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Ben Wikler Profile picture
Ben Wikler
@benwikler
Wisconsinite. Dad. Former Chair, @WisDems
32 subscribers
May 23 • 31 tweets • 7 min read
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.
May 16 • 22 tweets • 5 min read
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…
May 2 • 25 tweets • 7 min read
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.
Apr 23 • 5 tweets • 2 min read
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
Apr 10 • 35 tweets • 8 min read
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…
Apr 4 • 102 tweets • 15 min read
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.
Feb 28 • 17 tweets • 5 min read
“For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind." – Hosea 8:7

Trump, Musk, and the entire GOP keep sowing the wind.

The whirlwind is here. 🧵 Howls of protest are rising from every corner of Wisconsin, and of the country. And we’ve got the first statewide test coming up in 32 days: Wisconsin’s Supreme Court race. Help us beat Brad Schimel and Elon Musk—by chipping in to elect Susan Crawford:
secure.actblue.com/donate/wisdems…
Feb 20 • 13 tweets • 4 min read
Elon Musk is shredding the United States government. But that’s not enough for him. Now, he wants to buy Wisconsin’s state Supreme Court as well. 🧵 Image Musk’s plan: put his bag man, Brad Schimel, on the court—so he can suppress votes, lock in the GOP’s House majority, re-rig state legislative maps, and prevent any check on himself and Trump.

Our plan: stop him.

Chip in to help:
secure.actblue.com/donate/wisdems…
Feb 7 • 18 tweets • 6 min read
A three-part strategy to respond to this crisis.

1. Fight back against the MAGA/DOGE assault on our country and hold all GOP politicians accountable.
2. Lift up Dems who are doing the right thing.
3. Win elections.

A chance to do #3 is coming in Wisconsin, 53 days from now. 🧵 The core thing to remember: right now, GOP politicians are terrified of crossing Musk/Trump.

They’re not yet afraid of the political consequences of betraying the public.

That’s how we get every GOP Senator voting to confirm Project 2025’s architect to run the federal budget.
Jan 28 • 6 tweets • 2 min read
We’re in the final stretch. On Saturday, the Democratic National Committee will elect our next chair. Here’s an update on where our campaign is now, and our path to victory. 

Our current count is 183 DNC members supporting me. Here’s how we got there, and where we’re going. 🧵 The momentum’s with us. Just today, we’ve earned public endorsements from the entire Kentucky delegation, Indivisible, and many more individual DNC members. Meanwhile, IUBAC & UNITE HERE joined AFSCME, AFT, NEA, and SEIU in endorsing our campaign—and nine governors.
Jan 21 • 12 tweets • 3 min read
He's only been in office a few hours, but it's already been a gut punch of a first day for the Trump presidency.

The TL;DR is that Trump has been focused on everything *except* making life better for working people.

Get ready. It's time to fight. 🧵 No time is being wasted when it comes to wiping away the progress we've made on addressing climate change. 

Key environmental regulations are already being rolled back while Trump clears the decks for more oil and gas drilling.
Jan 20 • 17 tweets • 3 min read
Trump takes the oath today. Expect him to start breaking it immediately. 

Trump was a disaster the first time. And this is the kind of movie where the sequel is worse than the original.

As Democrats, how we fight back will define who we are. 🧵 Trump is going to blitz the country in a million terrible ways.

As we fight for all of our communities, we have to make sure the country sees the core of what he’ll try to do: he’ll try to rig the country for far-right billionaires, at the expense of everyone else.
Jan 17 • 20 tweets • 4 min read
Three days until Donald Trump’s inauguration.

It’s not just that he does bad things. It’s also that he’s bad at being president.

He’ll start betraying his promise, and his oath of office, the minute he’s sworn in. 🧵 Before I go on, the most crucial election of 2025 is in Wisconsin on April 1. Help stop a MAGA extremist from taking the tiebreaking vote in our divided Supreme Court by donating now to @WisDems. Chip in here:
secure.actblue.com/donate/wisdems…
Jan 12 • 10 tweets • 3 min read
It was a pleasure to join @TheDemocrats first official forum for DNC Chair candidates earlier today where I shared my vision to Unite, Fight, and Win for the Democratic Party.

If you weren't able to watch, here's what you missed 🧵 I talked about how I will begin an audit of existing consultant contracts on Day One.

I’ll work with DNC members to set a new policy–our contracts should be based on results and our values instead of “who knows who.” 

No automatic renewals and no back-door deals. It’s time to clean house.
Dec 31, 2024 • 33 tweets • 7 min read
On this last day of 2024, look over the horizon: Trump’s inauguration is in 20 days. The DNC chair election is in 32 days. And the most important election of the spring, the Wisconsin Supreme Court race, is in 91 days. Are you ready? 🧵 At @WisDems, we’re getting ready for a Supreme Court race that’ll define the future of freedom and democracy in 2024’s closest state. If you can chip in now, you’ll help us spread the word that the Democratic Party looks out for all Wisconsinites. Chip in:
secure.actblue.com/donate/wisdems…
Dec 13, 2024 • 21 tweets • 4 min read
The Trump storm is coming. And suddenly it’s very, very important that we’ve elected people who believe in democracy, freedom, and the plight of working people at the state level. 🧵 I’m going to dig in on the Wisconsin story. But before I do: electing candidates who believe in freedom, democracy, and working people is what @WisDems does. With your help, we’ll keep driving our year-round, grassroots organizing. Can you help?
secure.actblue.com/donate/mayeom_…
Dec 6, 2024 • 27 tweets • 5 min read
It’s a tale as old as kleptocracy: Trump ran a campaign of division and fake populism.

Now, he’s appointing a cabinet of billionaires and gearing up to rip off everyone who can’t afford a Mar-a-Lago membership. 🧵 This is always the con. The far-right candidate campaigns on a message to working folks that they understand their economic pain, and some voters, desperate for change, believe them.
Dec 1, 2024 • 13 tweets • 4 min read
If we’re going to take on Trump, Republican extremists, and move our country forward, the Democratic Party needs to be stronger. I'm running for Chair of the Democratic National Committee to unite the party, fight everywhere, and win. Join me. 🧵 The soul of the Democratic Party is the fight for working people. Ours is the party that built the middle class, that won breakthroughs on civil rights, women's rights, workers' rights, freedom and opportunity for all—and has so much more to do.
Nov 30, 2024 • 28 tweets • 8 min read
As we celebrate this Thanksgiving weekend with our loved ones, we have a lot to be thankful for, a lot to breathe through—and a lot coming that requires us to get ready. 🧵 Today is our end of month deadline. One thing I’d be thankful for: your help by donating to @WisDems, as we gear up for our pivotal spring Supreme Court election. Our end-of-Nov goal: 100 donations by midnight. Can you be one of them? Chip in here:
secure.actblue.com/donate/octeom_…
Nov 20, 2024 • 26 tweets • 6 min read
The first critical election of the new Trump era is just 132 days from now: Wisconsin’s state Supreme Court race. 🧵 This week, the Democratic Party of Wisconsin endorsed Judge Susan Crawford, the one pro-freedom, pro-democracy candidate. We’re in the fight. Join us. Image
Nov 15, 2024 • 23 tweets • 5 min read
As we enter a harrowing new chapter in American life, remember this: we are stronger than we think. 🧵 Before I dig in here, let me flag: donating to WisDems funds our year-round organizing and communication work—critical for elections here, including the state Supreme Court, in less than six months. Can you chip in?
secure.actblue.com/donate/octeom_…