Wellstone's Take on yesterday's "recall". It isn't about Walker.

It really isn't.

It's about Lori Compas and Kristen Dexter - two Wellstone Action alums, and two other candidates in today's historic recall elections.

Maybe you saw today's results and feel defeated. Maybe you wonder why anyone would want to do this: campaign on their ideas, values, and convictions when all the money's going to the other guy.

“I assumed someone else would step up....People were calling on me to run. I decided I could do this.”

That’s what Lori Compas told Wellstone Action a few months back. A self-described regular citizen who had been uninvolved in politics, Lori quickly found herself at the helm of recalling Senator Scott Fitzgerald. And once the papers were filed and no one else was stepping up to challenge him, Lori plunged forward. People were calling on her.

Meanwhile, former State Representative Kristen Dexter was rising as the candidate to challenge Terry Moulton. Kristen, a Camp Wellstone alum like Lori, already had one successful election in her repertoire. And also like Lori, Kristen, too, was “an average citizen who never aspired to be a leader”. Except that we needed a leader.

We applaud the efforts of all those involved in the recall efforts, especially Lori and Kristen, and we thank you for believing that Wisconsin deserves better. We are extremely proud to support not only these candidates running with conviction, but the thousands of committed citizens, activists, and volunteers who also stepped up to lead. We thank our partners across the state - WI Progress, We Are Wisconsin, and Wisconsin Voices - for being at the forefront of a long, arduous process to restore hope and authenticity to politics - because an awful lot of us believe in both.

We end every Camp Wellstone with these words from Paul:  “Politics is not just about power and money games; politics can be about the improvement of people’s lives.” And we are so totally proud to stand with Lori and Kristen as they fought - and we suspect will continue to battle - for the Wisconsin that all of us deserve.

At Wellstone Action, we're in the business of improving people's lives. And this business doesn't end tonight.
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