Senator Rob Hutton (R – Brookfield) looks at one of the first cards to be distributed. In the bottom left photo I provide a few details on our new organization to Senator Duey Stroebel (R – Saukville), and I talked with Senator Julian Bradley (R – Franklin, bottom right photo)
The week after the first public appearance on behalf of the newly formed Wisconsin Faith & Freedom Coalition (WFFC), and the ensuing 53-46 passage of the pro-life AB975 supported by our affiliated national 501c4, we distributed our new business cards at our second public appearance last night.
We truly appreciate the Senators being so generous with their time – as they were with other Wisconsinites. This is particularly appreciated since WWFC cannot make political contributions or even endorse candidates, and yet elected officials let us update them on our new organization with the first business cards with the QR code taking them and other attendees to https://wisconsinffc.com/ for more information.
In the top photo, Senator Rob Hutton (R – Brookfield) looks at one of the first cards to be distributed. In the bottom left photo I provide a few details on our new organization to Senator Duey Stroebel (R – Saukville), and I talked with Senator Julian Bradley (R – Franklin, bottom right photo) just before leaving.
During the get-together, a new announcement from the consultants hired by the new liberal majority Wisconsin Supreme Court that went even further than some of us expected – basically ruling out every legislative map drawn by a conservative entity and ruling that any and all legislative maps drawn by a liberal entity could be the basis for the new maps. Democratic Governor Evers hailed the decision, less than two years after his Administration’s maps violated such key standards (e.g. creating MORE legislative districts out of a county that was shrinking in population) that the US Supreme Court took the unusual step of throwing Evers maps out.
It appears the new maps will require a number of Republican incumbents to either move to a new area, run against a fellow Republican, or retire.
In this new climate in which many voters will choose between candidates who have never appeared on their ballot before, our plans to distribute hundreds of thousands of candidate guides like the one shown to the right, comparing the positions of Mandela Barnes (on the left) and Ron Johnson (on the right) seem more important than ever.
The issues will likely be similar to that comparison. For example, while the first issue on the Johnson vs. Barnes’ comparison was “Abortion on Demand,” a comparison this year in a legislative race might be based on how incumbents voted on AB 975 below, and on how challengers tell us they would vote on the same issue. Likewise the “Protect Girls’ Sports” comparison below might be based on how an Assembly Member voted on AB 377 and 378 and how the challengers say they would have voted on those issues.
If a challenger agrees with the incumbent vote then both would have the same YES or NO in their column. In some cases a challenger has not stated a position on an issue and does not answer our questionnaire, and thus “unclear” appears in their column.
Below is the background on these potential bills as two examples.
Abortion:
Assembly Bill 975 – Some Wisconsinites believe the state’s abortion law should remain more liberal than 45 of 47 European states, allowing abortion at least up to the current state law of 20 weeks into the pregnancy. A NO vote (46 Legislators) on AB 975 is closer to their position, keeping the law at 20 weeks. Other Wisconsinites believe abortions should be stopped earlier – for some as early as conception and for others at some point in the first 14 weeks. A YES vote (53 Legislators) on AB975 is closer to their position, eliminating late term abortions currently allowed and letting legislators know that public opinion is more pro-life than the current law. Roll Call Passed 53-46 – click for how your legislator voted. (the heading of the roll call is a bit deceiving as it does not convey that a YES vote allows FEWER abortions and vice versa).
As noted, our 501c4 national affiliate state support for the pro-life position, in favor of AB 975, and you can click here for our testimony in favor. (We are checking with the Wisconsin Ethics Commission to make sure this is reflected as a lobbyist registration in favor on public records).
Protecting Women’s and Girls’ Sports:
Assembly Bill 377 (girls) and Assembly Bill 378 (college women) – Some Wisconsinites believe biological men or boys should be allowed to participate on women’s or girls’ sports teams if that is how they identify. A NO vote (35 legislators) represents their position. Other Wisconsinites believe only women and girls should be allowed to compete against each other. A YES vote (63 legislators) represents their position. The roll calls are identical for both bills, so click for how your legislator voted on only allowing women in women’s sports.
We will continue to research bills and/or add legislative questionnaires to document Legislator’s positions on issues similar to the other issues below before producing a comparison with footnotes like the one below distributed by the national organization in 2022. We will invite all candidates to submit answers or other material so that we can best reflect their position on issues similar to the comparison below.
In 2022, the national Faith and Freedom Coalition knocked on 9.1 million doors, an average of 182,000 per state, and left comparisons like the one below at each of those homes unless a home refused one. We hope to knock on many more doors in Wisconsin in 2024 now that our state organization is in place and are happy to meet with any legislator or someone who plans to run for office – just as we started to do Thursday.
