Tammy Baldwin is the only openly LGBTQ person ever elected to the U.S. Senate, and we want to help her stay there. However, the current Senate election in Wisconsin has become fraught with outside money and an outpouring of Republican support, threatening Senator Baldwin’s chances for reelection and hope for continuing progress and equality in our Senate. We need your help to reelect Senator Baldwin and protect one of the most prominent voices for LGBTQ rights, reproductive health, and affordable healthcare.
Senator Baldwin is currently on the defense from two Republican opponents, State Senator Leah Vukmir and Kevin Nicholson. Senator Vukmir recently received the endorsement of the Wisconsin Republican Party. Nicholson is financially backed by notorious billionaires Liz and Dick Uihlein, who have supported the campaigns of numerous Republican candidates, such as Ted Cruz and Roy Moore—even after allegations of sexual misconduct with minors emerged against him.
The Uihleins are infamous for supporting candidates who employ unscrupulous means within their campaign—something Senator Baldwin is fighting against right now. Numerous attack ads and smear campaigns have emerged against Senator Baldwin, touting outrageous and racist claims surrounding her support for reproductive rights. The Uihleins have spent $20 million backing conservatives this year, joining others like the Koch Brothers who donate millions to influence the elections of regressive candidates—especially those who are anti-LGBTQ, anti-choice, or even demonstrate fascist tendencies.
According to the New York Times, “opposing gay and transgender rights are frequently a focus of [their] efforts… they once backed an Illinois candidate for governor who ran a television commercial playing on a deep-voiced transgender caricature.” (The Koch’s history even includes donating to the Nazi Party and threatening to out their older brother, whom they believed to be gay).
That doesn’t mention the $13 million dollars, of which a large portion comes from out-of-state ultra-rich donors like the Uihleins, have already been spent to produce these disgusting attack ads and campaign against Senator Baldwin. We need your help to ensure that Wisconsin doesn’t continue to go toward regressive candidates. We need your help in defending against racist and homophobic attack ads. We need your help to stem the tide of billionaires determining elections. We need your help to ensure that Tammy gets re-elected this fall. Wisconsin is winnable, and we’re going to win.
Senator Tammy Baldwin is a Victory Fund-endorsed candidate.
