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Ben Wikler is Officially IN for DNC Chair [1]

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Date: 2024-12-01  

After much speculation, Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair (and active DailyKos member since 2007!) Ben Wikler has officially tossed his hat in the ring for DNC Chair. He released this video this morning:

Wikler will join a growing field of candidates, including the head of Minnesota Democrats, Ken Martin, former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley and New York state Sen. James Skoufis. Current chair Jaime Harrison is not seeking another term. "Today, the country we love needs the Democratic Party to be stronger. I have led the Democratic Party of Wisconsin for the last five years, helping to transform it into an organizing, fundraising, and winning machine, and I’m now running for chair of the Democratic National Committee to supercharge our work in every state," Wikler said in a statement. "For Democrats to move forward, we must build a big tent, organize and communicate in every place and on every platform, and find the resources, people, and focus to reach voters who currently get their news about Democrats from Republicans. That will be my mission as DNC Chair: Unite. Fight. Win." Wikler has been chairman of the state party since 2019 and is credited with raising nearly $200 million, which is cited as the most of any state party chair.

This is exceptionally good news for fans of, say, actually and actively building party infrastructure. Wikler is a fighter and his success at turning around the Wisconsin Dems is undeniable. The wins he helped secure in Wisconsin led to the overturning of the state’s notoriously gerrymandered legislative maps and have made it easier for elected officials like Gov Tony Evers to deliver materially beneficial benefits to the state that had been bottled up my the legislature and/or the state’s supreme court for years. He’s a hell of a fundraiser, too.

Out-of-state donations flowed into the Wisconsin Supreme Court race in 2023, with over half of donors contributing to liberal Milwaukee County Judge Janet Protasiewicz's campaign. Barry Burden, director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Elections Research Center attributed the success of donations to Wikler. "Under Ben Wikler, the state Democratic Party has become one of the most prolific parties for fundraising in the country," Burden said of the state party's chairman. "During the height of the pandemic, he organized online events featuring celebrities and other notable figures to attract interest and donations from across the country. Protasiewicz is now benefitting from the national network of donors that has built up since 2020."

Ben will face some headwinds given that he seems to actually understand the circumstances we currently face and isn’t a chump, two things that too many DNC members seemingly often find a hindrance, but he’ll have a good deal of grassroots support form those of us who have followed his efforts in Wisconsin for so long.

The guy took on a hell of a challenge in the Badger State and delivered in spades. He’s smart as hell and he works his freakin’ ass off.

I think he’d be a damn fine DNC Chair at a time when we absolutely need the best we can get.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/12/1/2289563/-Ben-Wikler-is-Officially-IN-for-DNC-chair?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=trending&pm_medium=web

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