Office: 214 N. 4th Ave, Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
Phone: (920) 365-1047
NEWSLETTER
June/July 2022
doordems.org@gmail.com
Who to vote for in the August 9 Democratic Primary for US Senate to run against Ron Johnson in November
The US Senate election in Wisconsin is one-of if not the-most important Senate races in the country with the Democratic majority potentially hanging in the balance. There are 11 Democratic candidates who have submitted enough signatures on Nominating Petitions to qualify to be on the August 9 Democratic Primary ballot.
So, who to vote for or even how to decide who to vote for…
The Democratic Party of Door County cannot do more than educate voters about all the candidates so that we do not favor one candidate over the others. We can say that Mandela Barnes, Sarah Godlewski, Alex Lasry, Kou Lee, Tom Nelson, Steven Olikara and Peter Peckarsy all reached out to the DP-DC and made campaign appearances in Door County.
Not every candidate has a website but if you go to Ballotpedia.org you can find information on each of the candidates and links to their websites. Here are reading-the-tea-leaves thoughts on how to make your decision gathered from around the tea leaf reading circles:
- Which candidate has the most history with issues you care about/ will represent you best? Legislation, Board membership, showing-up
- Which candidate has made the greatest effort to bring the party together and reach out to independents/ fence sitters/thinking Republicans? Wants to heal Wisconsin’s urban/rural divide, promotes gender equality, speaks about justice and wage inequities
- Which candidate has the best chance of defeating Ron Johnson? Resources, organization, passion
4- Who can you feel best about giving your vote to? Integrity,
work ethic, compassion, presentation
Yes, that may be a fair amount of work but the decision is that important!
Website now revised and revitalized Thanks to much thought and work by Ron Maclean, the website DoorDems.org is now up-to-date and full of useful information. The calendar especially is your best way to keep track of the many activities of DoorDems and other like-minded partner organizations.
Thanks to everyone who helped gather Nominating Petition signatures for Roberta Thelen and Andrea Gage-Michaels. Counting signatures from family and friends, members of Indivisible and a tremendous push from Door Dems we think each candidate got over 350 signatures in Door County.
Andrea Gage-Michaels is running for State Senate. She is an attorney living and practicing in the Green Bay area. Her specialty is in elder issues and abuse. She has worked with and been on the Boards of the Alzheimer’s Association and Planned Parenthood. At different times she has been a journalist, a public relations professional and member of the Sun Prairie City Council.
Roberta Thelen is running for State Representative. She is an RN and Care Coordinator at Scandia Village in Sister Bay. She has insights and expertise in health care, sustainable growth, education and social justice. She has served on the Baileys Harbor Town Board for 14 years and ran in 2018 as an Independent. Now she is a passionate Democrat.
Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Ben Winkler writes:
The pain [of Buffalo and Uvalde] is no less wrenching for its familiarity. In fact, the familiarity of this monstrosity makes it all the worse. The fact that it has all become routine is a measure of our brokenness as a nation. And yet we must bear witness to the fresh grief of the families of the slain.
And we must not give up.
We must remember that, no matter how bleak things become, they can always get worse, and they can always get better, and our actions will affect what happens next.
We must remember that Republicans in our state legislature passed a bill that would allow guns on school property, if kept in cars. The end of schools as gun-free zones has not become law for one reason alone: Governor Evers vetoed it. More radical and extreme gun bills are on their way. Reelecting Governor Evers—and ensuring that Democrats in the state legislature have enough votes to sustain his veto—is one way to affirm that we are not powerless in the face of this bloodshed and despair.
We must remember that Attorney General Kaul and Democrats in the legislature have renewed Governor Evers’s call for the legislature to take action on red flag laws and universal background checks, which would keep guns out of the hands of some of those most prone to use them to kill. We need these voices of reason in our state government—and we cannot hand the keys to Republicans who think the solution to gun violence is more guns.
We must remember that, in the Senate, every single Democrat supports universal background checks. We just need another senator or two to have the votes to change filibuster rules. And this November, we have the chance to oust Ron Johnson and replace him with someone who shares the values of the overwhelming majority of Wisconsinites—that we don’t have to accept these slayings as inevitable.
Neither Andrea nor Roberta have Primary opponents so it was possible for the DoorDems to support their campaigns from day-one. Baring a disaster of some bureaucratic sort both will appear on the November general election ballot.
Watch the web calendar for events sponsored by Indivisible and Door Dems where you can meet these two superb candidates and support their campaigns.
As of June 1 there are 270+ members of the Democratic Party of Door County (depending on how you count families and spouses). Thanks to the hard work of Membership Chair Carol Jensen-Olson and coordination with the Democratic Party of Wissconsin, this is the most members ever.
Now we need to turn members into volunteers! Go to DorDems.org to find out ways you can help!
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