I rattled my saber around EC for the last two years while back in town, couldn't count the dozens and dozens of coffees I had with local/regional activists and reps, and man, my optimism is NOT high for Eau Claire and the region in these midterms.

I love my hometown but it has spent much more time hyping it's on aRtIsTiCnEsS than it has actually dedicating time to cultivating that community, or the LGBTQ+, Block/Brown, Asian, or all communities. Ron Kind stepped down before this year without so much showing his face around for a long time. The local Dems office is non-responsive and apathetic. The local news rag Volume One is arguably more popular than any local news yet without any actual coverage of real local issues or the things that affect the area. Meanwhile the City Council barely avoided electing several QAnon nutjobs just a few months ago. Truly, the only engine of progress and hope in Eau Claire is the revolving door of youth that is the University. It's such a Pleasantivlle-esque town where the outside forces seem to not really interfere, so people seem to really tune out, even a lot of good hearted folks who disagree with what's happening; for whatever reasons it just never occurs to a lot of people - at least many I know - to actually get involved in the community, or activism, and try and do much beyond complain. Here's hoping things change sooner than later!