In presidential elections, Democrats lose around three percentage points after the passage of anti-union legislation, and turnout dips by around two points. So while there are many factors that might explain Donald Trump’s surprise win in Wisconsin in 2016 by a mere 23,000 votes, a weaker labor movement less able to turn out Democratic voters might have been one important contributor to Trump’s victory. Looking back at the transformation of Wisconsin since Walker’s election, Phillips notes proudly that AFP’s organization in the state now has more grassroots activists than the Wisconsin teachers’ union has members.
