State party leaders for Wisconsin Republicans, Democrats chart future after midterms

Following the 2022 midterms, state party leaders for Wisconsin Republicans and Democrats joined Wisconsin Public Radio’s “The Morning Show” to examine the futures of their respective parties.

Results were split in the midterms. Republicans gained ground in congressional races while Democrats held onto several statewide offices, including governor.

Republican Paul Farrow joined the program Nov. 11, followed a few days later by Democrat Ben Wikler. They shared initial post-election insights, goals for improving connections with voters and the influence of former President Donald Trump.

Since his interview, Farrow said he would not run for another term leading the state party. He said he plans to focus on his reelection campaign for Waukesha County executive.

Learning from the midterms

Farrow and Wikler shared what they would have done differently — lessons that could inform their respective parties’ strategies going forward.

Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s summer decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, abortion rights became a theme of elections across Wisconsin. Farrow suggested the GOP should review its stance on abortion to connect with more voters.

“We have to have a thoughtful look at where some of our stances are and where we can look to work to make sure that we include everybody and their thoughts and ideas,” Farrow said.

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Farrow also talked about Republicans needing to figure out how to either raise more money for campaigns or curtail total spending.

“We’re seeing, unfortunately, that more and more money is going into the elections,” he said.

Candidate and group campaign spending set a record in the governor’s race, according to the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, which analyzes campaign disclosures. Through Oct. 24, the nonprofit found Democratic Gov. Tony Evers had spent nearly $37 million while GOP challenger Tim Michels had spent nearly $24.5 million.

Wikler said he wanted to see more financial support for Democrats in elections for U.S. Senate and the 3rd Congressional district in western Wisconsin. Democrats lost both races by fewer than 4 percentage points.

In federal races, Wikler said the state party has less influence on matters such as TV ads. While the party has its own get-out-the-vote operations, Wikler wanted “the cavalry to arrive.”

“I do think that if voters saw, heard and understood both candidates in that race fully, I feel like we could have done it,” Wikler said, referring to the 3rd congressional district. “That’s going to be a prime target in 2024 for the House race then.”

Room for growth

Both party leaders discussed bridging urban-rural divides — how Republicans could perform better in urban communities and how Democrats could improve in rural places.

Dane County has been a historical stronghold for Democrats and is becoming more influential in statewide elections with population growth. Farrow said he believes a lot of potential voters in the county share Republican values and the party can focus on communities outside of Madison.

“Unfortunately, we just couldn’t get enough people to come out and vote to sway the difference,” he said.

Although Wikler said Gov. Tony Evers added votes in many rural counties compared to his 2018 race, he acknowledged more needs to be done by Democrats to reach rural voters. He highlighted work on roads, funding public schools and sharing a message of freedom.

“No matter where you are in Wisconsin, folks want the basic freedom to decide when and whether to start their family or expand their family,” he said. “They also want to know that their vote will be counted if they cast a ballot. Those things resonate in red and blue areas.”

Trump’s influence

Even before Trump announced this week another campaign for the White House, he remained a prominent theme of election rhetoric on both sides during the midterm elections.

Farrow said Republicans fall in two camps: One group is “very pro-Trump” and another is “pro-party.” He said it’s possible to believe Trump had great accomplishments as president and still, going forward, look at other candidates having success. For example, he cited Gov. Ron DeSantis, whom Florida voters reelected by nearly 20 percentage points last week.

“Party is more about the principles that we have than the individual person that is out there,” Farrow said.

While Wikler also described Trump splitting Republicans, he more clearly urged a divorce from the former president. Wikler said he hopes the GOP “shake(s) loose of the iron grip of Donald Trump over these next two years.”

“(Do) they want to be in thrall to someone who is essentially telling a story about revenge? Or (do) they want to embrace a vision for the future that voters can weigh against the Democrats’ vision for the future, which is how a Democracy is supposed to work?” Wikler said.