I finally figured out what’s been wrong with the Democratic Party’s tepid campaign for the governor nomination. Seven candidates started off for the nomination; it’s now down to five; and none has laid a glove on the dominating issue of 2026.
The overriding issue of any importance by far in 2026 is Donald Trump and the chaos and wreckage that he is inflicting on the American political system.
I have been following the Democratic campaigns as much any one person can stand, and I have heard almost no outrage at the atrocities committed by President Trump against the American Constitution, the underlying philosophies of the Declaration of Independence, and the many layers of law developed over 250 years in our court system.
He has no respect for understanding of how America should work. He violates standard behaviors and a general understanding of how we treat each other, and the deep intentions of the better angels in our complex society.
The Democratic campaign should be all about the havoc and stupid mistakes coming out of the Oval Office. First off, Trump is mentally unstable. He is a blowhard. He is a slick con man. He is a grifter. He is beyond narcissism. He contradicts himself within a paragraph. His logic and rationale are nonexistent. He acts on egotistical instincts. He is obsessed with retribution. As the truism goes, if you are the smartest person in the room, you are in deep s__t. At the end of the day, he listens to no one, except those sucking up to him.
Given his preposterous and laughable conduct in office, he is the central issue in America today. That includes Wisconsin. All other issues are minor by comparison
If that’s true, and it is, why aren’t the Democratic governor candidates railing against his policies and behavior? Why hasn’t any one of them broken out of the pack to become the ultimate critic of our off-the-rails president? He belongs in a loony bin, not the Oval Office.
There is still time for the Democrats to speak truth to power. Put more clearly, there is still plenty of time before the mid-term elections for them to speak truth to his abuse of power.
The five remaining Democrats have failed to differentiate themselves. They may disagree on the priorities for Democrats, such as affordable housing, more public education dollars, affordable health care, affordable energy, affordable groceries and affordable gasoline. They will generally want government subsidies of one sort or another to make lives affordable.
He is attempting to subvert mostly pristine elections.
These are real issues that both parties should ascend to. But the issue to top all issues is Trump himself. He has gotten us into a stupid war. He has sided against Ukraine with Putin, a loser. He has abandoned the courageous and democratic Ukrainians who are emerging as winners.
He has quixotically raised tariffs, a failed economic tool, which has put a tax broadly on American people. He has raised gas prices above $4 a gallon. He has turned his private police army, ICE, against people of color. His spending violates fiscal prudence.
In his unquenchable search for power and money, he has disregarded Congress on historic decisions. And he has led the courts down a dark road to disrespect for the American people and their principles of law and governance.
Long and short, Wisconsin Democrats running for governor are fighting the wrong fight. They are differing each other in lesser ways when they should be screaming full-throated about the leader who laying waste to Wisconsin and America.
Tom Tiffany
You could argue that Tom Tiffany should be the Democrat’s main opponent. I agree. But only in the sense that he is a clone of Donald Trump. He has supported Trump’s agenda at every term from his seat in Congress.
A vote for Tom Tiffany is a vote for Donald Trump.
The Democrats who make that case will be in the governor’s mansion after the November election.
