Wisconsin Dems held their own in recent local elections. Ben Wikler's here to talk 2022 takeaways

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Contrary to conventional wisdom in Washington, not everything is coming up roses for Republicans out there in the states. Take Wisconsin, where Donald Trump and his allies are pushing an ongoing scheme to decertify 2020 that is ripping apart the Wisconsin GOP.

A February poll from Marquette Law school also held some bracing news for Republicans.

President Joe Biden’s job approvals (43% approve/52% disapprove) aren’t exactly great, but Trump’s favorability rating has plummeted to 36% favorable/57% unfavorable.

The favorables for incumbent GOP Sen. Ron Johnson, who’s up for reelection, are similarly dismal, with just 33% of Wisconsin voters viewing him favorably, while 45% view him unfavorably—his worst numbers in 10 years of Marquette polling.

At the same time, incumbent Democratic Gov. Tony Evers is faring relatively well in this polarized environment, with 50% job approval to 41% disapproval.

In April, thousands of Wisconsinites went to the polls for local elections. And in this supposed red-wave environment, Democrats held their own.

Today’s guest, Ben Wikler, chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, recently wrote, “In a 50/50 state, during a tough year for Democrats, we won more than we lost. Out of 276 races where WisDems actively engaged, investing in organizing, digital, and/or mail to voters, we won 147 of the races.”

Here were some key takeaways from Wikler’s post:

• Democratic performance in conservative Milwaukee suburbs—relative to 2018 numbers—looked strong.
• Right-wing candidates in school board races in blue and purple areas—like La Crosse, Eau Claire, Appleton, Beloit, Fond du Lac, and Oshkosh—fell flat.
• Pro-democracy poll worker Pamela Gantz beat Kelly Ruh, a fake elector subpoenaed by the Jan. 6 commission who was running for reelection as a De Pere alder.
• Cavalier Johnson won in a landslide, becoming Milwaukee’s first elected Black mayor.
• Pheng Thao makes history as the first elected Hmong member of the Appleton school board.

Wikler also noted that despite some GOP successes, Republicans had failed to find a message that appeals to anyone beyond their base. And that’s where we will pick things up with Wikler. What issues and messages worked for Democrats, what didn’t work for Republicans, and what lessons should Democrats carry into November?

You can watch the show live right here on Tuesdays at 1:30 PM PT/4:30 PM ET, while the podcast version goes live Wednesday mornings at all the usual places, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify. A full list of places to download the show is available here.