As Labor Day weekend wraps up, we hope those of you who traveled or hosted guests are now ready to dive back into work or school refreshed. This weekend marks both the start of American election campaigns and a celebration of the American worker—whose productivity drives 87 percent of global innovations.
Friday night, I embarked on an all-nighter covering 682 miles to meet with team leaders across Wisconsin. On Labor Day, our Southern Field Director, Alex Cucchiaro, traveled 368 miles (marked in green on the map) to distribute materials to canvassing leaders. Meanwhile, our Nevada-based Western Field Director, Eric Coleman, made the longest journey—a staggering 1,960 miles—to reach Wisconsin, the state where we will call home through the election. Eric and his team, who played a crucial role in Governor Joe Lombardo’s 2022 upset victory, drove this distance to support our efforts.
Our team was split between Nevada at that time, part of teams that canvassed 370,000 doors for Lombardo, with the rest of us knocking in Wisconsin, where Tim Michels had the second-best showing of any challenger (the other 24 all lost, with an average margin of double digits).
Eric will join our Milwaukee-based Midwestern Field Director, Spencer LaVerde (see his bio at the end of this blog and all team bios here), at an exciting event this Wednesday evening. If you, like our team, decided to stay in Wisconsin through the election after both the RNC and DNC were within 100 miles of each other, and would like to attend, email noelw@takebackaction.org. The invitation, sent by the hosts of Milwaukee’s North Shore’s most successful events, promises:
“Women on the Issues, Meet & Greet - WINE, WOMEN... AND WINNING.” The evening will feature fellowship, wine, and postcard writing with guest speaker John Pudner.
This is the first of five speeches in nine days, as shown on the map above.
My own Labor Day weekend began with a meeting with a canvasser who arrived just before I picked up literature from a Wisconsin printer. This printer was busy producing 10 million pieces of literature for the other organization I run.
In an ironic twist, the canvasser worked for a liberal non-profit promoting Kamala Harris and Tammy Baldwin. During our conversation, he asked if I saw any positives in Kamala Harris. I acknowledged her disciplined communication—a simple, repetitive message that has won many elections—but reiterated my disagreement with her policies. He admitted he and his friends were impressed by Trump’s bravery after being shot. As he left, someone down the street told the canvasser I was very conservative, to which he responded, “Yeah, but he seemed cool.”
The journey also included a memorable encounter with a wolf near Fort McCoy, which is currently home to the largest wolfpack ever in Wisconsin. I navigated thick woods on a gravel road in Wolf Zone 5, an area designated to protect wolves despite opposition from local farmers. During stops between midnight and 5 AM, I avoided waking people but stirred a few dogs and horses—one particularly aggressive dog that clearly wasn’t informed by his owner of my intent to leave literature on a shelf in his shed for Sunday’s church.
Despite the late hours, the trip was marked by great conversations and even some late-night brownies from a canvass leader. By Saturday, after catching some rest, I was busy distributing literature and receiving reports from canvassers across the state. I had only one “Get off my lawn” rebuke from someone on their porch, and when I looked at my app, I saw he was a Republican. I assume he thought I was yet another liberal canvasser in my hometown, which gave Donald Trump only 16 percent of the vote.
The following is the bio of our new, great regional director based in our home base of Milwaukee:
Spencer LaVerde – Midwestern Field Director
Spencer LaVerde is an emerging conservative activist dedicated to restoring faith and common sense to American society. His innovative approach has significantly increased our door-to-door reach, building on our use of scooters in some areas as he has biked between doors from South Milwaukee to Green Bay along Lake Michigan.
Spencer’s background as a professional driver in the transportation industry has honed his logistical skills, which he now applies to coordinating canvassers and maximizing voter turnout. It is always interesting how skills in other arenas can translate into political positions. His knack for adjusting strategies based on real-time feedback has proven highly effective. Spencer resides in southeastern Wisconsin, the state's most populous region.
His ability to engage voters is evident in his frequent success in recruiting new canvassers from the very doors on which he knocks—a true testament to his communication skills.
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