It’s dizzying.

And it’s time to focus.

Today, the Democratic Party of Wisconsin is moving into general election mode.

Three of the four leading candidates for Senate ended their campaigns and endorsed Mandela Barnes this week, and Republicans have begun their attacks on the candidate poised to become our official nominee. Ron Johnson and the GOP want a ten-day head start so that they can define this race before the August 9 primary results are announced.

Normally, the Democratic Party of Wisconsin is neutral until a primary campaign is over. But in unusual circumstances, our state party Constitution empowers party units to request an endorsement vote of the Administrative Committee. Yesterday, accordingly, four party units made such a request, and this hour, the Administrative Committee completed its vote, with an overwhelming margin voting in favor.

This email marks the announcement that the Democratic Party of Wisconsin is endorsing Mandela Barnes for the United States Senate. The process of transitioning to the general election begins now.

The fight is on.

* * *

Let’s retrace how we got here.

A week ago, the Democratic primary for Senate had an eight-way primary, with four candidates polling above 1% and every candidate running a spirited, positive campaign.

And then, in the space of five days, three of those candidates—Tom Nelson, then Alex Lasry, and then Sarah Godlewski—suspended their campaigns, and endorsed Lt. Gov Mandela Barnes.

Suddenly, the result of the primary became a near certainty. Ron Johnson immediately went on the attack. Governor Evers and Senator Baldwin, who, like the DPW, had maintained their neutrality in the primary up until now, endorsed Mandela, joined by all three members of Wisconsin’s Congressional delegation. And four Democratic Party of Wisconsin units—the Waukesha, Racine, and Portage County Dems, and the LGBTQ caucus—recommended that the DPW endorse Mandela Barnes.

There are 101 days until November 8. Ten of those days take place before the polls close in the August 9 primary. But the GOP isn’t waiting—they’re coming now. The Democratic Party of Wisconsin very rarely endorses during primaries, and without an endorsement, it cannot partner with a campaign to respond to GOP attacks. With an endorsement, however, the party can punch back; can equip organizers and volunteers with information about the nominee, to debunk GOP lies; and can jump into integrating the campaign and the state party operation which, to this moment, have remained separate.

Article VIII, Section 1 of our state party Constitution indicates that, ordinarily, the party is “prohibited from endorsing or supporting” any candidate in a partisan primary. But our party’s Constitution contains an exception: in, as the Constitution says, “unusual circumstances,” local party units can recommend an endorsement to the statewide administrative committee, which can approve the request with a two-thirds vote.

After the request for endorsement, members of the Administrative Committee cast their ballots. The results, tallied moments ago, were decisive. More than two thirds of the Committee voted to endorse. Now, we can initiate general election operations that will be crucial to allowing our Senate candidate to be successful in what is sure to be one of the most competitive races in the country.

During this period, the party’s organizing and communication will be focused not on Democratic primary voters, but on persuadable general election voters—those who would likely vote Democratic if they did vote, but are at risk of not voting at all, and those who might go for either party’s nominee.

In other words, the endorsement is moving now to win the general election. How to vote in the primary itself is of course up to each individual, and many have already voted; the primary ballot includes eight names, although only five are still actively campaigning. (If you previously voted via mail and now want to change your vote, contact your clerk as soon as possible about “spoiling” your ballot; you’ll be issued a new one.)

All of the candidates in the primary have run spirited, overwhelmingly positive campaigns focused on their own records and values, the necessity of defeating Ron Johnson, and their visions for a better future. Steven Olikara, Peter Peckarsky, Kou Lee, and Darryl Williams remain in the race; like the three candidates who just endorsed Mandela and stepped away, all have earned our respect and gratitude. Regardless of how any of us vote, I hope that we can all join in thanking every candidate for their courage in entering this race, their integrity, and for their work to advance our values.

In the Senate race, the nation’s eyes are on us. Each day brings fresh evidence of the urgency of defeating Ron Johnson. From recent revelations about his role in the January 6 attempted coup to the Republican obstruction of veterans health legislation this past week, from cynical opposition to the Inflation Reduction Act to his ongoing effort to pick the pockets of middle-class and working-class Wisconsinites in order to line the pockets of his ultra-wealthy, ultra-MAGA benefactors, Ron Johnson keeps raising the stakes in what could be the most significant and hard-fought Senate race in America. Defeating him—by replacing him with Mandela Barnes, son of a public school teacher and a third-shift auto worker, a Wisconsin Democrat who will work every bit as hard as his constituents do to support their families—must be our unified aim.

No matter your journey to this moment, I hope you’ll join me in devoting every iota of your will to defeating Ron Johnson, reelecting Governor Evers and Attorney General Kaul, and electing Democrats up and down the ticket. That is our one path to saving our democracy, in a time of tremendous peril.

As they say, things change gradually—and then suddenly. We’re in a new chapter of a political moment that will be recounted in the history books. Let’s unify, focus, and enter the political fight of our lives.

In solidarity,

Ben

FIGHT

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