LETTER: Reasonable Republicans should face power-grabbers in primary

Ozaukee Press:

The recent Wisconsin election put Democrats in every state-level office and only one new Democrat in an assembly seat. Eight years ago, the system was rigged to favor the Republican Party when representative districts were redrawn by them. While the case against gerrymandering goes back before the court this coming spring, a legal decision is uncertain.

Meanwhile, Republican lawmakers are rigging the system again through rushed lame-duck legislation. Among those who voted for this power grab from the incoming Democratic governor and attorney general are our local Republican senators, Duey Stroebel and Alberta Darling. In the Assembly, the re-elected Republican assemblymen, Rob Brooks, Jim Ott and Dan Knodl, also went along with their leadership.

The people are calling for moderate politicians who will reach across the aisle. The arrogance and absolute abuse of power is a disgrace, capturing national attention and denounced by prominent Republicans in the state.

I am a Democrat. I worked in the campaigns of candidates for the Assembly. They were superbly qualified. While we knew the odds were assuredly against them due to gerrymandering, we knocked on thousands of doors and gave it our all.

It was pointed out in a Facebook post by a supporter of one of the Republican assemblymen that they also knocked on doors four years ago, when their candidate had actual competition—in a primary race against another Republican. Republican candidates don’t have to work hard to get elected and re-elected, while a Democrat can work hard and have zero chance because of the way the boundaries are drawn.         

Reasonable Republicans who disagree with this current extreme partisanship in Wisconsin should consider running against these five people in coming elections.

Democracy flourishes when there is viable competition—within political parties and between the parties. The current imbalance of power is not healthy for Wisconsin.

Nancy Camden
Mequon