Tom Tiffany likens fight to end democratic socialism in Wisconsin to the nation’s fight to end slavery

During recent speeches, Republican candidate for governor Tom Tiffany has likened ending the reemergence of socialism in Wisconsin to ending slavery in the mid-1800s. 

Tiffany appeared at an event at Salute to Everyone in Manitowoc on July 6 and stated the following, according to audio obtained by the Milwaukee Courier: 

“And you think about the state of Wisconsin, just six years into our statehood, 1854. We were the state that stood up. We were the state where the Republican Party started, just down in Ripon, Wisconsin, that said, we are going to end slavery here in America. We are not going to allow that to spread across the rest of America. The Republican Party was started right here in Wisconsin. And it has been generations of Wisconsinites, whether they’re farmers, manufacturers, teachers, firemen, whatever they do, that have carried on these traditions through Wisconsin in the ensuing 170 years. Now, now, it is up to us. You heard, a week or so ago, when the leading candidate for the Democrats said, Wisconsin, you’re next to be socialist in America. Are we going to allow socialism to take over Wisconsin? No, we are not going to allow that to happen.”

The Republican Party began in 1854 in Fond du Lac County at the Little White Schoolhouse, where anti-slavery activists gathered to establish a new political party aimed at opposing the spread of slavery. 

Abraham Lincoln became the first Republican president and, after the Civil War, the country successfully abolished slavery. The final unaware slaves were informed of the Emancipation Proclamation and their freedom on Juneteenth in 1865. 

For nearly 100 years, many Black people and their allies supported the Republican Party until the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which was championed by the Democratic Party. 

When Tiffany says socialism is reemerging in the state, he is referring to Democratic Party candidate Francesca Hong, who is backed by the Democratic Socialists of America. Most polling shows her at or near the top of the field. 

Socialism is not new to Wisconsin, but DSA being more of a political force is.

Tiffany also attended an open forum on July 2 alongside Eric Toney, the Fond du Lac County DA and candidate for Attorney General. 

“We were founded in 1854 by a group of patriots gathered right here in Wisconsin, in Ripon, Wisconsin, and they said, we are going to stop the spread of slavery across America,” Tiffany said. “People that showed true leadership on a crucial issue before our country at that point, and it has been the case that Wisconsinites show up, our parents and grandparents have always shown up. Now it is our turn. It is our turn to stand up here as we go to the month of November for one of our most important elections, as we stop the siren song of socialism from spreading across America.”

The Courier asked Tiffany if he has spoken to descendants of slaves that would also liken the nation’s struggle to end slavery to a now-popular movement of democratic socialism seen across the U.S. His campaign didn’t respond to the question but issued a statement.

“The Republican Party was founded in Wisconsin to stop the spread of slavery. That was the defining challenge of that generation,” Tiffany said. “Today, the Republican Party faces a different challenge, one of stopping the spread of socialism. That responsibility belongs not just to Republicans, but to every Wisconsinite who believes in prosperity, opportunity, and preserving the Wisconsin we love.”

Hong also issued a statement:

“Tom Tiffany trivializing the fight to end slavery for a cheap political attack is sad and desperate,” she said. “Anyone with basic American history knowledge knows how ridiculous and offensive this comparison is.

“He is invoking the legacy of the Republican Party founded in Ripon, but today’s Republican Party bears no resemblance to the party he is trying to wrap himself in.

“The Republicans who gathered in Wisconsin in 1854 stood against the expansion of slavery and against the power of an economic system built on exploitation. Tom Tiffany belongs to a MAGA movement that has sought to deprive Black communities of their right to vote, attacks public schools, scapegoats vulnerable people, defends corporate power, and asks working families to subsidize billion-dollar companies while costs keep rising.

“It is offensive and historically absurd for him to compare the fight to end slavery to his campaign against affordable healthcare, universal childcare, public education, and lower utility bills. Rep. Hong is running to make life more affordable for working people. If Tom Tiffany wants to call that socialism, he should explain why he is so comfortable with Wisconsin families being forced to subsidize corporate utilities and Big Tech.”