Thank you to our amazing Madtown Os Volunteers! You knocked doors in the rain. You knocked doors in the dark. You knocked doors in student neighborhoods on weekend mornings. You knocked doors during Badger and Packers games. You knocked doors in rural areas, in suburban areas, and in apartment buildings.You made phone calls. You brought snacks. You waited in line for your turf. You returned week after week. You DID SOMETHING!  

Because of your work and the work of all of the Dane County neighborhood teams and the fabulous WisDems staff, over 92% of registered voters in Dane County voted in this election. They voted overwhelmingly for Kamala Harris, Tim Walz, Mark Pocan, and down ballot Democratic candidates. We were able to re-elect Tammy Baldwin to the U.S. Senate. We flipped 10 assembly seats from red to blue and won 4 state senate seats. The 2025-26 assembly will be 54-45 rather than 64-35, and will include Renuka Mayadev, our new representative for AD 77 and the first South Asian person to serve in the Assembly. The state senate will be 18-15 red, breaking the 22-seat supermajority. We are within striking distance of flipping both the legislature and the senate in 2026.  

It is understandable to feel despair and sadness over losing the presidential race. We get it. Take time to rest and take care of yourself — and then come back. Do not wait for the next presidential election. Between now and Nov 7, 2028, we have several critical elections. Next up is the April 1, 2025 election for a new Supreme Court justice (to fill the seat being vacated by retiring progressive justice Ann Walsh Bradley) and the election of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction. On the ballot: women’s reproductive rights, the right for Wisconsin workers to organize, a strong public education system, and so much more. In 2026, the midterm elections will include races for Governor, Attorney General, State Treasurer, and Secretary of State. These are all critical races for WI to move forward. 

The Madtown Os will continue to work to elect progressive and Democratic candidates up and down the ballot. While we did not win the Presidential election, we know that as a community, we are stronger now than we were before this election, and that strength will help carry us forward.