Sen. Bernie Sanders Rallies Milwaukee Voters

Senator Bernie Sanders held a rally in Milwaukee on Oct. 14. Photo by Sophie Bolich.

Senator Bernie Sanders held a rally in Milwaukee on Monday as part of a final push to mobilize voters in Wisconsin’s largest democratic stronghold.

Sanders, accompanied by elected officials and representatives from voting advocacy groups, visited the Power to the Polls headquarters at 4184 N. 56th St., where he addressed a crowd of approximately 250 attendees — including a number of Service Employees International Union (SEIU) members.

During a 22-minute speech punctuated by crowd input, Sanders outlined his vision to expand Medicare, support unions and uplift the working class. He also slammed Republicans’ Project 2025 agenda and emphasized the importance of voting for Democratic Presidential Nominee Kamala Harris.

“Wisconsin will be decided by a few thousand votes, he said. “You can make the difference whether Kamala wins or loses. And if Kamala loses Wisconsin, there’s a reasonable chance she’ll lose the country and will lose the election. So do everything you can to make sure she wins.”

But the work doesn’t end there, he said, highlighting the need for a healthcare system that prioritizes people over profits. “The day after the election, this is not all over. Billionaires control both political parties.”

Sanders furthered his point by requesting input directly from audience members “What’s your deductible?” He asked, “Who can share what it’s like living paycheck to paycheck? And what does it do to your bodies and minds?”

Attendees were eager to respond, many sharing anecdotes about working multiple jobs or not being able to afford healthcare. “I was a single mom for a long time, and just being able to work and afford childcare felt impossible,” said an attendee who identified herself as Annie. “I was burnt out.”

Sanders also took a moment to condemn Republican Presidential Nominee Donald Trump and the party’s agenda, outlined in the nearly 1,000-page document known as Project 2025.

“Donald Trump is working overtime trying to undermine American democracy,” Sanders said. “The Republican party is working hard to try to suppress the vote. They don’t want young people to vote, they don’t want people of color to vote, they don’t want people in universities to vote. The beauty in democracy is everybody has the right to vote.”

Sanders was introduced by Mandela Barnes, former lieutenant governor and current president of Power to the Polls Wisconsin.

During a brief speech, Barnes challenged the notion among undecided voters that Kamala is not forthcoming about her policies. “If they can scroll social media all day, they can go to the website and find out exactly what Kamala Harris backs,” he said.

He also told attendees that “you don’t have to agree with somebody 100% of the time to vote for them for president.”

“You can still show up and protest somebody you voted for. Lord knows people protested me before they voted for me,” he said, prompting laughter from the crowd. “And so for all of us who know what’s at stake, we need to show up like our lives depend on it.”

Barnes took aim at Trump before leaving the stage. “We have someone who desires to be a dictator,” he said. “Someone who is going to see more of our rights taken away instead of more rights given to us … someone who has put working people on the chopping block, who is taking advantage of working people, demonizing working people and putting them in unsafe working conditions. We refuse to let that slide.”

Anthol Farrar, vice president of property services for SEIU Wisconsin, and Corinne Rosen, state director for Wisconsin Working Families Party, also attended the rally, along with representatives from the League of Progressive Seniors and Souls to the Polls Wisconsin.

“I stand here with all of you today because we are not going back,” said Farrar, who opened Monday’s program. “We know firsthand how critical unions are to making sure all of us matter, no matter what race. But we know that project 2025 won’t make it easy for us. It makes it hard for unions to join together.”

Rosen, who took the stage after Sanders, echoed his points and rallied the crowd to assist in a final push to get out the vote. “You in this room are going to decide this election,” she said.  “We’re here to stand up for the community here in Milwaukee and here in Wisconsin, and we’re here to fight for fairness and fight for a future that works for all of us, not just the upper class, not the middle class, but all of us.”

She urged the crowd to participate directly, noting that the Working Families Party plans to knock 80,000 doors in the coming weeks before the election. Power to the Polls aims to exceed that number.

“It’s what we need to get the job done,” she said.

Sanders concluded his remarks with a unifying statement. “At the end of the day, what we are about, what Power to the Polls is about, what the Working Families Party is about, is the understanding that if we bring our people together — Black, white, Latino, gay, straight — everybody … there is nothing that can stop us.”

Earlier on Monday, the Wisconsin Alliance for Retired Americans hosted Sanders for a lunch event, where he spoke about the importance of the Social Security Administration and the future of Social Security.

The senator also made campaign stops in Superior and Baraboo over the weekend. During the town hall-style appearances, Sanders touted Harris’ New Way Forward plan and slammed Republicans’ Project 2025 agenda.

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