Liberals in New York just elected a slate of self-described Democratic Socialists in key blue-district primaries. Battleground Wisconsin is their next target.
Wisconsin State Rep. Francesca Hong is the frontrunner in the crowded Democratic primary for governor this year. Recently, she posted a video of herself and supporters cheering on the New York Knicks winning the NBA championship with the caption, "New York City elected a socialist mayor, and the Knicks won their first championship in 53 years. Imagine what we could do with a socialist governor in Wisconsin."
Research conducted by nationally recognized pollster Charles Franklin shows that voters who identify as Democrats in my state have become significantly more liberal over the past decade, which means Hong may very well be on the path to victory in the primary.
This gives Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany the opportunity to present the campaign as a simple choice: common sense versus crazy.
DEM SOCIALIST RUNNING FOR WISCONSIN GOVERNOR PUSHED 'ABOLISHING THE POLICE'
Tiffany spells out reasonable plans to lower costs in Wisconsin by ending the 400-year property tax increase, greater transparency in healthcare, controlling utility rate increases, freezing college tuition and making government more efficient, effective and accountable. His likely opponent campaigns on a radical agenda.
Hong talks about a world without prisons and abolishing law enforcement, massive tax increases on individuals and job creators, legalizing "sex workers" and supporting sex-change surgeries for children. Unlike candidates in other battleground states, she doesn’t even pretend to sound like a moderate. She is betting that her Democratic Socialist platform will be enough to win the very competitive primary – the same playbook these socialist candidates are running in blue districts nationwide.
Tiffany, on the other hand, has a clear path to the nomination and can focus on the general election. His main opponents in the primary dropped out. Delegates at the recent state convention gave him their official endorsement. He has dominated the airwaves since April, spelling out who he is and what he will do to help people afford to live and thrive in Wisconsin.
THE DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS ARE NO LONGER ON THE FRINGE
Liberals take comfort in having won the last four elections for the state Supreme Court in the Badger State. They overlook the fact that the turnout is much higher in November than in April elections. Over the past decade, Donald Trump has carried the state in two out of three elections, and Ron Johnson has been elected to the Senate twice. Wisconsin is the closest swing state in America.
So far, Tiffany and his campaign team are doing the things necessary to win. They are on target with the three Ms: message, manpower and money. Early ads reinforce his Wisconsin roots and time as a small business owner with his wife, Chris, where they had to count every penny to survive – just like so many families today.
Aggressive fundraising encouraged other GOP candidates to exit the race and allowed the campaign to start running ads sooner. That helped motivate small-dollar donors to give and volunteer. The Tiffany campaign now has the most aggressive grassroots effort since the 2012 recall election. They are connecting to voters at their homes on the issues that matter to voters.
Democrats, on the other hand, are doing just about everything to help Tiffany. Gov. Tony Evers has remained popular over the past two terms by at least pretending to sound moderate and by cutting deals with Republican leadership in a divided government. All the remaining Democratic candidates have made it clear they oppose any compromise that doesn't radically increase the size and scope of state government. They are running on increasingly radical ideas.
Each of these radical Democratic candidates has spent very little time campaigning to a general election audience, and most voters don’t know much about them. Tiffany, however, has been on the airwaves for months, building his name ID and selling his vision for a more prosperous Wisconsin. After Democrats elect their nominee in mid-August, Tiffany and his allies can pounce on their opponent and aggressively brand them as a radical.
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The race is all about common sense versus crazy.
That said, Wisconsin is the most competitive state in the nation right now. Historically, an advantage goes to the party not in the White House. Getting past the war in Iran and seeing lower gas prices will help. On the flip side, no intra-party fight for Tiffany, paired with a boisterous Democrat primary driven by this wave of radical ideas, levels the playing field.
The race will be close. Wisconsin has been the key to victory in the last three presidential elections. It will likely be the same in 2028. Expect both parties to play heavily in my home state this year. Thankfully, Tom Tiffany is doing the right things to win the election for governor. I should know, as we did it three times.
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