The power of small business amid divided politics

MILWAUKEE — Five small business-friendly candidates will be headed to Madison in January following a grassroots effort to get them elected.

The push came from business owners around the state who now hope the results will help bring change to a climate often dominated by partisan gridlock.

The Main Street Action PAC (MSA) said the election results Tuesday night prove that even in times of divided politics, small business owners across the state can use their voice to be a powerful voting bloc.

“I think the best way for small businesses to get involved is to be involved, and you look at the reasons why we do it, on a state level, is it directly impacts how we do business,” Dan Jacobs, a longtime leader with Main Street Alliance, said. “We’re looking at stuff like health care, child care, access to capital.”

Jacobs, who is the chef and owner of Dan Dan and EsterEv in Milwaukee, said it’s about reminding politicians they work for the people.

“Our voice is the voice of a lot of people. It’s not just us. We’re fighting and looking for things that I think are pretty basic that will do a lot of good for the citizens of Wisconsin,” Jacobs explained. “These people work for us. They are supposed to do the things that we want. Not the things that big corporations want, or big business wants, and these are the times when it really means the most to stand up and organize.”

Since 2008, MSA has helped lift up the voices of small business owners, including Jacobs’, and this election was no exception. From phone calls and mailers to candidate roundtables and voter outreach, the group put forth a grassroots effort.

“The unwinding of the 10-plus year gerrymander means that for the first time in a long time, you’ve got folks actually feeling the fullness of their political agency,” MSA Executive Director Richard Trent explained.

On Tuesday night, the nonpartisan MSA PAC helped five candidates out of six races win a seat in the legislature: Tara Johnson, Robyn Vining, Sarah Keyeski, Jamie Wall and Kristin Alfheim.

Trent said decisions about who to back and where comes down to membership.

“It just so happens that a lot of the small business and pro-main street policies that our membership espouses typically falls into more of a Democratic camp,” Trent said. “I think there are advantages for both political parties in thinking about the importance of small business. For the GOP, it’s a moment to actually be about competition and prove that you’re about competition. For Democrats, it’s a way to actually reach some of those rural and red voters that Democrats have really struggled with historically to reach.”

Those pro-small business policies include expanding BadgerCare, implementing paid family and medical leave and fully funding the Child Care Counts program.

“I think we can definitely, come January, get closer to these things,” Jacobs said. “The problem is it’s still not completely even and I am cautiously optimistic that we can push an agenda that’s more representative of what small businesses actually need and want, but it’s still going to be a challenge. It’s still going to be a fight all the way.”