Democrats in Wisconsin dominated across the board this spring, securing an impartial progressive Supreme Court majority until 2030 by electing Judge Chris Taylor, and pulling off the upset of the century by electing Democrat Alicia Halvensleben to be the Mayor of Waukesha, beating an entrenched Republican State Representative in a historically conservative stronghold. This is the second statewide election victory following Donald Trump beating Vice President Kamala Harris for the White House, securing Wisconsin in the process. However, another story that is not reaching mainstream headlines is that Black Wisconsinites were elected to local office across the state in urban, suburban, and rural communities.
As a caucus, Wisconsin Black Democrats endorsed and supported 12 candidates running for office this spring, with 80% of them being elected.
We ran the table on the Racine City Council, securing a pro-democracy majority by reelecting Alders Marlo Harmon and Sam Peete, as well as electing two new faces: public school educator Alyson Weiss and health care professional Brittany Hodges. In Dane County, we expanded representation in the suburbs by reelecting Alder Donald Dantzler to the Fitchburg City Council and electing Gussie Lewis and Goodwill Obieze to the County Board. These are some of the notable victories our caucus took action on, but these aren’t the only highlights.
From David Lux’s county board election for Kenosha County Board to Jacob Amos winning a seat on the Oshkosh Common Council to the city of Menominee electing Camden Hargrove to their council, Black Wisconsinites won in majority-white communities. Even small communities like Barron in the northwestern part of the state elected Faisal Ahmed to their common council, the second Black Wisconsinite to serve in this role.
These victories are nothing new. Over the last five years, Wisconsin Democrats have elected Black Wisconsinites in offices within every Congressional District. Our state has had the unfortunate titles of being one of the most segregated states in the Union and the worst place to raise a Black child; yet these leaders overcame barriers, seen, hidden, and unspoken. What these results should affirm in Wisconsin is that even during the era of Donald Trump, Black candidates can win statewide, and we have the power to change the culture of communities at a time.
What we believe as a caucus for the Democratic Party of Wisconsin and what every Black Wisconsinite elected to these offices knows is that in order to combat bigotry and eliminate it long-term, we have to normalize Black leadership in all spaces. As we speak, Trump and his Republican Party continue to identify and execute tactics to undercut, remove, and delegitimize Black leadership and political power in this country; Wisconsin is not an exception.
As Black Caucus Chair, I believe that it should be one of the Democratic Party’s top priorities to combat this by investing in our communities’ collective political power. Cycle after cycle, Democrats expect Black voters to deliver statewide election victories while constantly battling misinformation, attacks on our leadership, policy shortfalls out of our control, and a broken institution we did not even build. Yet we’ve continued to show up by being the most consistent voting block for Democrats and standing by the party in the toughest of times. Our communities’ practicality in understanding the political landscape and how things could get worse for us is not a reflection of party loyalty, but love for our nation’s potential for true liberty and justice for all.
To win and break the wheel, we can’t just rely on turning out to secure statewide wins; we must secure our seat at the table and finish the job. Business as usual is not going to work; that is why, as the Black Caucus for the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, we have begun transforming our organization by forming a political party committee in the State of Wisconsin. This gives us the ability to be an independent voice in the Democratic Party that can build on the success of these victories.
As a caucus, we are grateful that Young Democrats as well as county Democratic parties like La Crosse, Eau Claire, Racine, Kenosha, Winnebago, Fond du Lac, and Dunn have supported high-quality candidates running for office who happen to be Black. However, as a caucus, we must now play a much larger role than we have in the past.
We must be a beacon of hope, power, and advocacy for Black Wisconsinites and Democrats across our state. Build community amongst each other from Milwaukee to Eau Claire. Continue to elect Black Wisconsinites and allies who share our values in all levels of government. Advocate for a Black policy agenda, so when we secure a Democratic trifecta, Black Wisconsinites are no longer forgotten and get the justice and opportunity we deserve like everyone else. Where we uplift our stories and common struggles with all of Wisconsin by cultivating Black voices, continue to organize long-term to get out the vote and continue these victories by nurturing our leadership to create and maintain stability.
This is what the Democratic Party needs to do, to build on the successes of this spring and win long-term. Our party cannot beat facism and win long-term without our communities’ collective power. As a Black Caucus, this is our number one priority, but it requires partnership and collaboration from across the Democratic apparatus. As Chair and a leader with Wisconsin Democrats for over a decade, I believe that this vision is possible, but we cannot wait; we must lead and continue fighting for progress by any means necessary.
Nick Truog is Black Caucus Chair for Wisconsin Democrats.
