First of all, I want to congratulate Dan Kelly on his primary win last night as he advances to the general election in April. I also want to thank Judge Jennifer Dorow for running an honest, classy campaign. She was eloquent in her concession speech and IMMEDIATELY and UNEQUIVOCALLY endorsed Dan Kelly. She stayed above the fray the whole time I look forward to her next chapter.
No, I did not support Dan Kelly in the primary, and I have also publically voiced concerns about the campaign and surrogates going negative against Jennifer Dorow, etc. That being said, I have NEVER questioned his ability and record as a Justice on the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
While I was disappointed in the result, this is the hand we have been dealt. I hope my nearly 200,000 fellow Jennifer Dorow supporters join me in supporting Dan Kelly going forward. Only a united front will help us protect the Wisconsin Supreme Court from an Extremist court that will take over if we fail. There is too much at stake for rehashing petty primary squabbles at this time.
Janet Protasiewicz is extreme and dangerous. If she prevails and the Liberals take control, WE WILL LIKELY LOSE EVERYTHING WE HAVE FOUGHT FOR OVER THE PAST 20 YEARS. We will lose the Current Maps, Concealed Carry, Voter ID, School Choice, Right to Work, Act 10, etc.
So, suck it up, roll up your sleeves, and get to work. Nuff said? Now the reality check.
This battle, and it will be a battle, is already against the odds. Janet Protasiewicz has become a fundraising machine and will raise Millions from out of state. We simply cannot compete financially, so we must be smart.
Unfortunately, this is made much harder by the absolutely dismal numbers out of Dane and Milwaukee Counties on Tuesday. Let me begin by saying, I would be raising the same concerns if Jennifer Dorow had won, so do not assume this is sour grapes. In fact, I have been raising them for a while now.
The historical INEPT Leadership in DANE and MILWAUKEE has been bleeding turnout for many years now and shows no signs of getting better; unless there are drastic changes immediately.
The combined percentage between Dan Kelly and Jennifer Dorow in Milwaukee County was an anemic 31.51%, this has been a disturbing trend in Milwaukee County for years now. And then there’s Dane County, where the bleeding is even worse, Dane got an absolutely PATHETIC 17.29%.
We had two great Conservative candidates on the ballot and this failure of Dane and Milwaukee Leadership to get out the vote is UNACCEPTABLE! Dan Kelly will have to grow his base and attract independents. But how is he expected to accomplish this when our two largest counties cannot even get the Conservative choir to show up?
So now the Kelly campaign will have to waste time on getting Conservatives, who should already be in his camp, instead of growing the base so he can win. Incidentally, we saw the same thing happen to Tim Michels last November. I know in a perfect world, 100% of Conservatives will show up and support Kelly, but even if they did, IT’S CLEARLY NOT ENOUGH! Dan Kelly needs to expand the base, and quickly.
Wisconsin Republicans and Conservatives need a major course correction in Milwaukee and Dane Counties or we have already lost.
As luck would have it Dane and Milwaukee County both have Republican Caucuses this coming weekend, and there are leadership challenges to the current regimes. Remember Einstein’s definition of insanity? It’s time to stop doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting a different result. ONLY CHANGING THE LEADERSHIP CAN YIELD A DIFFERENT COURSE.
I have written several articles on both MILWAUKEE COUNTY and DANE COUNTY leadership and I didn’t pull any punches.
Let’s get Dan Kelly a much-needed boost by changing leadership in BOTH Milwaukee County and Dane County. Show up on Saturday morning and affect that change so we can right this ship and start heading on a winning trajectory. Right now, it’s not looking that great based on these numbers. It’s literally in your hands.
