Listen up, Democrats: Black Milwaukee doesn’t owe you its vote.
For decades, Democrats have counted on overwhelming support from Black voters. But in Wisconsin, there is a question Democrats have ignored in this election: What happens when Black voters get tired of being taken for granted?
“There are signs, in public polls and in interviews with voters, that indicate Crowley might be struggling to reach the levels of support from Black voters that Democrats have tended to need to emerge victorious in the closely divided battleground state.”
Many Black voters have expressed concerns about the fatigue with the Democratic Party in our community.
“Asked whether Crowley was earning the support of Black voters, Otis Dunning II, 28, a Democrat who works in healthcare, said he was “definitely in the process of that.”
“I think that he maybe isn’t getting the Black support he might need, because for the last 10 years, I feel like we have just been for Democrats just because they’re Democrats that they haven’t, like, earned it, like we’ve just been voting because we can’t let the Republicans win,” Dunning said.
The final Marquette Poll Puts Crowley Up 3 on Tiffany Among Registered Voters
Among likely voters, Crowley’s lead grows to 7 points six days before the November 3 election.
Democrat David Crowley leads Republican Tom Tiffany 51% to 44% among likely voters in the final Marquette Law School Poll of the Wisconsin governor’s race, released Wednesday, six days before the November 3 election. Four percent are undecided.
Among all registered voters, the race is tighter. Crowley has 47%, Tiffany has 44%, and 9% are undecided. That 3-point gap sits inside the poll’s margin of error.
Despite the latest poll, Black voters are indeed considering voting Republican.
Black voters don’t owe Democrats our votes anymore.
Black Milwaukeeans have the same everyday concerns as everybody else: groceries, housing, taxes, safe neighborhoods, quality schools, jobs, and whether our children will have better opportunities than we did.
Bringing in Black stars and Black politicians won’t sway our vote. Kamala Harris, Stacey Abrams, Governor Wes Moore, Kerry Washington, and Pete Buttigieg all live in safe communities and do not have the same problems we do. They only share skin color. We are struggling, and we do not have anything in common.
When Republicans come into Black communities, they talk about lower taxes, school choice, homeownership and economic opportunity, small business tax credits, and more Opportunity Zones. We are listening. We can’t afford to keep voting Democrat because our communities are a mess. Voting Democrat has left our neighborhoods in shambles.
Tom Tiffany wants to eliminate taxes on tips and overtime earnings. This is Tiffany’s incentive to vote for him. This affects the Black Community greatly.
Tiffany has made affordability and tax relief central to his campaign. During the October gubernatorial debate, he proposed returning Wisconsin’s nearly $3 billion budget surplus through long-term tax relief. Crowley argued that surplus money should support public schools, raise the minimum wage, expand child care, and extend Badger health care to everyone. Who will pay for all of that?
There is a real disagreement over school choice. Tiffany has supported expanding the parental choice program and said he would consider increasing income limits for the voucher program. Crowley opposes expanding vouchers statewide, while saying he would not abruptly eliminate Milwaukee’s existing program. Almost half of the 30,000 school choice participants are Black. School Choice is a big concern to Black families.
For Black Milwaukee families who care deeply about education, taxes, and affordability, these differences deserve serious consideration
Stop remembering Black Milwaukee only at election time!
This is where Democratic fatigue becomes necessary. Black voters know when election season arrives because everybody wants to visit the neighborhood, Black radio has Democratic candidates on the air, and Black churches entertain special guests.
Suddenly our concerns matter.
Suddenly politicians remember where Milwaukee’s Black community lives.
But what happens after election day?
For too long, the Democratic argument to Black voters has too often appeared to boil down to one message: You can’t let the Republicans win.
But eventually fear of the other party stops being enough. At some point, voters start asking what they’re getting in return for their loyalty.
Black voters have every right to engage in that political reassessment.
Here’s what Democrats need to understand: Black voters are not a political possession.
We aren’t guaranteeing a vote simply because there is a “D” next to somebody’s name.
We care about school choice.
We care about taxes.
We care about safe streets.
We care about affordable housing.
We care about jobs and small businesses.
We care about whether the government is actually making our neighborhoods better. We know the answer to that, having experienced Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley’s track record. He has made the county more expensive with no visible results. He is cutting bus services and had no answer for park shootings and lakefront teen takeovers. He refused to deal with county issues that needed attention.
Here’s the message Democrats need to hear loud and clear.
Black Milwaukee does not owe you its vote. Telling us Republicans are worse is not a campaign strategy.
Stop taking pictures in our neighborhoods and start producing results in them.
Stop treating Black churches like campaign stops and start treating Black communities like constituencies that deserve attention 365 days a year.
Black voters aren’t asking for special treatment. We’re asking for accountability.
If Democrats continue taking Black Milwaukee for granted, don’t act surprised when more Black voters become willing to consider the other name on the ballot.
Black Milwaukee is nobody’s political property.
