The recent string of losses by Wisconsin conservatives and Republicans in statewide races has sounded an alarm for grassroots activists, party leaders and donors across the state. Beyond the blaming and finger pointing, there is an encouraging bright spot for conservatives to look to as a blueprint for success statewide.
A group of grassroots activists, led by Congressman Tom Tiffany, have bucked statewide trends and have had remarkable victories across the northern region of the state. This group has combined technology, data science, coalition building, social media, and traditional grassroots activism to form a powerful campaign strategy that has continuously racked up wins at the local, state, and federal levels. And as some have noted, at a lower and more efficient cost than some of the big-ticket races around the state.
The results speak for themselves. Congressman Tiffany has increased his own win margin by nearly 5% since he first took office just three years ago; in his latest election, he won a decisive 61.9% of the vote, which is the highest percentage any Republican has received in the 7th Congressional District in generations.
After the primary, Tiffany and his team were heavily involved in the recent Supreme Court election in which they spent much of their free time campaigning and organizing for Justice Dan Kelly. The team saw continued success in this election in which the 7th pushed out roughly 20,000 more votes for Dan Kelly in 2023 than he received in 2020. The end result was a 2% shift “to the right” in the 7th and the biggest swing towards Kelly of any Congressional District in the state.
The results are just as impressive at the state level. As it stands, every State Senate and Assembly district in the 7th is held by a Republican. A feat that would have been considered unimaginable just a decade ago. The final three seats that were held by Democrats were a high priority target for Congressman Tiffany and the grassroots activists who scored a major victory when all three seats were flipped to Republican in November of 2022. This is in addition to the countless county board, school board, and municipal electoral victories that this grassroots team has influenced and worked on behind the scenes.
Brian Melton, Chairman of the Republican Party of Washburn County applauded this group’s electoral success during the past few election cycles. He cited the group’s focus on bringing the conservative message directly to voters:
“We have knocked on tens of thousands of doors in the past two years and the response has been fantastic. In the age of mass television and digital advertisements, many people appreciate the fact that we go the extra mile and bring the message directly to them. Poll after poll states that the public trusts us on important issues such as the economy, education, crime, and immigration. We have a good message; we just need to bring it directly to the people who need to hear it. In addition to traditional Republican voters, we leverage data to identify Independents and Democrats who we think we can peel away from a Democrat party that has left them behind.”
When asked about Team Tiffany’s plans moving forward, his spokesperson noted that they are working on an early voting strategy that can be implemented throughout the state, registering new voters, and targeting fast growing suburban areas like St. Croix County which they view as an area where Republicans can continue to make gains.
Let’s focus on working to ensure that the Tiffany blueprint is emulated throughout Wisconsin!