Ben Wickler

So I wrote for The Onion when I was in high school and college, which started in Madison where I grew up. And I worked at Air America Radio after college trying to build a, this might sound familiar, a progressive media ecosystem to combat the dominance of the right and shaping political narratives.

So I wrote for The Onion when I was in high school and college, which started in Madison where I grew up. And I worked at Air America Radio after college trying to build a, this might sound familiar, a progressive media ecosystem to combat the dominance of the right and shaping political narratives.

And then the other is advocacy, which is what I was doing at MoveOn, which is both trying to win elections, but also actually fighting on the issues that affect people's lives. And what led me to run for chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin and to move home to Wisconsin in 2018, I always wanted to raise my kid there, but it was the experience at MoveOn of Trump coming in

And then the other is advocacy, which is what I was doing at MoveOn, which is both trying to win elections, but also actually fighting on the issues that affect people's lives. And what led me to run for chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin and to move home to Wisconsin in 2018, I always wanted to raise my kid there, but it was the experience at MoveOn of Trump coming in

And winning Wisconsin in 2016 in my state that had been rigged by the GOP for total control after Scott Walker came in with voter suppression, with gerrymandered rigged legislative maps, with union busting as a centerpiece of their strategy to shut down the voices of working people. The

And winning Wisconsin in 2016 in my state that had been rigged by the GOP for total control after Scott Walker came in with voter suppression, with gerrymandered rigged legislative maps, with union busting as a centerpiece of their strategy to shut down the voices of working people. The

Seeing how that then played out in putting Trump in the White House and shredding the public education system in my state that I had grown up fighting for, I wanted to move home and try to change the direction of all that. And I... The only way to protect the fundamental things people rely on, like being able to get to a doctor when they get sick, is to win power in states across the country.

Seeing how that then played out in putting Trump in the White House and shredding the public education system in my state that I had grown up fighting for, I wanted to move home and try to change the direction of all that. And I... The only way to protect the fundamental things people rely on, like being able to get to a doctor when they get sick, is to win power in states across the country.

That's where political power actually resides. And that's what led me to run for chair in my state, because all of these fights are interconnected, and we need a party strong enough to fight at all these levels. So I used to come on your show right when you launched as we were fighting back against ACA repeal.

That's where political power actually resides. And that's what led me to run for chair in my state, because all of these fights are interconnected, and we need a party strong enough to fight at all these levels. So I used to come on your show right when you launched as we were fighting back against ACA repeal.

And the whole thing was like mobilizing people in their congressional districts and pushing U.S. senators and telling their stories and getting into the press and all this stuff. It's state by state by state.

And the whole thing was like mobilizing people in their congressional districts and pushing U.S. senators and telling their stories and getting into the press and all this stuff. It's state by state by state.

And I want to I want to build I'm running now for DNC chair because I want a national party that can build that kind of strength, both to limit the damage and also to build the trust from from folks who want to see someone fighting for them to build a party that earns that trust and helps elect Democrats at every level.

And I want to I want to build I'm running now for DNC chair because I want a national party that can build that kind of strength, both to limit the damage and also to build the trust from from folks who want to see someone fighting for them to build a party that earns that trust and helps elect Democrats at every level.

So this is the first election of my lifetime in the last half century where Republican vote share went up in every state and D.C. The whole country moved a little bit towards the Republicans. That involved a combination of more people voting who hadn't voted before and voting for Trump.

So this is the first election of my lifetime in the last half century where Republican vote share went up in every state and D.C. The whole country moved a little bit towards the Republicans. That involved a combination of more people voting who hadn't voted before and voting for Trump.

There were people who crossed over in both directions, but there were more people who switched over to vote for Trump. And there were people who stayed home, who otherwise probably would have voted for Democrats. And there's a lot of different pieces of why that is, and we need a lot more data to get the full story. But one thing that jumps out really clearly

There were people who crossed over in both directions, but there were more people who switched over to vote for Trump. And there were people who stayed home, who otherwise probably would have voted for Democrats. And there's a lot of different pieces of why that is, and we need a lot more data to get the full story. But one thing that jumps out really clearly

is that the people who were hit hardest by prices going up and, and no one talks about this, by the pandemic era support falling away because Republicans shut down things like the childcare tax credit the Democrats were fighting for, those programs really made a difference in the lives of the middle class and of the poor, of working families across this country.

is that the people who were hit hardest by prices going up and, and no one talks about this, by the pandemic era support falling away because Republicans shut down things like the childcare tax credit the Democrats were fighting for, those programs really made a difference in the lives of the middle class and of the poor, of working families across this country.