Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Ben Wikler speaks at a climate rally outside Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson's Madison office. On Sunday Wikler announced his bid to lead the Democratic National Committee.(Henry Redman | Wisconsin Examiner)

Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Ben Wikler announced Sunday that he is running for chair of the Democratic National Committee. 

In a launch video, Wikler described the “permanent campaign” he has created in Wisconsin. After Democrats lost the White House in November and failed to gain a majority in either chamber of Congress, the national party is searching for new leadership and a new strategy. Wikler, in his video, said his record in Wisconsin, a closely divided swing state, can serve as a model. 

Under Wikler’s leadership, Wisconsin Democrats reelected Democratic Gov. Tony Evers in 2022 by a wider margin than Evers won four years earlier. In the most recent election, Democrats reduced large Republican majorities in both houses of the state Legislature, flipping 14 formerly Republican-held state legislative seats. 

Those legislative victories came after Wikler and state Democrats helped elect a new liberal majority on the state Supreme Court, setting in motion a process that ended gerrymandered voting maps that had heavily favored Republicans.

Wikler, a prodigious fundraiser, helped the Wisconsin Democrats raise more than $53 million in the last election cycle, according to Open Secrets, more than any other state party in the country. He also opened new Democratic field offices throughout the state and has made it the party’s mission to compete in rural, urban, red and blue areas alike. 

“This past election, the nation shifted 6% towards Trump — but Wisconsin only shifted by 1.5%, the least of any battleground state,” Wikler said in announcing his campaign for national party chair.

“I have led the Democratic Party of Wisconsin for the last five years, helping to transform it into an organizing, fundraising and winning machine,” he said, adding, “I’m now running for chair of the Democratic National Committee to supercharge our work in every state.” 

Echoing former DNC Chair Howard Dean’s call for a “50-state strategy,” Wikler said, “For Democrats to move forward, we must build a big tent, organize and communicate in every place and on every platform, and find the resources, people, and focus to reach voters who currently get their news about Democrats from Republicans.”

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The Democratic National Committee is putting mobile billboards in nearly a dozen metro areas that could be crucial in determining the outcome of the presidential election. (Getty images photo illustration)

WASHINGTON — The Democratic National Committee is rounding out its $7 million in spending on the “I Will Vote” campaign by putting mobile billboards in nearly a dozen metro areas that could be crucial in determining the outcome of the presidential election.

The billboards are intended to increase turnout and direct voters to the DNC’s I Will Vote website that provides information about polling locations and educational materials.

The mobile billboards are set to drive around Ann Arbor and Detroit, Michigan; Atlanta, Georgia; Charlotte and Raleigh, North Carolina; Las Vegas, Nevada; Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Tempe, Arizona.

DNC Chair Jaime Harrison said in a written statement that the I Will Vote campaign “is a testament to Democrats’ commitment to and investment in the many communities that make up our strong coalition of voters.”

“Throughout this campaign, Democrats have worked with diverse vendors and talent that are reflective of our values as a party and the communities that we are reaching with the campaign,” Harrison said. “This entire election cycle, the Democratic Party has not taken a single vote or community for granted and used every opportunity to engage with the pivotal members of our party that will take us over the finish line on Election Day by electing Democrats up and down the ballot.”

Previous DNC “I Will Vote” mobile billboards have been directed at Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, Black, Haitian, Latino, LGBTQ+, Native American and rural voters, according to the announcement. The billboards have also run in nine different languages.

The DNC spent around $200,000 on this final round of mobile billboards.

More than 1 million people have visited the DNC’s I Will Vote website since its launch. Voting information can also be found at vote.gov and vote.org.

Any civil rights violations regarding voting can be reported to the Department of Justice by calling 800-253-3931 or by filling out a report online.

The DNC is hoping the billboards help Vice President Kamala Harris win the 270 Electoral College votes needed to become the country’s next president.

Polls show tight race

Harris has been polling closely, often within the margin of error, with Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in the key battleground races that will determine the next commander-in-chief.

The nonpartisan Cook Political Report with Amy Walter places Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin in the toss-up column for the presidential race, meaning Harris and Trump are relatively evenly matched to win those states’ Electoral College votes.

Walter, publisher and editor-in-chief, wrote in her final analysis released Friday that “(p)olling averages suggest that Trump has a narrow lead in Arizona, Georgia and North Carolina. If he won all three, that would add up to 260 electoral votes, ten votes shy of an Electoral College victory.”

“Harris has a tiny lead in Michigan and Wisconsin,” Walter added. “If she wins both, she’ll still be 19 votes shy of 270. Nevada and Pennsylvania are currently tied in the 538 average. In that scenario, neither candidate could win without Pennsylvania.”

But, Walter writes in her article that “dramatic scenario isn’t one that we’ve seen in the last two cycles.”

“Instead, almost all of the battleground states have ultimately broken to one candidate. In 2016, Trump carried all but Nevada. In 2020, Biden carried all but North Carolina,” Walter wrote. “Moreover, analyst Ron Brownstein has noted that in every presidential election but one since 1980, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin have voted for the same candidate.”

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Green Party candidate Jill Stein, seen here in 2016.(Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

The Republican-connected Badger Values PAC is spending in Wisconsin to boost Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein, according to a report from the Washington Post. 

The spending is a sign that some think third party presidential candidates in Wisconsin, a key battleground state, could influence the outcome of the contest between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. Three third-party candidates — Stein, Robert F. Kennedy and Cornel West — will appear on Wisconsin ballots, though Kennedy, who has been seen as a potential spoiler for Trump, has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to get his name removed since he dropped out and endorsed Trump, filing his appeal after early voting started in the state.

Stein, who remained on the ballot in Wisconsin after the state Supreme Court decided not to hear a challenge brought by Democrats, is seen as a potential spoiler for Harris. 

Wisconsin’s election results are known for being close with the last two presidential elections decided by about 20,000 votes. A recent Marquette University Law School poll released on Oct. 16 found that the presidential race nationally remains extremely tight, with Harris being the choice for 48% of likely voters and Republican former President Donald Trump is the choice of 47% among likely voters.

Mailers sent by Badger Values PAC this year in Wisconsin have been attacking Vice President Kamala Harris, while speaking favorably of Stein. 

“As President, JILL STEIN Would End Pollution in Our Great Lakes and Rivers,” one mailer stated. “Kamala Harris and Co. Don’t Care About Our Environment. VOTE FOR JILL STEIN by November 5th.”

The independent group registered with the FEC on Sept. 24 to spend on federal elections, and has the same address and treasurer as a group by the same name that registered in Wisconsin in July 2022. Badger Values PAC spent $407,483 during the 2022 Wisconsin attorney general race, including $137,000 on television ads to support Adam Jarchow, a former state representative, during the Republican primary. During that campaign, Jarchow described himself as “pro-life,” saying that an 1849 criminal law should be enforced to ban abortion in the state.

Les Williamson, the group’s treasurer, has worked for Republican groups in the past, including working for the National Republican Senatorial Committee and serving as treasurer to other super PACs that supported Republicans in races in New Hampshire and this year’s Montana Senate race. 

As of Oct. 25, the group has spent about $982,900 on 2024 federal elections, including about $307,000 for Stein. 

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) said in a statement responding to news of the spending that Stein has no chance of winning, but Republicans think she could deliver a win for Trump. The DNC has also recently launched ads in Wisconsin, as well as other swing states, against Stein. 

“That’s why Republicans are spending heavily in battleground states like Wisconsin to prop up her spoiler candidacy and manipulate voters,” DNC Communications Advisor Lis Smith said. “Republican operatives like Badger Values PAC couldn’t make it any clearer — a vote for Stein is a vote for Trump.”

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The Democratic National Committee announced Friday it plans to send $2.5 million to state parties. In this photo, signs marking states’ seating sections are installed and adjusted ahead of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on Aug. 15, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

The Democratic National Committee will send $2.5 million to more than 30 of its state and territorial parties in the closing weeks of the 2024 election cycle, the DNC said in a Friday statement.

With the new grants, national Democrats will have contributed to all 57 state and territorial chapters for the first time in a presidential cycle, according to the party.

“From the school board to the White House, the DNC is doing the work to elect Democrats to office at all levels of government,” DNC Chair Jaime Harrison said in the statement, given to States Newsroom ahead of a wider announcement.

“We are the only committee responsible for building Democratic infrastructure to win elections across the map, and with a new $2.5 million in grants, the DNC is delivering a multi-million dollar investment across all 57 state parties this cycle – a historic first for our committee.”

The new grants go beyond the seven swing states considered ultra-competitive in the presidential election that have gotten the lion’s share of attention and spending at the national level — and the handful with key U.S. Senate races that have also attracted a national focus.

Though some grants are relatively small, they represent a commitment by the national party to states across the country, including traditionally red states, Democrats said.

Field workers in Idaho

In Idaho, where Democrats hold just 18 of the 105 seats in the Legislature, a more-than $70,000 commitment from the national party will fund two field workers to reach Hispanic voters in two rural counties and tribal members on the Nez Perce Reservation, state party chair and state Rep. Lauren Necochea said.

Necochea, who spoke with States Newsroom in a Thursday interview ahead of the official announcement, said the funding was significant both for the symbolism of the national party’s investment in the overwhelmingly Republican state and for campaign operations this fall.

“We’re just gratified to see that this investment hit all 57 states and territories for the first time … so that no state is left behind,” she said. “We’re a traditionally red state, and that means we need the funding to fight back.”

The two organizers funded by the national money will help boost turnout in the state’s four battleground state legislative districts, Necochea said.

“This level of investment is also meaningful when it comes to winning races and getting out the vote,” she said, noting that a race in the last cycle was decided by 37 votes.

The outcomes in those races could determine which faction of the state’s Republican Party — either the hard right or the more moderate wing — will control the legislative agenda next session, she said.

The Democratic minority in the Legislature sometimes partners with moderate Republicans on legislation to fund education and health care programs, including maintaining the state’s Medicaid expansion, Necochea said.

“It is essential for state government to continue operating that we have a critical mass of Democrats in the Idaho Legislature,” she said.

Other grants

The DNC provided a partial list of the spending included in Friday’s announcement. State parties are free to use the funds as they wish, a DNC spokesman said. The national party noted some state organizations had already determined how to allocate the money.

Many state organizations planned to pursue outreach to voters of color, including in tribal communities.

Some examples of the spending and objectives, according to the DNC:

• Florida: More than $400,000 for statewide programs targeting “key coalitions.”

• Oregon: $125,000 to help the state party’s efforts in three key U.S. House races.

• Pennsylvania: $100,000 “to supercharge voter outreach” in the only presidential battleground state on the new list. A portion of the funding will target the state’s large Puerto Rican community, the DNC said.

• Minnesota: At least $100,000 to boost the state’s paid canvassing campaign. The new funding brings the total DNC allocation to the state to about $630,000, according to the party. The canvassing effort will help protect Democrats’ slim majorities in both legislative chambers.

• Missouri: “Nearly $100,000” for new organizing staff focused on breaking GOP supermajorities in both statehouse chambers and passing an abortion ballot measure.

• Maryland: $75,000 for the state party’s mail program, with a focus on reaching Asian American and Pacific Islander voters, a growing segment of the state’s voting base, the DNC said. The DNC noted its support for U.S. Senate candidate Angela Alsobrooks, calling her race against former GOP Gov. Larry Hogan critical to protecting reproductive rights.

• South Carolina: More than $70,000 for a get-out-the-vote staffer, focusing on outreach to new voters.

• Maine: $61,250 for three staffers to focus get-out-the-vote efforts in rural parts of U.S. Rep. Jared Golden’s swing district.

• Arkansas: Nearly $60,000 to hire six coalition directors targeting young, Black and Latino voters, including Spanish-speaking organizers. It’s the first DNC spending in Arkansas this cycle.

• Louisiana: $55,000 for an organizer to help the state party reach voters in the new majority-Black 6th Congressional District.

• Kansas: $50,000 for paid canvassing efforts to break GOP supermajorities in both legislative chambers.

• Oklahoma: $50,000 to help the state party’s outreach to tribal communities.

• Virginia: $50,000 for the state party’s get-out-the-vote and voter contact programs, focusing on two competitive U.S. House races.

• West Virginia: $50,000 for get-out-the-vote and paid mail programs targeting “youth and minority voters” who could affect four competitive state legislative races.

• North Dakota: Nearly $40,000 for get-out-the-vote efforts and organizing in tribal communities.

• New Jersey: “Five figures” will go to get-out-the-vote operations in all state races, with a particular focus on Rep. Andy Kim’s U.S. Senate race against Republican Curtis Bashaw. It’s the first DNC spending in the Garden State this cycle.

• Tennessee: An unspecified amount to help the state party “build on the organizing momentum” it has seen in the past year.