“Businessman and nonprofit leader Dan Kohl’s values of service, dedication and integrity resonate deeply in his community,” said DCCC Chairman Ben Ray Luján. “Not only does Dan possess a strong business background and a passion for our veterans, but he’s running to make our government work for families by lowering the cost of healthcare and raising wages. Dan is running a strong campaign with growing momentum, and he will be a very strong challenger this fall.”
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To: Interested Parties
From: Evan Lukaske, DCCC regional press secretary
Date: August 14, 2018
Re: The Case Against Glenn Grothman
Democrats are in solid position to flip Wisconsin’s 6th Congressional District this fall. The general election pits businessman and nonprofit executive Dan Kohl against career politician and special interest lackey Glenn Grothman. Kohl’s issues-based platform resonates deeply in this community—not only is he advocating for affordable health care and fighting for veterans, but he is running on a strong reform package, rejecting corporate PAC money and promoting term limits. Kohl’s candidacy contrasts well with Grothman’s background as a career politician who is bought and paid for by special interests.
Put simply, Kohl is running the strongest Democratic campaign this district has seen in years. Just ask Grothman, who in the midst of bemoaning his weak fundraising, admitted that he was in “the toughest race of [his] political career.” He’s right. Kohl has outraised him in five straight quarters and has built a substantial cash on hand advantage.
With unprecedented grassroots energy, and the stark contrast between Kohl and Grothman, Democrats are in a strong position to compete here this November.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
HEADLINE: Wisconsin’s Glenn Grothman: In ‘toughest race of my political career,’ has trouble raising money [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 10/9/17]
“[W]hat GOP leaders fear most heading into the thick of the midterm elections: incumbents who haven’t seen a real race in years snoozing as a Democratic wave builds […] Rep. Glenn Grothman’s team is another office that’s received a talking-to. [Politico, 3/22/18]
“But now, Grothman faces a tougher political climate and a well-funded Democratic opponent. That challenger, Dan Kohl, has a unique resume: he is the nephew of former Sen. Herb Kohl and a board member for the liberal Jewish group J Street. Kohl outraised Grothman in the third and fourth quarters of 2017, and had $100,000 more in the bank to start the year.” [National Journal, 2/12/18]
GLENN GROTHMAN: CAREER POLITICIAN FUNDED BY SPECIAL INTERESTS
Career politician
A career politician, Grothman has spent the past 25 years jumping from one elected office to another. Grothman served in the Wisconsin State Assembly from 1993 to 2005, the Wisconsin State Senate from 2005 to 2015 and started serving in Congress in 2015. Grothman was rated as the second-least bipartisan member of the House during his first term.
Grothman’s Congressional fundraising depicts a politician bought and paid for by special interests. Grothman has taken more than $1 million from PACs, including more than $130,000 from the insurance industry.
Given the staggering amount of Grothman’s special interest money, one could be forgiven for assuming Grothman wouldn’t need to waste tax dollars on self-promotion. But you’d be wrong. In Congress, Grothman has spent hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars on campaign-style mailers. Since the start of 2017, Grothman has spent more on himself than any other Wisconsin member of Congress.
Voted For Health Care Repeal
Grothman voted for the deeply unpopular health care repeal bill, which would have gutted pre-existing condition protections, imposed an age tax on older Americans, increased deductibles and out-of-pocket costs, and done nothing to lower the price of prescription drugs. Had the bill passed, more than 44,000 of his constituents would have lost their health care coverage.
Even though the bill ultimately failed in the Senate, it did succeed in causing massive spikes in Wisconsin health care premiums. Due to efforts to undermine health care markets, Wisconsin insurers hiked premium rates an average of 36% for 2018. Unfortunately, the damage is just getting started. One recent report estimated that a family of four in the 6th District will pay nearly $5,000 more in premiums due to sabotage of the health insurance market.
Tax Scam Supporter
Grothman supported the recent tax plan, a massive giveaway to big corporations and the very rich. Since the tax plan’s debut and subsequent passage, it remains a deeply unpopular piece of legislation. Poll after poll has consistently shown the tax plan underwater with voters.
On the trail, Grothman will have to explain to voters why 83% of the tax cuts go to the wealthiest one percent, why big corporations deserve larger tax cuts than middle-class families, why companies like Kimberly-Clark and Harley-Davidson are laying off workers while announcing nearly $700 billion in stock buybacks, and why he voted to blow a $1.9 trillion hole in the deficit.
Speaker Ryan may be retiring, but not before making a clear, problematic declaration that Grothman will have to address: they intend to use the deficit hole they created to slash Medicare and Social Security.
THE PATH TO VICTORY
Wisconsin’s 6th Congressional District is a large district north of Milwaukee that stretches from Lake Michigan to just outside Madison. While the district leans Republican, President Obama carried the district in 2008 and lost by single digits in 2012.
Kohl is in a strong position to compete in November. Kohl’s business background cuts across party lines, as does his platform of expanding access to affordable health care, fighting for veterans, and a reform message of term limits and no corporate PAC money.
Kohl is a strong fundraiser, outraising Grothman is five straight quarters. Kohl has raised more than $1.7 million since the start of the campaign, ending the most recent filing period with $1.2 million cash on hand. Conversely, Grothman has raised $1.3 million and most recently filed with $867k cash on hand.
Recent special elections in Wisconsin have demonstrated tremendous Democratic energy. In 2018, Democrats have won two state Senate special elections in deep red districts, and Rebecca Dallet became the first Democrat to win an open seat on the Wisconsin Supreme court in twenty-three years.