For 72-year-old Tom Spehert of Greendale, Wisconsin, the country is on the line this midterms election.
Spehert, who hosted a canvas launch for Democratic Senate Candidate Mandela Barnes and the state party at his home Saturday, told CNN he’s concerned that Democrats will lose a crucial safeguard against Republicans if Democratic Gov. Tony Evers loses reelection Tuesday or if Democrats lose control of the House and Senate.
“I mean, it’s, it’s important. Like in the state of Wisconsin, we’re lucky that we have Gov. Evers, because the legislature is Republican and he’s been able to, you know, temper what they’ve been trying to do,” Spehert told CNN’s Omar Jimenez. “And the same thing is going to happen to Washington if we lose the Senate and we lose the Congress, it’ll be the same thing. So, it’s really important that we, that we keep our majority.”
Spehert, who met his wife while volunteering for his local Democratic party in the 60s, said he’s concerned about the threat of increased violent rhetoric in politics.
“Things are a lot more tense, okay? Some of the fun has gone out of things, because we heard what happened to Nancy Pelosi’s husband, you know?” he said.
“Although, I have to say that over the years, people always say, ‘How can you put these signs out in front of your house,’ and ‘Are you afraid to put bumper stickers on your car?’ I just said that if they want to wreck my house, they want to wreck my bumper stickers, fine — this is my right to do this,” he said.
The Wisconsin Democrat, who voted early, was excited to cast his ballot for Barnes, whom he’s known for years.
“I’m an old White guy, okay, alright? End of story. Mandela is the future of the party, we need to get young people in and he just, you know, I just think he’s the guy. He’s young, he’s energetic, we have the same ideals and I’m behind him 100%,” Spehert told CNN.