By: Paul Farrow
I have been a part of the conservative movement for my entire life, and I can testify to the old adage that all politics is local. Whatever the level of office sought, winning elections is about helping grassroots leaders organize effectively at the local level, empowering them with the tools they need to strengthen their county organization, and spreading the conservative message in a way that makes sense to members of each community — not painting all Wisconsinites with a broad brush.
As the newly elected chairman of the Republican Party of Wisconsin, my goal is to empower our grassroots leaders and strengthen our party from bottom to top as we work to achieve Republican victories up and down the ballot in 2022. I look forward to hearing the perspectives of activists across the state in how we can craft a strategy that will help us achieve success in all of Wisconsin’s diverse communities, from Superior to Kenosha.
One of our top priorities must be election integrity. Our efforts are off to a great start with the Election Reform Task Force, which has been hard at work for months reviewing the biggest threats to election integrity ahead of 2022 and making recommendations to the Wisconsin State Legislature.
I plan to further this commitment by holding listening sessions with grassroots leaders across the state, helping to ensure that Republicans are matching Democrats’ efforts to recruit poll workers and election observers across the state, and empowering county parties to hold their local municipalities and the Wisconsin Elections Commission accountable. We should all agree that ensuring that all Wisconsinites can have confidence in the results of our elections is critical, and we must make sure that our elections are free, fair, and secure.
We also can’t wait until November 2022 to start working to elect conservatives. Over the past year, we have seen how important our local elected officials are as liberals enforced their personal views on parents, kept our children out of the classroom, and implemented harmful critical race theory curriculum. Local government officials make crucial decisions that affect our everyday lives — and we must ensure that we are working to elect principled leaders to county boards, school boards, and county executive offices across the state.
The state party launched its first local elections initiative in the spring of 2021 with great success, and one of my primary goals is to expand this effort to achieve local victories statewide. Taking back our local governments not only ensures that our local leaders are making decisions that truly reflect the will of the people, but it also builds the bench of qualified potential candidates for statewide and federal races down the line.
This election cycle will certainly not be without its challenges. Elections in Wisconsin are always a game of inches, and we know that the Democrats will throw everything our way in hopes of furthering their leftist takeover of our country.
We must do everything we can to defeat Tony Evers and Josh Kaul, hold our Republican seat in the United States Senate, and take back the third congressional district. As our nation suffers the consequences of Joe Biden’s disastrous withdrawal in Afghanistan and the Democrats’ spending spree that has brought crushing inflation, Wisconsinites are being reminded of the importance of strong leadership at the top. Now more than ever, we must work together to elect principled conservatives who put Wisconsin families first — not big government bureaucrats and the far-left fringe.
Fortunately, I’m not afraid of hard work, and I know that our thousands of dedicated volunteers aren’t either — because we know that Wisconsin and America are worth fighting for. I look forward to working with you as we rise to the challenge together.
Paul Farrow was recently elected chairman of the Republican Party of Wisconsin. He can be reached on Twitter at @PaulFarrowWI or by email at pfarrow@wisgop.info.
About Paul Farrow
Paul Farrow is the current Waukesha County Executive. According to the Waukesha County website:
In 2018, Paul Farrow was appointed to the Intergovernmental Policy Advisory Committee (IGPAC), which advises the U.S. Trade Representative on trade policy matters that impact state and local governments.
In 2017, Paul Farrow served as a contributing member for two of the White House’s 2017 Infrastructure Summits in Washington, D.C., along with dozens of other state and local officials from across the country.
Paul Farrow is co-chair of the Milwaukee 7 Regional Economic Development Partnership (M7) Economic Advisory Council, Paul provides strategic direction for international economic development in the region. The M7 has leveraged regional partnerships to bring business such as Foxconn, HARIBO, Milwaukee Tool, and Colbert Packaging to Southeast Wisconsin.
Paul Farrow recently led a group of private and public sector partners in establishing the Waukesha County Center for Growth, an economic development organization that serves as a one-stop shop for new and expanding businesses in Waukesha County.
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