(MILWAUKEE, WI) – Voces de la Frontera Action applauds the wave of progressive Democrats elected in the Wisconsin partisan primaries this week. We are proud that six of our eight endorsed candidates were elected in Brown County and Milwaukee County. We firmly believe that these candidates will endorse immigrant and labor rights in Wisconsin and we see these wins as part of the progressive wave of wins seen in states across the country, most notably in Minnesota, Michigan, and New York, and in the defeat of white nationalist candidates like Kris Kobach in Kansas and Sheriff Joe Arpaio in Arizona.

We want to give a warm shoutout to our Voces de la Frontera Action endorsed candidates who were elected this week:

In Milwaukee County:

  • Israel Ramón for Milwaukee County Register of Deeds
  • Sylvia Ortiz-Valez for 8th District State Representative
  • Marisabel Cabrera for 9th District State Representative
  • Jacob Malinowski for 82nd District State Representative
  • LaTonya Johnson for 6th District State Senator

In Brown County:

  • Kristina Shelton for 90th District State Representative
  • Jonathon Hansen for 30th District State Senator

We also want to make a special shoutout to Nada Elmikashfi and JoAnna Bautch for running such strong and inspiring campaigns, and we look forward to continuing working with them to make our communities stronger.

Christine Neumann-Ortiz, the Executive Director of Voces de la Frontera Action, said:

“This week we have seen that the far-right can be defeated at the state level. Our goal is to continue this progressive momentum into November. Our work at the local level does not happen in a vacuum. However, in Wisconsin, we are going to have to dig much deeper because of the lack of Biden’s presence thus far. Our people are waiting and watching from home. Winning the Latinx vote in Wisconsin is critical to defeating Trump in November, and should not be taken for granted. We look forward to connecting with the Biden campaign during the DNC as we start our endorsement process. The endorsement is based on having a strong platform for immigrant and refugee rights and broad inclusion in health care access and economic relief, needs that have been only highlighted during this pandemic.”

Voces de la Frontera Action is inspired by the Vice Presidential pick of Senator Kamala Harris, as a strong, energetic and progressive woman of color and daughter of immigrants. Harris attended the Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM) presidential candidate debate on immigration, which required a clear platform on immigration reform to overhaul our cruel and broken system. This is an indicator of her understanding and commitment to policies that challenge Trump’s hate mongering.

To win the support of Black and Latinx voters in Wisconsin, the Biden-Harris ticket must similarly demonstrate a visionary platform that includes a transformational restructuring of our immigration system and criminal justice system to ones that reinvest in our communities; dismantle policies of racial profiling, mass incarceration, and detention; keep families together; uphold the rights of all workers; and make our communities safer.

Wisconsin is considered the tipping point for the country. We are looking forward to dialogue with Biden and Harris to move this agenda forward. We especially look forward to their engagement with Voces de la Frontera Action members who are organizing, at a mass scale, new and infrequent voters to deliver a victory in November. ¡Adelante, si se puede!”

For more information, contact Communications Director Jacquelyn Kovarik at jacquelyn@vdlf.org or 414-436-9822.

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