For Tom Spehert, 72, of Greendale, Wis., the country is on the line in this midterm election.
Spehert, who hosted a canvas launch for Democratic Senate candidate Mandela Barnes and the state party at his home on Saturday, told CNN he fears Democrats will lose crucial protection from Republicans if Democratic Gov. Tony Evers loses re-election on Tuesday or the Democrats lose control of the House and Senate.
“I mean, it’s, it’s important. Like in the state of Wisconsin, we’re lucky to have Governor Evers because the legislature is Republican and he was able to, you know, temper what they tried to do,” Spehert told Omar Jimenez. from CNN. “And the same thing will happen in Washington if we lose the Senate and we lose Congress, it will be the same thing. So it’s really important that we keep our majority.
Spehert, who met his wife while volunteering for his local Democratic party in the 1960s, said he was concerned about the threat of increased violent rhetoric in politics.
“Things are a lot more tense, okay? Some of the fun is gone, because we heard what happened to Nancy Pelosi’s husband, you know? he said.
“Although I have to say that over the years people always say, ‘How can you put these signs in front of your house’ and ‘Are you afraid to put stickers on your car? I just said if they want to destroy my house, they want to destroy my stickers, fine – it’s my right to do that,” he said.
The Wisconsin Democrat, who voted early, was excited to vote for Barnes, whom he has known for years.
“I’m an old white guy, okay, okay? End of the story. Mandela is the future of the party, we need to get the young people involved and he, you know, I just think he’s the guy. He’s young, he’s energetic, we have the same ideals and I’m behind him 100%,” Spehert told CNN.
