By Daniel Nardini
I thought I would pause my three-part series on the dark decline of the two ruling parties to explain what really happened in Wisconsin’s state election for a state Supreme Court judge. Unlike many states, Wisconsin allows for the election of its judges from either of the two ruling parties, the Democratic and Republican parties (and sometimes independents), rather than judges being appointed. In many ways, the people of Wisconsin have more democracy than many U.S. states. However, U.S. President Donald Trump and the now rightwing nationalist-leaning Republican Party wanted to use this particular election to advance their extremist agenda of having rightwing judges to enact rightwing nationalist legislation. The goal is to further make Wisconsin swing further to the right for the congressional elections due in 2026.
To this end, the richest single private individual in the world, Elon Musk, went to Wisconsin and spent $25 million of his own money to buy the Wisconsin election just as he did the U.S. presidential election. He even handed out $1 million dollar checks for those who said they would vote for the Republican-backed candidate Brad Schimel against the Democrat-backed candidate Susan Crawford. Long story short—Susan Crawford won the election by almost ten percentage points (for Wisconsin, that is pretty hefty), and the Republican chances of buying this election were shattered. Democrat and leftwing pundits stated that this was a political victory for the political left and a resounding rejection of the rightwing nationalists so early in Trump’s presidential term.
In my view, it is something far more fundamental and more dear to the good people of Wisconsin. I had lived in Wisconsin, and I had been back there countless times, and in my view it is all about the cheese. For almost two centuries, the people of Wisconsin had built up the largest and best dairy industry in the United States (that and Vermont). Wisconsin cheese is known throughout the United States and in most of the world, and the Wisconsin label on their products proudly proclaim the quality of their produce. It is one of the things I came to appreciate about Wisconsin; the dairy products they produce. I will provide some statistics about how important this industry is to Wisconsin. The dairy industry employs over 120,000 people (for a state of 5 million people that is not a small number), the dairy industry accounts for 6.5 percent of the state’s annual income, and it is a $52 billion industry.
However, what scared the people of Wisconsin was Trump’s looming trade wars. Many Wisconsinites (excuse the term) did NOT want to see their state dragged into a trade war they knew they might lose and their dairy products either tariff or worse boycotted. This would ruin everything they and their ancestors had worked for. Unlike Trump, who has turned into a wrecking ball with his tariffs, almost all other nations are using scalpels to cut away at U.S. trade. Just about all other nations will either tariff or outright boycott U.S. products made in the Republican-run (red) states while leaving the Democrat-run (blue) states alone. In this way, other nations will apply maximum pressure against Trump and the Republicans.
And this strategy seems to be working. Red states are now beginning to see hundreds of millions in lost revenue due to their products being tariff or boycotted and additionally in lost sales in tourist revenue. The Wisconsinites are seeing the writing on the wall, and they do not want to see this happen to them or their state. So they elected a Democrat to loudly proclaim to the rest of the world “we are now a blue state, so please do not tariff or boycott our dairy products.” Dairy products are an important lifeline for Wisconsin, and there is too much riding for them to see this sector not destroyed. So Wisconsin has turned into a blue state for now in my view largely because of this. One thing I learned about the people of Wisconsin is they really do not care for the most part about which political party is in power as long as their key industries that keep the state running remain intact. This is why Wisconsin is a swing state. In the end, it is all about the cheese. That reminds me, I will be buying a lot of Wisconsin cheese this weekend.
In Wisconsin It Is All About The Cheese
By Daniel Nardini
To this end, the richest single private individual in the world, Elon Musk, went to Wisconsin and spent $25 million of his own money to buy the Wisconsin election just as he did the U.S. presidential election. He even handed out $1 million dollar checks for those who said they would vote for the Republican-backed candidate Brad Schimel against the Democrat-backed candidate Susan Crawford. Long story short—Susan Crawford won the election by almost ten percentage points (for Wisconsin, that is pretty hefty), and the Republican chances of buying this election were shattered. Democrat and leftwing pundits stated that this was a political victory for the political left and a resounding rejection of the rightwing nationalists so early in Trump’s presidential term.
In my view, it is something far more fundamental and more dear to the good people of Wisconsin. I had lived in Wisconsin, and I had been back there countless times, and in my view it is all about the cheese. For almost two centuries, the people of Wisconsin had built up the largest and best dairy industry in the United States (that and Vermont). Wisconsin cheese is known throughout the United States and in most of the world, and the Wisconsin label on their products proudly proclaim the quality of their produce. It is one of the things I came to appreciate about Wisconsin; the dairy products they produce. I will provide some statistics about how important this industry is to Wisconsin. The dairy industry employs over 120,000 people (for a state of 5 million people that is not a small number), the dairy industry accounts for 6.5 percent of the state’s annual income, and it is a $52 billion industry.
However, what scared the people of Wisconsin was Trump’s looming trade wars. Many Wisconsinites (excuse the term) did NOT want to see their state dragged into a trade war they knew they might lose and their dairy products either tariff or worse boycotted. This would ruin everything they and their ancestors had worked for. Unlike Trump, who has turned into a wrecking ball with his tariffs, almost all other nations are using scalpels to cut away at U.S. trade. Just about all other nations will either tariff or outright boycott U.S. products made in the Republican-run (red) states while leaving the Democrat-run (blue) states alone. In this way, other nations will apply maximum pressure against Trump and the Republicans.
And this strategy seems to be working. Red states are now beginning to see hundreds of millions in lost revenue due to their products being tariff or boycotted and additionally in lost sales in tourist revenue. The Wisconsinites are seeing the writing on the wall, and they do not want to see this happen to them or their state. So they elected a Democrat to loudly proclaim to the rest of the world “we are now a blue state, so please do not tariff or boycott our dairy products.” Dairy products are an important lifeline for Wisconsin, and there is too much riding for them to see this sector not destroyed. So Wisconsin has turned into a blue state for now in my view largely because of this. One thing I learned about the people of Wisconsin is they really do not care for the most part about which political party is in power as long as their key industries that keep the state running remain intact. This is why Wisconsin is a swing state. In the end, it is all about the cheese. That reminds me, I will be buying a lot of Wisconsin cheese this weekend.