Contact: Alec Zimmerman
(608) 257-4765
[Madison, WI] — A story out today from The Cap Times highlights how party bosses are putting their thumbs on the scale to influence the Democrat primary for governor. Attempts by the Democrat establishment to narrow down the clown-car primary will do nothing to fix the incredibly flawed nature of this wide-open field. Discriminating against female candidates and others who have as much of a shot as any of the five men allowed on stage will not fix Democrats’ inability to appeal to hard-working Wisconsin families.
Read the full story from The Cap Times here or find excerpts below.
Some Democratic candidates for Wisconsin governor excluded from forums.
In a field of about a dozen Democratic candidates vying to unseat Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, it’s a challenge for any individual candidate to break away from the pack. Some have found themselves excluded from candidate forums.
“In a year when women are running for office in record numbers, and are more organized and energized than ever before, it’s not surprising that some establishment men are threatened by our bold campaign and growing momentum,” said Roys campaign manager Sonja Chojnacki in an email. “They may want to continue playing kingmaker in smoke-filled rooms, but it’s 2018 — women are done being silenced.”
Political activist Mike McCabe, who has been at odds with the Democratic Party throughout his campaign, said the forum’s organizers “must be getting nervous, which makes them want to limit who voters get to hear from.”
“That’s a losing strategy. I say let the people decide. I’m just going to keep pounding the pavement and reaching out to everyone who’s willing to hear my message,” McCabe said in an email.
Soglin campaign manager Melissa Mulliken said there may be a tendency among insiders to winnow the field prematurely, but said county parties throughout the state have been open to hearing from all candidates.
“Political insiders sometimes want to put their thumbs on the scales in terms of which candidates get heard. That’s not healthy for the democratic process, small ‘d’ or capital ‘d.’ Paul has been invited, welcomed, and very well received by county party members and officers, grassroots activists, and voters at events around the state,” Mulliken said in an email. “They are looking for the strongest, best candidate who will fight to put the interests of the people of Wisconsin first.”
