Barnes’ Senate bid may ride on Milwaukee’s Black turnout
Senate candidate Scott Fitzgerald (D-Fond du Lac) is scheduled to appear on WISN-AM Milwaukee’s “Black in the News” with Paul Thomas (D) on Monday morning.
By Jim Siegel
Jim Siegel
Milwaukee
Scott Fitzgerald could be in for a serious challenge in the race for the U.S. Senate.
This week, Fitzgerald was campaigning in Milwaukee’s Black community. He’s scheduled to appear on WISN-AM Milwaukee’s “Black in the News” with Paul Thomas on Monday morning.
“I’m trying to get African-Americans to vote, particularly on the Democratic side,” Fitzgerald said as he introduced the new Black in the News segment this week.
It could have been a political mine of opportunity. The state Senate race is expected to be one of the tightest in the country.
If Fitzgerald can help flip the state Senate from Republican to Democratic, Fitzgerald’s campaign could be in a position to compete in a state that only has about 70 days before the new state representative will serve out his second year in office. That means that Fitzgerald can be in a position to potentially push through some of the Senate Democrats’ key agenda items such as the legalization of marijuana, paid family leave for new parents, and the expansion of Medicare for All.
But the challenges are significant, and the hurdles on the journey towards the next four years are high.
“Because this is a really important race for the state of Wisconsin and for the country, I think the first thing is to get the African-American community to the polls,” Fitzgerald said. “It’s critical to have a diverse voter base. If more people are voting, they’re going to make an impact.”
When it comes to voter turnout, Wisconsin has not been a leader in the past. From 1996 to 2012, Wisconsin ranked 47th in the percentage of registered voters who turned out in
