What Wisconsin conservatives can do in the final two weeks
In 1992, Bill Clinton’s campaign manager, James Carville, helped focus a presidential campaign on one central message: “It’s the economy, stupid.”
Find your county by visiting https://wisconsinffc.com/2026/10/06/wi-races-in-your-county/.
President George H. W. Bush had enjoyed an approval rating of 89% following the Gulf War. But Carville understood that endless advertising and arguments about national events would not necessarily determine the election. The campaign needed to focus voters on the issue that mattered most to their daily lives: the economy.
Wisconsin conservatives need a similar focus in the final two weeks of the 2026 campaign.
It’s the Assembly, stupid.
If you want to help determine Wisconsin’s future, don’t assume you can make up minds that weren’t changed by statewide advertisements or partisan fliers at doors. Focus on the local races where personal conversations, side-by-side candidate comparisons, and a few committed volunteers can make a real difference.
More than $100 million on both sides—and it’s still Crowley +4
Consider the spending reported in Wisconsin’s statewide campaign:
| 2026 Wisconsin campaign | TV ad spending | Third-party partisan spending reported by WisPolitics |
| Pro-Tiffany (R) | $53 million | $54.8 million |
| Pro-Crowley (D) | $35 million | $21.6 million |
These figures illustrate the enormous resources being directed toward statewide races. And basically every poll still shows Crowley ahead by four points. The polls could be wrong. They have been five points off before, so maybe Tiffany wins—but the point is that the numbers have not moved a bit in either direction while more than $100 million has been spent on advertising and partisan door hangers, because those things don’t start discussions that change hearts and minds.
In a local Assembly race, even in the last two weeks, the equation can be very different.
One active conservative who talks to neighbors, shares a clear comparison of the candidates, and encourages friends and family to vote can help reach people who might otherwise tune out the political noise and sit at home on Election Day. That includes the 96,000 conservatives who go to church and say they will stay home unless and until they hear about Josh Kaul talking about Catholic Charities’ tax-exempt status or learn that a YES vote on Question 2 would let churches stay open the next time there is a case like COVID. That message can spread like concentric circles through a lake.
You just need a simple one-pager to hand someone to start that conversation—whether you are at church, at work, or talking to neighbors.
Air power alone doesn’t win every war
After World War I, military leaders once believed that air power would make ground troops unnecessary. History has repeatedly demonstrated the limits of relying on one tool to accomplish everything.
It is tempting to believe that enough television advertising, enough negative mail, and enough repetition will move voters without the hard work of personal engagement. But campaign advertising cannot replace every conversation at a front door, every discussion among friends, or every opportunity to compare two candidates’ records and positions side by side.
That grassroots work is especially important in the final two weeks.
Wisconsin’s future may depend on whether enough conservative voters understand their local Assembly choices and decide to go to the voting booth.
We’ve made the comparisons. Now help distribute them.
Wisconsin Faith and Freedom has spent months preparing side-by-side candidate comparisons for races across the state. The goal is simple: give you something useful to share with people in your own community.
The comparison links are now organized by county.
Here’s what to do:
- Find your county by visiting https://wisconsinffc.com/2026/10/06/wi-races-in-your-county/.
- Click the comparison link for a race in your county or a nearby district.
- Print the comparison and review it before sharing.
- Take copies to friends, family, coworkers, and church acquaintances.
- Start a conversation and encourage people to learn about the candidates and make a plan to vote.
You don’t need to be a professional campaigner. You don’t need to buy advertising. You don’t need to reach thousands of strangers.
Start with the people you already know.
Need printed copies? Here are three options.
If printing at home isn’t convenient, printed comparisons are also available through these contacts:
Southeast Wisconsin
Kelly Herrell
414-795-1445
Includes CD1 comparisons.
Northeast Wisconsin
Wendy Johnson
920-241-1962
Includes CD8 comparisons.
Western Wisconsin — Wednesday, October 21
Wisconsin Faith and Freedom is sponsoring an event featuring Pastor Rob McCoy.
- Time: 7:00 p.m.
- Location: Kilkarney Hills Banquet Facility
- Address: 163 Radio Road, River Falls, WI 54022
- Contact: John Pudner, 404-606-3163
John will be on hand to say a few words and distribute some of the 200,000 voter comparisons produced for distribution, including CD3 comparisons.
What can you do for your state?
Maybe the polls are off by five points. Maybe Tom Tiffany wins a typical Wisconsin cliffhanger. Maybe David Crowley wins by a larger margin than expected.
Whatever happens statewide, the state legislative races deserve serious attention.
The question facing Wisconsin voters isn’t simply who wins the headlines or who runs the most television ads. It’s also who represents their communities in Madison—and what those legislators will do with the power entrusted to them.
The Assembly races are part of the larger contest over Wisconsin’s direction for years to come. If you care about the state’s future, don’t overlook the local contests while watching the statewide scoreboard.
We’ve done the work to make candidate comparisons accessible. Now we need people willing to put them to use.
Find your county. Print the comparisons. Share them. Talk to your neighbors. Encourage people to vote.
In 1992, the message was “It’s the economy, stupid.”
For Wisconsin conservatives in the final two weeks of this campaign, the message should be just as direct:
It’s the Assembly, stupid.
If someone wants Wisconsin to basically become Illinois or Minnesota for years to come, they can vote left in their local Assembly race. If they don’t want that, they can vote right in their Assembly race. Or they can stay at home—unless you are the one to let them know there is an Assembly race and that Question 2 is also on the ballot to determine whether churches can decide to stay open the next time there is a similar situation.
Find your county by visiting https://wisconsinffc.com/2026/10/06/wi-races-in-your-county/.
