MILWAUKEE, Wisc. — Wisconsin is one of several states considered a battleground, which means candidates on both sides of the aisle stand a good chance of winning.
Because of that, organizers are trying to reach prospective voters first, particularly in communities of color.
“The Republican Party looks to have outreach to all of the ethnic groups that make up a part of this county, whether they’re Hmong, African American or Hispanic,” said Gerard Randall, First Vice Chair, Wisconsin GOP.
“People are starting to get engaged in a new way and folks are looking to make their voices heard. And I think it’s important, especially for young people, and young people of color specifically to make sure that they are feeling like they are a part of our democracy and that their futures matter,” said Angela Lang, Founder & Executive Director, BLOC.
As First Vice Chair of the Wisconsin GOP, Gerard Randall says his focus is ensuring Republican candidates get their message across statewide, including here in Milwaukee.
About four years ago, the party opened up an office in the heart of Bronzeville, hoping to create a bridge between the GOP and our city’s vibrant Black community.
“The rap that had been given to Republican candidates is that they’d ignored the African American community in particular. And so, we wanted to basically combat that notion,” said Randall.
Angela Lang is the founder and executive director of Black Leaders Organizing for Communities, known as BLOC.
Her work focuses on engaging Black Milwaukeeans in participating in civic engagement year-round, including getting to the polls.
“We don’t have to reinvent the wheel. We don’t want to say, ‘Hey, you know, do you know what a US senator does?’ next year. We’re starting to engage in those conversations now,” said Angela Lang, Founder & Executive Director, BLOC
Both groups say that they’re using traditional forms of organizing to try to reach Black voters.
That includes canvassing, phone calls and even door-knocking.
“We have a lot of conservative voters that are in the African American community in particular, and some of our issues have resounded well with them, and we just like to make sure that we continue to carry that message out to them as effectively as we can,” said Randall.
“Where some traditional canvassing operations kind of pack up and go home after an election, and then you see them again a couple of weeks or a couple of months before an election, we remain year-round. And so, we want to have a year-round field presence. We’re engaging our neighbors and our residents, not just around politics, but about issues that they care about,” said Lang.
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