Finding Freedom The Untold Story of Joshua Glover Freedom Seeker Ruby West Jackson Walter T. McDonald Foreword by Christy Clark Pujara
Read 5 tweets
Apr 10
It's been the honor of my life to serve as Chair of @WisDems for the last 6 years. With a pro-democracy Supreme Court secured for years, WI can reach for a trifecta in 2026. Our state party is in superb shape. So today, I’m announcing that, this summer, I’m passing the torch.🧵
Here's my full statement, or you can read the rest of this thread.
benwikler.com/p/news-im-pass…
Now is the right time for me to take a breath, and find new ways to advance the fight for a country that works for working people—one that honors every person's dignity and freedom. I'm going to take some time to figure out what's next, & spend time with a family I fiercely love.
Read 35 tweets
Apr 4
Justice-elect Susan Crawford’s victory over Brad Schimel, Elon Musk, and Donald Trump marks a sea change in American politics.

The fight back has begun.

This is a thread about what just happened—and a huge thank you to those who drove it. 🧵
Susan Crawford’s victory astonished the country and the world—not just because she won after being outspent by a campaign fueled by the world’s richest man, but because she did so by a double-digit margin in the deepest-purple state in America.
The margin of victory in both the Presidential and Senate races in 2024 was under one percentage point. Susan Crawford won by 10%. Relative to 2024’s presidential race, every single county in Wisconsin moved left. Image
Read 102 tweets

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