WisDems: ICYMI: How do you flip a suburban Milwaukee district? LuAnn Bird is trying for a second time.

MADISON, Wis. — Today, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported how LuAnn Bird’s to flip the 61st Assembly District. LuAnn Bird ran the closest Assembly race in 2022, and thanks to fair maps, she now has the chance to help deliver the Assembly for Democrats come November.

LuAnn Bird has been talking to voters throughout the 61st Assembly District and listening to their concerns on the issues that unite Wisconsinites from both parties—including reproductive freedoms. Unlike Bob Donovan, LuAnn Bird is a fierce advocate for women’s bodily autonomy and reproductive freedoms. She is ready to work across the aisle to bring real change for the people of the 61st Assembly District—and she’s starting one door at a time.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: How Do You Flip a Suburban Milwaukee District? LuAnn Bird is Trying for a Second Time.
By: Hope Karnopp

In a 2022 legislative race in suburban Milwaukee, Democratic candidate LuAnn Bird lost to state Rep. Bob Donovan, a longtime conservative alderman and former mayoral candidate, by just 525 votes.

Both candidates are running in a rematch for the 61st Assembly District, and Wisconsin’s new legislative maps make it even more competitive territory. It’s one of several key races that will determine if Democrats flip the lower chamber.

“We have to win here to do that. Everybody’s vote in this district really matters. So that’s what I tell them when I’m at the door. And also, this is the pathway to the presidency,” Bird told the Journal Sentinel. “I’m the face of the Democrats here right now.”

Bird allowed the Journal Sentinel to tag along as she canvassed in Greendale, a southwest suburb of Milwaukee, three weeks from the Nov. 5 election. Donovan didn’t respond to several requests to be interviewed for this story.

Bird was finishing up her goal of knocking on 50 doors per day. If no one was home, she left a flyer with her signature and a message for their Ring doorbell. Most voters who did answer the door recognized her, already planned to vote for her and stayed to chat for a few minutes about their concerns.

“I particularly like talking to Republicans, because an awful lot of them are not sure who to vote for at the top of the ticket,” Bird said. When she talks about issues like immigration, she steers clear of blaming one party. “Then I say, ‘I just don’t think anyone’s been able to fix it yet, and if they would just talk to each other, we could solve this problem.’”

No Republican voters came to the door when the Journal Sentinel followed along as Bird canvassed in Greendale, but Bird says she often talks with supporters of former President Donald Trump. She posts videos about those conversations on social media and says she frequently leaves with their vote.

It’s not necessarily about connecting on a specific issue, Bird said, but more about trust. “The word I hear a lot, and I try to be, is authentic and honest. That’s what voters are looking for,” she said. “I think it’s fun to listen to their stories. That’s another thing a lot of people don’t do, is listen.”

Top issues include abortion, economy, education

Several teachers or retired educators live on the block, one voter mentioned. Bird took that as an opportunity to talk about her experience on school boards and working to make facilities ADA accessible. She’s a caretaker for her husband, who is paralyzed, and her grandchildren.

“We can do a better job (on) crime in Milwaukee if we keep the kids in school more,” Bird told one voter at the door. She talked about the large number of school districts going to referendum at another.

But the top two issues Bird hears about are the economy and abortion rights.

“So many people just come right out with that (when) I ask them, ‘What’s your top issue?’ Dads will say, ‘I want my daughters to make their own decisions,’” Bird said. “I hear a lot of abortion stories at the doors, of reasons why you need to make sure that the government stays out of it.”

“This is the year for women to vote,” one voter said at the door.

Ads from Democratic-aligned groups have targeted Donovan on his stance on reproductive rights, claiming he supports abortion bans without exceptions for rape and incest.

Earlier this year, Donovan co-authored a bill that would have banned abortion after 14 weeks, a reduction from the 20 weeks under current law, with exceptions for the life or health of the mother.

The bill was later changed to include exceptions for sexual assault and incest, and Donovan voted for the amended version. The proposal did not pass both chambers but would have required voters to approve it via referendum to go into effect.

“I recognize the fact that this is an exceedingly controversial issue, abortion. I realize that is a very personal issue to many, many people. And I struggled with this legislation,” Donovan said during floor votes on the bill. “I am pro-life, and I am Catholic, and I believe that abortion is the taking of a human being, the life of a human being. And yet I believe that the majority of my constituents respect that view, and I appreciate that immensely.”

Donovan has cited his work on the shared revenue deal, which boosted funding for municipalities and counties statewide and allowed Milwaukee to implement a 2% local sales tax, but also came with conditions for the city like maintaining police and fire staffing levels.

He’s also led bipartisan bills signed into law by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, including increasing penalties for reckless driving and creating a grant program to help low-income students pay for driver’s education.

“Rising prices and inflation devalue the dollar, crime paralyzes community growth, and our world seems to always be in chaos,” Donovan said in a post on his campaign Facebook page while out talking to voters. “I stand for common sense approaches to the issues of our day — solutions that put people above politics.”

Competitive territory draws in donations from parties

While Bird and Donovan competed in the 84th Assembly District last time around, they’re now running in the redrawn 61st District, which includes Greendale, Hales Corners, parts of Greenfield, plus slivers of Milwaukee and Franklin.

Parts of Greendale south of West Grange Avenue that were previously included in a red-leaning district are now part of the 61st, while portions of Greenfield north of West Layton Avenue have been moved into a blue-leaning district.

The district remains the only true toss-up in the Milwaukee area under both the new and old maps, based on the Journal Sentinel’s analysis.

Donovan has raised around $260,000 this year, according to September campaign finance reports, with $233,000 coming from committees and $27,000 in donations from individuals. Bird has raised $412,000 this year, with about $222,000 coming from committees and $191,000 in individual donations.

Both candidates have been supported heavily by the state parties and party committees that work to get candidates elected to the Assembly. More than 85% of Donovan’s fundraising comes from the party, indicating Republicans view it as a top-target race.

Support for Bird from groups like Moms Demand Action, an anti-gun violence organization, has also taken the form of hundreds of volunteers who are out knocking doors on the weekends in the district, she said.

“Down-ballot races matter to the top of the ticket, I think we’re getting a lot of endorsements because of that,” she said.

“There’s donations coming in every day. And I don’t know how or where from, but we’re on the radar screen,” Bird said at a fundraiser hosted by state Reps. Deb Andraca and Robyn Vining, who both flipped Republican-leaning districts in suburban Milwaukee.

Bird has knocked on about 3,756 doors this election cycle and is aiming for 4,000. On that Tuesday afternoon, two doors where voters weren’t home also had flyers for Donovan stuck in the doorknob.