Ahead of last November's election, the University of Wisconsin-Madison College Democrats and College Republicans campaigned on abortion rights and public safety, respectively. Now, with the April 1 Wisconsin Supreme Court election weeks away, both organizations told The Daily Cardinal their campaigning tactics have largely stayed the same.
College students play a major role in statewide elections in Wisconsin, with elections often decided by two or three votes per ward. In the 2023 Wisconsin Supreme Court election, record-setting liberal campus turnout propelled the liberal candidate to victory.
Abortion rights and fair maps key issue for Democrats, while Republicans stress public safety
The main issue the College Democrats are highlighting for students is abortion rights, while the College Republicans are pushing safety. College Republicans have pointed to Jerome Windslow, a Madison man who brutally assaulted a student on Langdon in 2019, claiming Crawford gave him a “very lenient sentence.”
“The prosecutor recommended that Winslow be sentenced for 17 years, but Crawford gave him only seven,” College Republicans co-president Ben Rothove told The Daily Cardinal. “We’re really emphasizing that it is a matter of public safety that we support Brad Schimel.”
Winslow pled guilty to two accounts of recklessly endangering safety and a battery charge, but as a part of his plea deal, the charges of false imprisonment and second-degree sexual assault with use of force were dropped.
Crawford sentenced Winslow to seven years in prison plus five years of extended supervision on a count of first-degree recklessly endangering safety, both to be served concurrently. Winslow was also sentenced on a count of substantial battery intending to cause bodily harm to 1.5 years in prison and two years of extended supervision, also to be served concurrently.
Abortion has been a critical campaign issue for Wisconsin Democrats after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. The decision triggered an 1849 Wisconsin law banning abortion, though Dane County Judge Diane Schlipper ruled the 19th century law does not ban abortion, leaving the liberal-controlled court to hear a case soon on whether the ban is law and if the Wisconsin Constitution protects the right to an abortion.
Justice Janet Protasiewicz won in 2023, flipping the court's majority to liberal for the first time in 15 years. Protasiewicz centered her campaign around supporting abortion rights, defeating her conservative opponent by 11 points.
“Reproductive freedom is always a big issue for students,” Joey Wendland, president of the College Democrats, told the Cardinal, adding other important campaign points include workers rights.
In 2011, former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker signed Act 10, which eliminated collective bargaining for most public employees and is likely to appear before the new court.
Wendland also mentioned fair voting maps as an important campaigning issue for Democrats. New legislative district maps were signed into law in 2024 after a prolonged struggle between parties to agree on fair voting districts.
“I’ve talked to different state legislatures from across the state, and what they said is they believe Republicans are itching at the chance to try and overturn the fair maps, and that’s what they’re going to try and do if Brad Schimel wins,” Wendland told the Cardinal.
Campaign strategies remain unchanged, organizations say
Early this year, the College Democrats have been tabling and door knocking to rally voters before the election. These are similar strategies they used for the 2023 Wisconsin Supreme Court race and the presidential election back in November, Wendland said.
“In 2023 we did not start canvassing in February. This year we started canvassing February 8,” Wendland told the Cardinal, adding they knocked on over 1,500 doors. “After the presidential [election] some people might be a little burnt out and tired from politics, so that is why we’re really focusing on door to door and tabling efforts right now, because we’re trying to raise awareness among the student body about this election.”
Wendland also highlighted the importance of social media. Already active on Instagram, the College Democrats have now started posting on TikTok, trying to reach a broader audience and raise awareness there.
While the College Democrats canvas close to or on campus, the College Republicans said their strategy is to go off campus to the Waunakee area to door knock, where they can make a “bigger difference.”
Similarly, Rothove said the College Republicans have not changed their tactics since the presidential election. They also use social media and tabling to raise awareness about the election, and are trying to “make sure” that people involved in Students for Justice in Palestine know that Crawford represented an Israeli pharmaceutical company — trying to make sure the “hard left hates Crawford.”
When Crawford was an attorney, she previously represented Teva Pharmaceuticals in a price-fixing lawsuit, and the state has also been in legal battles against the company for manipulating drug prices. Similarly, Schmiel has been criticized for receiving donations from opioid manufacturers like Purdue Pharma.
The College Republicans have held events to raise awareness and get students engaged, including a recent social event with Schimel and a Super Chase event with Turning Point Action and Brittany Kinzer, their preferred state superintendent candidate on Thursday.
Both organizations expressed confidence about the outcome of this race.
“I truly believe that we’ll win this election,” Wendland told the Cardinal, emphasizing the importance of student turnout. “We’ve got to make sure we highlight that to students, and make sure they understand that their vote is going to make a difference.”
Early in-person voting in Wisconsin started on March 18. On-campus polling locations include Memorial Union and the Health Sciences Learning Center which are open weekdays from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and at Union South which is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. through March 28.
Clara Strecker is a copy chief for The Daily Cardinal. She also covers state news.
