April 8th Update from Democratic Party Chair Print
Elections, Elected Officials, Political Parties
Written by Democratic Party of Wisconsin, Martha Laning   
Sunday, 10 April 2016 12:06

martha-laningDPW Chair Martha Laning provides an update to all you Democrats on the Elections on Tuesday, GOP true intentions behind Photo ID, a fundraising Victory Fund, super delegates and the two great Democratic Presidential candidates, Judge Kloppenburg, the Koch Brothers Prop Up Ron Johnson, and more...


MADISON - Welcome to the weekly installment of my chair update!

This week I want to talk about the remarkable voter turnout we saw this past Tuesday and the effects of the new Photo ID laws.  I will also thank Judge Joanne Kloppenburg for running an honest and fair campaign, as well as announcing new service we are launching.  Lastly, I want to address a number of pieces of misinformation that have been spreading and talk about the importance of coming together as a party. 

The Elections on Tuesday

I was so proud to see so many Democrats come out to vote on Election Day this past Tuesday. We had over one million Democrats cast a ballot, which is 7% higher turnout then we saw in the 2008 spring elections. The Democratic Party and our candidates are generating a lot of enthusiasm across the state and country because of the ideas we are putting forward. We are the party that is offering solutions to the problems facing Wisconsinites - raising the minimum wage, tackling the student debt crisis and making a college degree more obtainable, making quality healthcare more affordable, and fighting to grow the middle class.

Whether you supported Senator Sanders or Secretary Clinton on Tuesday, it is important that we continue to have a positive, issues-based conversation about these two great candidates, and not resort to the type of divisive politics that have engulfed the GOP race. I’m proud that we have two great candidates, and I would be proud to vote for either one in November.  

GOP Admits True Intentions Behind Photo ID

On Tuesday, we saw Democratic voters come out in droves despite the state’s new Photo ID laws. Unfortunately, these new laws did result in longer lines and confusion about acceptable forms of ID. On Tuesday night, Republican Congressman Glenn Grothman admitted what everyone in Wisconsin believed to be true – that the GOP is counting on Photo ID to suppress the vote so Republicans have a better chance to win in November.  GOP motives were further revealed by Chief of Staff to a former Republican Senator, who said his colleagues were “giddy” about the voter suppression that would occur under the new law.

This is absolutely disgusting, and has no place in Wisconsin – or anywhere else in the nation. 

To address the challenges posed by Photo ID requirements, the Democratic Party of Wisconsin stationed over 200 observers in polling places around Wisconsin on Tuesday.  These observers were able to gather critical information about the implementation of the new laws – information we will use to address the problems directly in the coming months, and ensure that everyone who is legally allowed to vote in Wisconsin is able to do so in November. 

It shouldn’t matter if you are Republican or Democrat, rich or poor, white or black, we all have the right to have our voice heard – a right that was upheld this week unanimously by the United Supreme Court in the Evenwel v. Abbott case. In this case, the court stood by a founding principal of our country that says we all have the right to equal representation – one person, one vote.

Correcting the Record

This week, a number of incorrect stories and blogs have been posted about our participation in a fundraising Victory Fund – and it is very important to me that we correct the record.

Last year, the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, along with 32 other state parties, entered into a joint finance agreement with the Democratic National Committee and the Hillary Clinton campaign to raise funds that help to support state parties and Democratic candidates in 2016. We have offered, and would gladly partner with Sen. Sanders as well if he is interested in creating a similar joint fundraising agreement. These funds have helped us to maintain a top-notch state voter file, work with the DNC to combat the effects of Photo ID, and begin to build the infrastructure for our turnout efforts in the fall.  These funds are not being used to support any one particular presidential candidate, and in fact, by helping to update our data and address legal issues around Photo ID, they are helping all candidates in Wisconsin. 

If you have any questions about this, please don’t hesitate to contact me. 

Supporting Both of Our Great Candidates

Over the last week, I’ve received numerous questions about who I plan to support as an unpledged DNC delegate, and as Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin.  As the party chair, I feel one of my main goals is to bring our party together to elect Democrats up and down the ballot.  As our primary race has evolved, and I have had the opportunity to talk to many voters across the state, I’ve concluded it would be better for me to remain neutral and thereby be supportive of both candidates and our members’ individual choices. Once we have a nominee I will work with our great members across the state to bring people together and ensure that we help to elect a Democrat as the 45th President of the United States. 

Thank You, Judge Kloppenburg

I want to give my deepest gratitude and thanks to Judge Joanne Kloppenburg for running a clean and honorable campaign for Wisconsin’s Supreme Court. Her campaign was a clear example of who Joanne is – someone with integrity, honesty, and a strong sense of what a fair judiciary should be. 

An Incredible Night

Last Saturday, the Democratic Party of Wisconsin hosted one of it’s most successful Founder’s Day Galas in our party’s history. Nearly 1500 people joined us in Milwaukee to hear from terrific progressive leaders like Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, Minnesota Senator Al Franken, Ohio Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, and of course Wisconsin’s own, Congresswoman Gwen Moore, Senator Tammy Baldwin, Russ Feingold, and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett.

It was an incredible night that helped to raise over a quarter million dollars for Democrats and our efforts to take back Wisconsin in 2016. Thank you to all who attended, contributed, and made this event the success it was.  And a special thank you to our outstanding staff and volunteers who made it all happen!

The Koch Brothers Prop Up Ron Johnson

While Sen. Ron Johnson refuses to do his job in the U.S. Senate, here in Wisconsin, he’s outsourcing his campaign to millionaires and special interests. This week, American’s for Prosperity, the dark-money arm of the Koch brothers, launched a $1 million campaign aimed at propping up Johnson.

It’s clear that Ron Johnson is happy to let dark money outside interests speak for him, and that’s exactly why we need Russ Feingold in the U.S. Senate.  Russ is a leader who stands up to the special interests, and for the people of Wisconsin.  Want to help Russ? Just go to www.russfeingold.com to find out how!

Senator Baldwin Addressing College Affordability

This week, Sen. Tammy Baldwin officially introduced her #InTheRed Act to address college affordability and student loan debt. Tammy is the lead author of this bill that has attracted strong support in the Senate.

Last week, Tammy held roundtables at UW-Madison and UW-Milwaukee to hear from students and recent grads about college affordability. Please check out her new website that highlights Tammy's work on college affordability and share it with your friends and neighbors! 

Democratic Weekly Address

Senator Julia Lassa (D-Stevens Point) gave the Democratic Weekly Radio Address, discussing the Children’s Caucus and their goals moving forward.  They want to meet and work with researchers and economists to better serve the children of Wisconsin. We all know that our kids are the future of this state, so if we want Wisconsin to be successful, we must adequately invest in our children so they can help move our state forward.

You can listen to the address here.

The Democratic Party of Wisconsin is Launching a Medium Page

I am very excited to announce the party is launching a Medium page, which is an online publishing platform that has evolved into a hybrid of non-professional contributions, professional, and paid contributions. Those contributing to Medium range from President Barack Obama talking about wage growth down to a high school student excited about their election to the student council.

We will be having our first Medium post next Monday that I will be sure to share with you. More importantly, our goal is to give you all an outlet where you can talk about the specific issues facing your community.  If you email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with an explanation of what you want to talk about and how it is affecting you and your community, we will work with you to write something we can share on Medium, and in turn on Facebook, Twitter, etc.