This week, early voting started as ballots were sent across Wisconsin ahead of the November election. At events across the state, leaders and elected officials urged Wisconsinites to make their voices heard and vote for Joe Biden’s unifying vision for all Americans.
Biden for President launched a new ad that played nationwide during the Emmys featuring a Wausau mother speaking about President Trump’s mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact on her family. Read more in Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Margaret Pagoria says she’s been thinking a lot during the coronavirus pandemic about “precious time lost.”
Pagoria, a Wausau mother, said she went six months without seeing her parents. She also worries about the time her four children are losing when it comes to in-person schooling and social activities.
[…]
“What’s been really hard for us and many families is that there’s just no end in sight. A lack of plan from the federal level has boiled all the way down now to the shoulders of households across the country,” she says in one of the ads. “It just feels like a cost that never had to happen. I want to know that we have a president who has a plan during COVID for education, and after COVID, so we can get normal life back on track.”
[…]
Wisconsin hit 100,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases — underscoring President Trump’s failure to respond to and protect the American people from the virus.
Vice President Biden released a statement saying, in part: “Wisconsinites are suffering the consequences of President Trump’s historic failure of leadership. After deliberately downplaying the virus’ severity — Trump still has no plan to get it under control and has proven himself utterly incapable of guiding us through this moment. It didn’t have to be this bad. If I’m elected president, we won’t play political games with public health — we’ll trust the experts and the science, speak honestly with the American people, and implement my plan to beat the virus and build our country back better than before.”
As early voting in Wisconsin started, Jill Biden launched a virtual “Get Out the Vote” Weekend of Action in Winnebago County. At the event, she thanked volunteers and discussed the importance of grassroots activism for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ path to victory. Read more in Spectrum News:
Hundreds of Wisconsinites joined a phone bank to rally support for Joe Biden, and got a message from Jill Biden.
In normal times, a presidential candidate, their staff, or their spouse would be coming to campaign offices to thank volunteers for their work. Because of the pandemic, that’s not happening as it usually would.
Instead, Biden dropped by a virtual phone bank Zoom call Saturday.
“The Fox Valley has some of the strongest neighborhood action teams in the state,” she said to volunteers from Winnebago County.
[…]
Biden encouraged volunteers to talk to voters they called about the Biden-Harris platform.
“Making sure that everyone can get affordable quality health care, tackle the climate crisis, keep our streets and people safe, no matter what race or zip code,” she said. “And get our kids, all of our kids, back to school safely.”
[…]
Watch on WLUK Green Bay
Biden for President Wisconsin hosted a Divine Nine “Weekend of Excellence” event with Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes, State Representative Shelia Stubbs, State Representative LaKeshia Myers, DJ LoLo, and other Wisconsin leaders. At the organizing event, Wisconsin members of Divine Nine historically Black sororities and fraternities discussed how they will mobilize members across the state, register Black voters in their communities, and ensure voters know all their options for casting their ballots early.
Watch on WISN Milwaukee
“We know that with a Biden-Harris administration we have a real opportunity to overcome some of the past failures and past losses so that we can have a better nation…We’ve experienced first hand the recklessness and the incompetence of the current administration, especially with regard to the pandemic…We know that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris understand the urgency of this moment and the need to pursue a just and equitable recovery where we are better than when we went into the pandemic…It is important more than ever that we come together for the task of saving the United States of America. If anybody can get it done, we can get it done,” said Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes, who is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity.
Congressman Mark Pocan and State Rep. Debra Kolste of Janesville condemned Trump for his utter failure to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Both leaders highlighted how insulting it is for Pence to visit an area that has seen infections and economic turmoil because of Trump’s failed public health response.
CBS58 Milwaukee
“They’ve also told us the virus is that the virus is in its final stages and that we’re near the end of the pandemic, their actions certainly show that but that’s not the reality on the ground for people across Wisconsin,” said Congressman Mark Pocan.
Mayor Pete Buttigieg highlighted the need for “leadership that will be honest with us about the pandemic” in an interview with TMJ4 in Milwaukee:
Watch on TMJ4
“Well, look, we’ve got 30 million Americans on unemployment, we’ve got some of the worst economic statistics in the history of economic statistics,” said Buttigieg. “And if you want to talk about before the pandemic, you know, the reality is economic growth under President Trump in his early years was actually slower than it was in the Obama-Biden Administration.”
Mayor Buttigieg also emphasized Biden’s commitment to Wisconsin and the importance of safely campaigning during the pandemic on WISN in Milwaukee:
Watch on WISN
The opinion editor of the Capital Times wrote about Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame Coach Mike Holmgren’s comments last week about President Donald Trump’s failure to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The column also outlines how Trump’s economy wasn’t working for the middle class even before the COVID-19 pandemic, citing the 2017 Republican tax bill that served as a massive tax giveaway to the wealthy and corporations. Read more in Capital Times:
It’s been more than two decades since he left Green Bay for Seattle, but for some Wisconsinites — myself included — Mike Holmgren’s name remains synonymous with the Packers in some of their best years.
[…]
“It didn’t have to be this bad. It really didn’t,” Holmgren said. “And now we find out in the last couple months, he knew all along. The president knew how bad it was and he kept it from the American people. Not only did he keep it from us, but then he didn’t take action. He knew, and he did not take action.”
We know now that Trump told veteran Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward in February that he knew how deadly — and easily transmissible — COVID-19 is, while he continued to insist publicly that it was under control, that it would disappear soon and was no worse than the flu.
[…]
“I think this is the most important election of my lifetime, for not only me, but my kids and my grandkids, because of what’s gone on in the last three-and-a-half years. … The untruths, the misleading and the dangerous things that have happened,” Holmgren said. “And I thought — Kathy and I were talking about it one night — what can we do? What can we do to maybe help? And I know … the state of Wisconsin, that I love, was very, very close in the last election. I said, ‘You know what? Maybe I can get a couple guys to think my way on this. … And that’s why I’m here. I thought, if I’m ever going to do this — if I’m ever going to do this, this is the time to do it. Because it’s that important.”
I may have disagreed with Holmgren’s decision to leave Titletown for Seattle, but on this one, I have no objections.
Wisconsin Todos Con Biden kicked off Hispanic Heritage Month with the launch of “Nuestros Negocios, Nuestro Futuro” with Wisconsin Latino small business owners. At the event, Latino small business owners discussed how Joe Biden’s plan to “Build Back Better” will help small businesses advance racial equity as part of our nation’s economic recovery, and how the coalition will work to ensure customers have access to resources and information they need to register to vote and cast their ballots.
“Donald Trump chose to downplay the virus instead of tell the truth. The crisis that we’re in is because Trump did not act…Unlike Donald Trump, Joe Biden has a plan to take advice from scientists and to build our economy back better than before. He has always told us the truth and he knows and shares our values as a community,” said Congressman Jesús “Chuy” García.
Biden for President Wisconsin held a youth voter registration rally with actor Busy Philipps, former Olympic medalist and figure skater Michelle Kwan, and college students across Wisconsin. At the rally, the participants emphasized the important role that young voters will play in this election and encouraged college students across Wisconsin to register to vote. They also highlighted the numerous options that voters have to cast their ballots — including by mail, early in person, and in person on election day.
Additionally, the event highlighted Joe Biden’s plans to combat gun violence, climate change, and the student debt crisis.
Watch on WSAW
Ahead of Trump’s event in Mosinee, local leaders and small business owners, including congressional candidate Tricia Zunker, slammed Trump for his failed COVID-19 response that has hurt small businesses across the state.
Watch on WAOW Wausau
“I think it’s a completely dangerous event that he’s [Trump] having here. I think he needs to be in Washington and addressing this pandemic. We don’t have enough PPE, we don’t have enough testing to get this under control,” said Tricia Zunker
“We paid the consequences for those things. We’ve had a downturn in our revenue, an increase in our expenditures and we just aren’t able to support financially the community non-profits that we like to and the schools that we like to cheer behind, as well,” said local business owner Sarah Bruch
Congressman Seth Moulton (MA-06), a U.S. Marine veteran, hosted a roundtable with local veterans and community leaders. The event highlighted Joe Biden’s “Build Back Better” plan, which will grow the economy and help Wisconsin veterans secure good-paying, union jobs. Additionally, participants praised Joe Biden’s plan to keep our sacred obligation to our veterans and responded to a report that President Trump has repeatedly disparaged military veterans and service members who died in combat, including calling those who lost their lives in service to our country “losers” and “suckers.”
“We have a president, a commander-in-chief right now who doesn’t even have a moral compass, let alone have moral courage…He thinks that if you sign up to serve that you’re a sucker. He thinks if you die in service, you’re a loser…At his core that is who Donald Trump is and that’s dangerous for our country. It’s dangerous for our veterans and it’s terribly dangerous for the troops under his command. So we need to elect a leader who knows what it means to do the right thing, when it’s tough. To do the hard right over the easy wrong,” said Congressman Seth Moulton.
Biden for President Wisconsin hosted a “National Black Voter Day” event with author and entrepreneur Meena Harris, Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes, Congresswoman Gwen Moore, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, Common Council President Chevy Johnson and County Board Chairwoman Marcelia Nicholson. At the event, Wisconsin leaders discussed voting rights and encouraged Wisconsinites to make a plan to vote, as Wisconsin ballots were mailed out this week.
“We have so much work to do,” said Meena Harris. “We just have to get across the finish line…We know that the Black vote can and will play a decisive role in the election, especially in Wisconsin. That is a fact… Black voters win elections. We know this. If we vote, we win. If we turn out, we win. It’s more important than ever that we make it clear that the Black community cannot and will not be ignored.”
“Wisconsin ballots started going out this week, and we must work to ensure that every Black voter in the Badger State has a plan to vote, so that we can elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in November. We must make our voices heard…There is an option for everyone to cast their ballot, and we have to work collectively to make sure everyone knows how,” said Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley.
Watch on TMJ4 News Milwaukee
Read more in the Milwaukee Courier:
This year, BET and the National Urban League, in addition to other key civil rights organizations, are launching the first-ever National Black Voter Day on Friday, Sept. 18. There is no better way to celebrate than to head to iwillvote.com/WI to make your plan to vote today.
The stakes are incredibly high in this election. The Black community is experiencing multiple crises: a painful economic recession, a global health pandemic that has disproportionately harmed Black Americans and over 400 years of racial injustice in this country. We have the chance to make a change with our ballots, and the choice couldn’t be clearer.
While Donald Trump tries to downplay the virus and deny the existence of systemic racism, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are committed to rolling up their sleeves and addressing the challenges for the Black community head on. They know that it’s not enough for Americans to be created equal – we must be treated equally. We have the opportunity to build back better from these crises and this time, bring everybody along.
With everything that’s on the line, it is important as ever to ensure that everyone has the information they need to make a plan to vote.
Here in Wisconsin, we have the chance to be one of the first to move our country forward – so make a plan to vote early. It’s easy and convenient to vote early this year – either by mail or in-person – and you can make a plan that is flexible to fit your schedule.
There are two easy ways to vote early: you can vote by mail, either by mailing your ballot or returning it to an official drop box or your municipal clerk. You can request a vote-by-mail ballot today! You can also vote early in-person, starting Tuesday, Oct. 20. And, of course, you can vote at your polling place on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3.
So, this Black Voter Day, head to iwillvote.com/WI for more information on registering to vote and casting your ballot. But don’t stop there. Once you have a plan to vote, make sure your friends and family have a plan too.
Joe and Kamala can’t do it alone. They will need every single one of us to do our part. We’re uniquely situated here in Wisconsin to be able to send Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to the White House. Let’s get it done.
Biden for President Wisconsin hosted a Milwaukee pop-up supply center with County Executive David Crowley. Without leaving their cars, supporters were able to pick up yard signs, stickers, buttons, placards and other Biden-Harris campaign supplies.
Watch on WISN
“She [Ginsburg] has meant so much in articulating the values of our constitution, and so this is another huge milestone that we’ve lost this year, along with John Lewis, Elijah Cummings, so many great voices for what our democracy stands for and the American way,” said Congresswoman Gwen Moore.
Mayor Tom Barrett, Milwaukee Common Council President Cavalier Johnson, and State Representative and Milwaukee Alder JoCasta Zamarripa hosted a “Get Out the Vote” press conference where they discussed the multiple ways Milwaukee residents can cast their ballots in this year’s election.
Watch on WISN
“First, make sure you sign that ballot. Second, make sure your witness signs that ballot and third, make sure your witness puts their address on that ballot,” said Mayor Tom Barrett.
