09/02/2026
A note from Wayde:
In just 62 days, on Nov. 3rd, voting for the 2026 midterm elections will end. Winning control of the US House or US Senate (or both!) will provide a critical check on a Trump regime hell bent on destruction abroad and at home. Here in Wisconsin, we have the opportunity to hold all three of the Governorship, State Senate, and State Assembly for the first time in nearly two decades. After years of backsliding under Scott Walker, the election of Tony Evers in 2018 helped protect Wisconsin from the very worst of GOP policies, and for that, we are grateful. But Democrats haven't had the opportunity to deliver true progress for Wisconsinites since 2010!
In theory we should be looking at a Democratic landslide this fall. Midterm elections reliably bring gains for the minority party and Trump's sinking approval ratings should only enhance our chances. But here's the thing: Trump and his cronies know they're on the outs, and they are doing everything they can to hang onto power. We've already seen unprecedented gerrymandering to make US House elections more favorable to Republicans. The Voting Rights Act has essentially been gutted. And Trump's longstanding crusade to restrict mail-in voting continues, despite that pesky old thing called the US Constitution clearly guaranteeing the right to administer elections to the States, NOT the federal government.
So, what can we do? While democracy-minded lawyers, judges, and elected officials continue to prepare for any number of unconstitutional schemes from this regime, our work here on the ground is more straightforward. We need to contact as many voters as we can, make sure they understand what's at stake, and help them commit to voting. We need record setting turnout. We need winning margins that leave no doubt. We need races that are called in hours, not days. Put very simply, we need to make Democratic wins this November
TOO BIG TO RIG!
This isn't going to be easy. Those that seek to undermine our democracy and hold power indefinitely are well organized and have a lot of resources. But we have something far more powerful. We have each other, and our collective determination, articulated by President Lincoln at another time our nation was under extreme duress, "that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." Not on our watch.
It's going to take all of us, doing what we can, to save our democracy. But most importantly, we have to show up and vote!
Forward,
Wayde
Vernon County Dems Chair