Liberal School Board Flipped in Wisconsin

The conservative grassroots movement is changing the political environment on the local level across the country. This political change is demonstrated by recent elections in the Kenosha Unified School District in southeast Wisconsin. Kenosha Unified School District is the third largest school district in Wisconsin and ranks in the bottom third of like-sized school districts. The district’s voters voted 61% for President Obama in 2012. However, the board, long-controlled by liberals, was flipped this past April when two new candidates ran and won positions on the board.

A look into Kenosha’s recent political history helps explain why voters are rejecting liberal leadership and conservatives are succeeding. During the 2011 Madison protests, several state senators fled the state to prevent a vote on proposed legislation with which they disagreed. One of the senators was State Senator Bob Wirch. In response, conservatives in Kenosha recalled him. Though Bob Wirch won the recall election, the effort galvanized a conservative political movement which was fed up with the usual politicians not looking out for the taxpayers. Conservatives were motivated to find candidates to run for local offices and pressured local elected officials to not raise taxes. Their sustained effort over multiple election cycles has given them opportunities to win.

The overreach of the Left was on full display this past year and conservatives took advantage. The Kenosha Teachers Association (the local teachers’ union) decertified, and then the school board in a 4 to 3 vote passed an illegal union contract. The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty promptly sued the school board for violating Act 10 and the open records law. Independents seeking to put kids first stepped forward to run for School Board and American Majority held a New Leaders Campaign Training in Kenosha on Jan 23, 2014. Among the trainees was independent constitutionalist Dan Wade, who won a seat on the Kenosha School Board in April, and helped flip the board.

As any candidate knows, winning elections is not easy, especially when, like Dan, it is their first time running for office. “I was basically going into the campaign blind, having never run for office before,” Dan said.

Dan found the training he received at the American Majority New Leaders Campaign Training very helpful. “I definitely encourage anyone to attend the seminar,” said Dan. “It was very eye-opening and helpful for my candidacy… I learned a lot of what to do and what not to do for my race.” Wade put the training to good use and finished in first place with 28.2% of the vote in a four way race for two seats.

Since the election, Dan has helped bring fiscal responsibility to the school board. In early June, the Kenosha Unified School Board nullified the collective bargaining agreement that got the school district sued.

Dan is making an impact and encourages others to join in the fight to improve their local communities. He says, “My advice to those thinking about running is to go for it and stick to your beliefs.”

America needs more people like Dan to step forward and run for office. We also need more conservative activists who can hold the Left accountable and help candidates run and win. Dan and conservatives in Kenosha are showing how this can be done successfully.