Capitol Report
By State Representative, Leon D. Young
Leon D. Young
Next Tuesday, August 14, is a very important day for our state. It marks the date of the 2018 Partisan Primary Election and much is at stake.
Clearly, the marquee matchup on this year’s primary ballot is the gubernatorial contest. Eight Democrats are running in the August 14 primary to determine who will face Scott Walker in November.
However, there are a sundry of other crucial races for voters to consider that include:
• Governor and Lt. Governor
• Attorney General
• Secretary of State
• State Treasurer
• U.S. Senator
• Representatives in Congress
• State Senators (odd- numbered districts)
• Representatives to the Assembly (all districts), and
• County offices of Sheriff, Clerk of Court and Coroner (where applicable).
To illustrate the significance of each and every vote, and that every vote matters, one needs to look no further than the ominous election results in 2016 presidential campaign. True enough, Trump got more Electoral College votes than Hillary Clinton, thanks to having won more states. And, in many cases, those wins were much narrower than Clinton’s, which also helps power the gap between the electoral vote and the popular one. Trump won 18 states by fewer than 250,000 votes; Clinton, 13.
Clearly, the three most important states, though, were Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Trump won those states by 0.2, 0.7 and 0.8 percentage points, respectively—and by 10,704, 46,765 and 22,177 votes. Those three wins gave him 46 electoral votes; if Clinton had done one point better in each state, she’d have won the electoral vote, too. Or put another way: But for 79,646 votes cast in those three states, she’d be the next president of the United States.
With that being said, Democrats will have the crucial task of identifying “the candidate” that possesses the best chance to defeat Scott Walker in the general election this November. And, as we have seen during his recall and regular elections, it won’t be easy.
Under the convenient guise of election fraud, which is a false narrative, Republicans have systematically attempted to erect an election firewall. Voter ID and laws that reduce the period for early voting only serve one purpose: To suppress the vote for groups deemed to be in opposition to the GOP agenda.
Clearly, if we want (and intend) to retire the likes of Donald Trump and Scott Walker, then every vote will count. I urge each and every one of you to take that all important first step in voting on Tuesday (Aug. 14), and then again on November 6. The realization of the Democratic Blue Wave of 2018 is predicated on YOU. Hence, we’ recalling on all voters!