Thanks, Mo! It was great to catch up!
It's been a wild week since making the announcement! After the WI Supreme Court flipped and put the latest gerrymander into action, the district lines changed on the day I jumped in. Lucky for me, this one didn't change as much as some of the other races downstate. Now, I've got a horseshoe-shaped district in far northwestern WI with eight full counties and a couple of extra townships. Still the biggest Senate district in the state, and the furthest from the capital.
We've been out canvassing and connecting with all of the local county party folks, collecting signatures to get my name on the ballot (400 minimum, but we're aiming for double that). So far, the reception has been great and I've been really impressed by the local field organization in some pretty unexpected places!
At any rate, it feels good to be back on the campaign trail and I've got my work cut out for me. My opponent is a former state assembly rep, and he's be in the race and fundraising since October of last year. This district leans a little republican, but it's been held by democrats since 1986. If we lose it now, the republicans will have a supermajority in the Senate, and they'll be able to overturn any veto. Even if Governor Evers wins re-election, he won't be able to stop bad bills if we can't keep this seat.
All that is to say that I appreciate all the help I can get! We've got a lot of ground to cover and a lot of voters to reach between now and November 9th. Anyone who's interested can find out more at https://kellywestlundforsenate.com/