It doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, does it? We’d have to explain that a semiquincentennial is a 250th anniversary, like the one this Saturday for the good ol’ USA. 

And then, if they’re in my (and maybe your!) age group, we might let out a sigh and start to reminisce about the summer of ‘76. America’s Bicentennial. Now that was a party, a year-long celebration of everything that made our country the envy of the world.

Times sure have changed. Looking back 50 years, we were quite proud of ourselves for having proved, through President Richard Nixon’s Watergate resignation, that we set a high bar for ethics and leadership in our country. Nixon’s fellow Republicans told him he’d gone too far while today’s Congress abdicates its checks and balances. The Constitution used to be the final word, but today we have justices eager to undo the supreme law of the land. Heck, Jimmy Carter even put his peanut farm in a blind trust to avoid any conflict of interest as he was running for president that year. Like I said, times sure have changed when you see Donald Trump raking in billions now.

There’s no getting around the reality that people are feeling less united, more uncertain, and not in a mood to celebrate nationally. But let’s remember that the overwhelming number of Bicentennial events were local, not national. On this July 4, we still have a nation to celebrate, founded on principles that are still worth defending and stocked with hometown pride in every zip code.

🇺🇸 Have a great weekend. And be sure to stay up to date with our posts on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.

Click on the photos to read more about each story.

Let’s think ahead to what our country’s politics might look like 50 years from now on the 300th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. 

You likely know that George Washington warned against establishing political parties, but it happened anyway. Hopefully you also know how the parties have stood for different things at different times. The Democratic Party was once the party fighting civil rights, for example. It later changed course and now the Republican Party is the one coddling white supremacists at its highest levels. And both parties are facing fractures: MAGA extremists on the right, democratic socialists making inroads from the left.

So it’s really hard to say what those two parties will be like in 2076. But we’ll ask anyway.

Click the blue box above to visit our website and select the answer closest to your point of view. We’d really appreciate you adding your comments and your first name and hometown.

We asked how you see the label of “democratic socialist” when it comes to 2026 candidates.

46% said it would be a good thing, showing who wants to do more to help families and the middle class.

👉🏼 “Democratic Socialists clarify the question of what does the Democratic Party stand for? [It] moves the needle from being a reactive party to becoming a proactive party.”

👉🏼 “I’m still evaluating, but I see the choice of democratic socialist as a brave and valid distinction.”

31% said it’s a bad idea for candidates; they won’t be able to win outside of big Democratic cities.

👉🏼 “Stay away from the word “socialist” altogether – it’s a loaded and toxic term and simple for the opposition to demonize. Let’s not make it easier for them.“

23% said it won’t make a difference because any Democrat is close enough in values to be distinctive from Republicans, whatever labels they use.

👉🏼 “If Tiffany thinks it’s bad, I’ll embrace it!”

Thank you, as always, for some great table talk about the labels of our leaders.

Four years ago, Rep. Greta Neubauer became the youngest Assembly Minority Leader in Wisconsin history. Now she’s aiming to put Democrats in the majority this November, focusing on some districts that could flip as hard-working challengers channel public dissatisfaction with their local legislators. 

At a recent WisPolitics event, she reviewed some of the most closely-watched races.

The full story on our website includes more races. Click on the candidates’ names to see excerpts from my interviews with them.

85th Assembly District – Rep. Patrick Snyder (R-Schofield) is being challenged by Marathon County Board member John Kroll, who studied energy efficiency at Western Technical College and helps families save energy and lower their utility costs.

61st Assembly District – Democrats hope to unseat Rep. Bob Donovan (R-Greenfield and Milwaukee) with one of three Democrats competing in the Aug. 11 primary: pharmacist Brian Bock, US Army veteran Ben Brist, and Lawanda Chambers, founder of a mental health and substance use clinic.

“We know that Bob Donovan is well known here,” Neubauer said. “We know that we cannot take this seat lightly. We’ve got several folks running, and they’re doing good work getting out and talking to their neighbors and building the case.”

51st Assembly District – Rep. Todd Novak (R-Dodgeville) is seeking a seventh term while being challenged by Democrat Ben Gruber. 

“Ben is a longtime law enforcement officer,” Neubauer said. “He often tells the story about how, when he was preparing to send his five-year-old daughter to school, they found out that the district school in their area was going to be closing and she was going to need to ride a bus for 92 minutes each way. And frankly, Todd Novak has been in office and doing very little to prevent that.”

30th Assembly District – Rep. Shannon Zimmerman (R-River Falls), who has faced questions over the years about residency issues and a number of missed votes, will be facing a Hudson teacher and military veteran. 

“Our guy there is Kevin Knoke,” Neubauer said. “He was an educator for several decades in the schools. When you’re in Hudson with him and you walk into a coffee shop, there’s always somebody who says hi to ‘Mr. K,’ and is a veteran who served for several years overseas.

July 3 (Friday)

Racine Anti-MAGA Social Club: Fourth of July BBQ (Racine, 4-6 p.m.) – Celebrate the holiday weekend with food and refreshments while talking politics.

July 4 (Saturday)

Democratic Party of Wisconsin: Community Canvassing (La Crosse, 12-2 p.m.) – Canvass door-to-door to talk with voters ahead of the 2026 elections.

July 6 (Monday)

Swing Left: Call Voters in Wisconsin CD-03 with Ground Truth (Virtual, 5-7 p.m.) – Call voters in the 3rd Congressional District to gather insights that can be shared with the team, so they can better respond to voters’ needs and improve their messaging, targeting, and outreach.

Send your events and announcements to Abigail Deatrick, UpNorthNews’ regional community development organizer, at least one week before the event to see them here.

📱 Remember, you can stay up to date all day with all of our team’s work through our social media feeds, including Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.

🏁 Thanks for reading our update.

Have a great weekend!