Common Council District 3: General Election Update
We are only a few days away from the election for District 3 Alderman between Dan Bauman and Alex Brower. The recently released campaign finance reports begin to paint a picture of how the race is shaping up. As Milwaukee Beagle previously noted, Brower raised a surprising amount of funds during the primary and has continued to rake in mostly small dollar donations from across Wisconsin and with multiple donors from out of state as well (one can assume these out of state donors are Democratic Socialist of America members, of which Brower is the chair of the Milwaukee chapter). All in all his campaign was able to raise $16,280.67 this cycle and spent the majority of it, having only $3,263.20 left in the bank at the time of reporting. Brower seems to face an uphill battle though, as Bauman’s campaign was both able to outraise and outspend Brower’s campaign and still has plenty left in the bank. His campaign raised $29,025 this cycle and, despite also spending over $30,000, still has $20,966.22 left in the bank to spend.
Looking over Bauman’s donor list, it is unsurprising he was able to spend so much money. Multiple donors donated over $500 to his campaign and reviewing the names is something of a who’s who of Milwaukee's elite. There is Martin Katz, real estate investor and brother of notorious Milwaukee slumlord Daniel Katz; Kevin Flaherty, vice president of PNC Bank Milwaukee; James Wiechmann, a real estate investor who has lived in a literal mansion; along with many other CEOs and executives. There are also a number of folks from within Cavalier Johnson’s administration, including the current Commissioner of City Development Lafayette Crump and the current City Comptroller Bill Christianson. Bauman’s talking points sound progressive until you realize they were crafted by the same consulting firm, Nation Consulting, used by all Elite Democrats. Nothing about Bauman’s donors or campaign suggests he will be anything but more of the same fake progressivism that has been hurting Milwaukee for too long. His donors are landlords, bankers, and members of the establishment, how can we expect any real change from Bauman? While he denied that he would just be a rubber stamp for Mayor Johnson’s agenda on the Bridge the City Podcast (around 41:15), his response was not convincing. He worked on Johnson’s campaign, was endorsed by Johnson, and considers him a friend. It is simply unrealistic to expect Bauman to truly resist the mayor on any substantial issues.
On a proposed policy level, Alex Brower is without a doubt the better candidate for Alderman in Milwaukee upcoming District 3 special election. His bold proposal to make We Energies publicly-owned is the type of radical change we need to make life better for all Milwaukeeans and not just keep enriching an elite few. Compared with Bauman, who will most likely be more of the same and a close ally of Mayor Johnson, Brower is without a doubt the better candidate on paper. But proposals are one thing, actual actions are another –and to be fully transparent, Milwaukee Beagle has our doubts if Brower’s campaign strategy will allow him to win on April 1st. And even if he does win, we are not sure he is the person who will be able to bring about the radical change he is proposing.
We have been in this situation before, with this candidate. Last time Brower ran for office he won the primary only to be handily defeated in the general election. We have not seen a significant change in strategy from Brower’s previous campaign that will allow him to broaden his appeal outside of the highly engaged voters who participate in primaries. To win the general election, he needs a strategy to reach those who are not aligned with or active members of Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and/or its local chapter.
We may be wrong, but we do not believe centering his campaign around the ambitious plan to replace We Energies is that winning strategy. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has already noted the long road ahead to making this policy a reality. Granted it is mostly a bad faith take, just because something is difficult, is not an excuse to not do it. If Brower’s campaign had other, more immediately tangible and detailed policy plans along with it this might be a different story. But none of Brower’s top issues have as concrete or detailed policy proposals as his plan to replace We Energies. Most are simply bullet points rather than detailed proposals. And while we are fully onboard with this plan, in theory, we suspect the average non-socialist voter in District 3 have other more immediate interests that they want addressed.
The results of the primary also seem to back up this assertion. Of all the Milwaukee wards Brower won, only ward 175 is outside the Riverwest and UWM areas, which regularly support further left candidates. This seems to support the idea that Brower’s win in the primary was because he was able to deepen his level of support among a narrow, highly active group already sympathetic to his policies rather than expand his appeal to other parts of the electorate. Of the 3 wards that Kostal won, Bauman took 2nd place in two of the three. These are the wards most in play during the general election and raises the question, where will Kostal’s voters go? The last time these 3 wards (124, 125, 128) had the opportunity to vote for an openly socialist candidate (Ryan Clancy in last year’s primary), Clancy lost two and tied in one. This does not bode well for Brower’s ability to win over the Kostal and other more centrist voters that he will need to in order to win against Bauman. Radical long-term ideas are needed, but in order to win elections they must be paired with equally detailed and quickly achievable proposals as well.
Brower’s ability to win over those outside of his base is called more into question given he has even struggled to win over those who would be considered politically aligned with him. Of the four Milwaukee elected officials whose campaigns were endorsed by DSA at some point, only one has publicly come out in support of Brower’s campaign. The candidate from the primary most aligned with Brower, Alexander Kostal, has not publicly endorsed Brower. The Milwaukee Teachers’ Education Association, which Brower is a part of as the president of Milwaukee Substitute Teachers’ Association, endorsed a different candidate in the primary (though they have endorsed Brower for the general). The Working Families Party, another go-to endorsement for candidates on the left, have also not endorsed his campaign. This is too much of a pattern to just be considered a one off situation of clashing personalities and leftist infighting. If Brower’s campaign cannot even win over key local leftists who participate in electoral politics, it does not bode well for his ability to bring together folks who are not as politically aligned with him.
While Brower is clearly the better candidate than Bauman on paper, we want to be realistic about his chances of winning and implementing his bold vision. We may be wrong in our predictions, we will only know if his campaign strategy worked come April 1. We just hope whatever the results, that the broader left in Milwaukee can learn the appropriate lessons and continue to move forward, a little wiser, in our fight for a more just city.
