The Wisconsin Model: Winning Strategies from Conservatives in Wisconsin

Wisconsin has received a lot of attention for protests, a budget repair bill, recalls, and elections over the past few years. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel recently noted that Wisconsin is an almost perfect microcosm of the United States in partisan makeup. So it follows that what works in Wisconsin should work across the United States.  As conservatives in other states look to Wisconsin as a model, it is important that they understand what has worked in Wisconsin.

Conservatives have been successful in Wisconsin because of a strengthened Tea Party, vibrant new media organizations, bold conservative leaders, a robust social media presence, and a powerful ground game.

The Tea Party has moved beyond simply holding rallies to become a permanent political force. The Left has challenged them and the Tea Party has banded together time after time to win. These attacks have made the Tea Party resilient and better prepared for the next battles. The Tea Party has also gone on offense, finding their own candidates for local and state offices and engaging in independent transparency efforts like Verify the Recall. Armed with cutting edge technology, such as Political Gravity, they are ready to mobilize and accomplish their political goals.

Wisconsin has vibrant new media organizations like Media Trackers and The John K. MacIver Institute. The public no longer has to rely on the liberal mainstream media for news, but can read about groundbreaking investigations from these groups. They have successfully defined the Left and created a conservative echo chamber.

Conservatives also need to help bold conservative leaders. We need messengers with big ideas who won’t back down to pressure from liberals. The Left will throw bombs, so a candidate needs to have thick skin and a record of staying the course to win.

With more and more people receiving news online, it has been critical that Wisconsin conservatives have a strong social media presence. They have learned how to effectively engage politically using social media such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, etc. They even created the popular Twitter hashtag #wiright as a way to organize online in an unprecedented way. Many of the key conservative groups have a larger Twitter following than their liberal counterparts.

Its not enough to have these strengths if you don’t have a robust ground game to help you win elections. Politics is policy and you have to win politically if you want to enact good policy.  In order to achieve victory, you need a constant, sustained and coordinated action. What the Left failed to foresee is that their forced recalls and constant protests would strengthen the Right’s ground game.

Wisconsin shows us that as conservatives we must fight to protect American values, and if we use the right strategies, we will succeed.

Matt Batzel is the Wisconsin Executive Director of American Majority.  To learn more winning strategies from American Majority Wisconsin, watch The Wisconsin Model on our YouTube channel. To learn how to become an effective political candidate, activist, or student in Wisconsin, request a training or join Matt Batzel and his team at any of the upcoming trainings in Wisconsin!