Last night, Wisconsin elected Susan Crawford to the State Supreme Court in a decisive victory.  This win is a true mandate by the voters, showing that Wisconsin is neither for sale nor willing to move backward.  Similarly, Jill Underly’s critical re-election victory for State Superintendent of Public Instruction over a pro-voucher lobbyist affirms that Wisconsin stands firmly for public education. 

Every county in Wisconsin shifted left, and Kenosha was no exception. The KUSD school board election proved local voters reject extremist candidates pushing vouchers, restricting educators, banning books and underfunding public schools. The expectation of some was that either Rebecca Stevens or Carl Bryan would win—but both defeating their Republican/Moms for Liberty-backed opponents speaks volumes.

These wins didn’t happen by chance.

Since January, an energized wave of volunteers turned out to support pro-democracy, pro-public education candidates. Concerns about battle fatigue were unfounded; instead, we saw our ranks grow, with young and diverse activists stepping up across the county and even from Chicago.  Young and old, progressive, liberal, and left of center canvassers knocked on doors, including west of the interstate with our Westosha neighborhood team. They engaged with voters about the importance of the races in the spring election and made the stakes very clear. And voters responded at the polls. This is both exciting and hopeful for the future of our county party.

We are so grateful for everyone who saw the vision and worked with our candidates to make it a reality.

At 5:45 PM last night, Election Day, as I vacuumed the KCDP office after our team had closed the staging location, a woman rushed in—she had worked late but insisted on canvassing the last two turfs on the sheet and talking to as many voters as possible before the polls closed. That relentless dedication defines our KCDP movement. As chair, I am proud of the positive, inclusive momentum we are building and will continue to do so as a board and as a party. Kenosha is organizing, growing, and winning.

Lori Hawkins, Chair

Kenosha County Democratic Party