Nevada’s Swing-State Strategies: A Blueprint for Wisconsin Democrats Under Devin Remiker

June 16, 2025 | Boncopia.com

A Pivotal Moment for Wisconsin Democrats

On June 15, 2025, the Democratic Party of Wisconsin (WisDems) elected Devin Remiker as its new chairman at its state convention in Wisconsin Dells, signaling a bold push toward the 2026 midterm elections. As a swing state with a history of tight races, Wisconsin shares striking similarities with Nevada, another battleground where Democrats have leveraged innovative strategies to secure narrow victories. Nevada’s political tactics—focusing on urban turnout, diverse voter mobilization, and issue-driven campaigns—offer a playbook for Remiker and WisDems to achieve a Democratic “trifecta” in 2026. By examining Nevada’s strategies, WisDems can refine their approach to energize voters, counter GOP tactics, and maintain Wisconsin’s competitive edge.

Devin Remiker’s Vision: Driving WisDems Forward

Devin Remiker, a 32-year-old former WisDems executive director, secured the chairmanship with 485 votes in a ranked-choice election, defeating Joe Zepecki and William Garcia. Building on outgoing chairman Ben Wikler’s legacy, which raised $262 million and secured victories in 10 of 13 statewide races since 2019, Remiker’s platform emphasizes year-round organizing, grassroots engagement, and leveraging Wisconsin’s newly fair legislative maps. His call to “hit the gas” targets key 2026 races, including the governor’s seat, 17 state Senate seats, and a state Supreme Court position.

Nevada, like Wisconsin, is a purple state where elections are decided by slim margins. Joe Biden’s 2020 win in Nevada by 33,500 votes (2.4%) and Donald Trump’s 2024 flip by 3% underscore its volatility. Nevada’s strategies, particularly its reliance on the “Reid Machine” and Latino voter outreach, provide actionable insights for WisDems navigating Wisconsin’s competitive landscape.

Nevada’s Political Landscape: A Purple State Powerhouse

Nevada’s political history reflects Wisconsin’s swing-state dynamics. A Republican stronghold from the late 1960s to the 1990s, Nevada has voted Democratic in five of seven presidential elections since 1992, including 2008–2020, with tight margins in recent cycles (e.g., Hillary Clinton’s 2.4% win in 2016). Its six electoral votes make it a small but crucial battleground, with a bellwether streak: Nevada voted for the national winner in 10 of 12 elections since 1976.

Nevada’s political geography centers on two Democratic strongholds—Clark County (Las Vegas, 73% of the population) and Washoe County (Reno, 15%)—which account for nearly 90% of voters. Rural counties lean heavily Republican, mirroring Wisconsin’s urban-rural divide between Milwaukee/Madison and northern counties. Nevada’s diverse electorate (20% Latino, 10% Black, 10% Asian) and high nonpartisan voter share (40% in 2024) add complexity, similar to Wisconsin’s growing Latino population and independent voters.

Nevada’s Political Strategies: Lessons for WisDems

Nevada’s Democratic strategies, rooted in the “Reid Machine” built by the late Senator Harry Reid, offer a model for WisDems. Here are key tactics and their relevance to Wisconsin:

1. Maximizing Urban Turnout

Clark County’s Democratic firewall, delivering wide margins (e.g., 9% for Catherine Cortez Masto in 2022), is critical to statewide wins. The Reid Machine, a union-driven get-out-the-vote operation, ensures high turnout among hospitality workers, with the Culinary Workers Union mobilizing voters through door-knocking and phone banking. WisDems can replicate this by intensifying turnout efforts in Milwaukee and Madison, partnering with unions like AFSCME to mobilize public-sector workers, as Nevada does with service employees.

2. Mobilizing Diverse Voters

Nevada Democrats prioritize Latino voters (20% of the electorate), with groups like Make the Road Action Nevada conducting 87,850 bilingual voter contacts in 2024. Asian-American voters, targeted by One APIA’s multilingual canvassing, also boosted Democratic margins. However, Trump’s 2024 gains with Latinos (61-35% for Biden in 2020 to narrower margins) highlight risks.

WisDems can adopt this by targeting Milwaukee’s Latino and Black communities, using bilingual outreach and trusted messengers, while engaging young voters in college towns like Eau Claire, similar to Nevada’s focus on Las Vegas’s diverse districts.

3. Issue-Driven Campaigns

Nevada Democrats leverage issues like abortion rights, economic recovery, and housing affordability. A 2024 ballot measure to enshrine abortion rights, supported by 90% of Democrats and 70% of Republicans, drove turnout. Economic concerns—cost of living, housing costs (up due to California transplants)—dominate voter priorities, with 26% citing the economy in a 2024 Emerson College poll.

Wisconsin Democrats have used abortion rights effectively, with 57% of voters opposing restrictive laws per a 2023 Marquette Law School poll. Remiker can amplify messaging on economic opportunity, education funding, and reproductive rights, appealing to urban and suburban voters in Racine and Waukesha, as Nevada did in Clark County.

4. Countering Nonpartisan and GOP Strategies

Nevada’s 40% nonpartisan voters, boosted by a 2020 DMV auto-registration law, make elections unpredictable. Democrats target these voters with data-driven modeling, though 2024 polling was unreliable due to linguistic diversity and shift-work schedules. Republicans, meanwhile, cut Democratic Latino margins and boosted early voting in 2024.

WisDems face similar GOP efforts, like voter ID measures. Remiker can counter by targeting Wisconsin’s independent voters (38% per 2024 Marquette polls) with tailored messaging, promoting early voting, and addressing GOP narratives on election integrity with transparent voter education, as Nevada Democrats did in 2022.

5. Suburban and Rural Outreach

Nevada Democrats have flipped Washoe County’s suburbs, once Republican, with college-educated voters trending Democratic. Rural outreach remains a challenge, with Democrats aiming to “lose by less” in the 15 rural counties. WisDems can emulate this by targeting suburban Waukesha and Ozaukee counties, where educated voters are shifting left, while investing in rural outreach to reduce GOP margins in northern Wisconsin, learning from Nevada’s efforts in Washoe.

Challenges and Opportunities for WisDems

Nevada’s 2024 loss to Trump, despite Democratic strength in Clark County, highlights risks for WisDems. Declining Latino margins and lower urban turnout, as seen in Nevada’s 2022 midterms, mirror Wisconsin’s 2024 presidential loss. Nevada’s all-mail voting and same-day registration, while boosting access, require robust voter education, a lesson for Wisconsin’s voter ID challenges.

However, Nevada’s successes—re-electing Senator Catherine Cortez Masto in 2022 and holding three U.S. House seats—offer hope. Wisconsin’s fair maps, like Nevada’s competitive districts, create opportunities to flip legislative seats. Remiker can leverage Wisconsin’s urban strength and suburban trends, as Nevada did in Clark and Washoe, to build a winning coalition.

Remiker’s Roadmap: Applying Nevada’s Lessons

Remiker’s leadership team, including First Vice Chair Sarah Godlewski and Second Vice Chair Joshua Taylor, can adapt Nevada’s tactics with Wisconsin’s fundraising strength. Key priorities include:

• Urban Turnout: Partner with unions to boost Milwaukee and Madison turnout, as Nevada’s Reid Machine does in Clark County.

• Diverse Mobilization: Target Latino, Black, and young voters with bilingual outreach, inspired by Nevada’s Make the Road efforts.

• Issue-Driven Messaging: Focus on abortion, economic recovery, and education, mirroring Nevada’s 2024 ballot strategy.

• Countering Nonpartisans/GOP: Engage independents and promote early voting, as Nevada addressed nonpartisan voters.

• Suburban/Rural Outreach: Flip suburban counties and reduce rural GOP margins, as Nevada achieved in Washoe.

Why This Matters

Nevada and Wisconsin are swing-state twins, with shared histories of close elections and urban-rural divides. Nevada’s strategies—urban turnout, diverse mobilization, and issue-driven campaigns—offer WisDems a blueprint to secure 2026 victories. As Remiker leads WisDems forward, adapting these tactics could shape Wisconsin’s political future and inform national Democratic strategies in battleground states.

Thought-Provoking Questions for Readers:

1. How can WisDems under Devin Remiker replicate Nevada’s urban turnout model to maximize votes in Milwaukee while addressing suburban Wisconsin voters?

2. What lessons from Nevada’s Latino voter outreach can WisDems apply to engage Wisconsin’s growing diverse communities in 2026?

3. Can WisDems counter GOP nonpartisan voter strategies as effectively as Nevada Democrats, and what economic issues might drive their campaign?

Sources: Information compiled from Wisconsin Examiner, NBC26, WisPolitics, Marquette University Law, NPR, U.S. News, POLITICO, The Economist, Reuters, The New York Times, Brookings, Wikipedia, Ballotpedia, and posts on X. For more on U.S. News & Politics, visit Boncopia.com.