Summary Information
Labor and Farm Party Records
1982-1987
- Labor and Farm Party (Wis.)
Mss 1048
4.2 c.f. (11 archives boxes)
Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)
Records, 1982-1987, of the Labor and Farm Party of Wisconsin, documenting the founding of the party, its 1984 and 1986 campaigns, steering committees, and community activities and outreach. The papers consist of correspondence, photocopies of news stories covering major events concerning the party, current events, and drafts of the party's periodical, the Wisconsin Commonwealth; as well as a listing of the political issues with which the party was most concerned. Also included is the personal testimony of party member Mary K. Baum regarding Nicaragua and the Contras, where she visited during the height of the Iran-Contra scandal.
English, Spanish
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-mss01048 ↑ Bookmark this ↑
Biography/History
The Labor and Farm Party (also known as Wisconsin Labor and Farm Party, Labor-Farm, and LFP) was a left-wing independent party active in Wisconsin politics from 1982 to 1987. This collection in particular comes from the files of Mary Kay Baum, who was a senior member of the party for most of its history. The party arose in reaction to the resurgence of conservatism as a political force in the 1980s. Combined with the economic ascendancy of the East and West coasts in this period, and the relative stagnation of farms and industry in the American Midwest, the Labor and Farm Party operated with a platform that demanded more government intervention in particular to preserve factory and farm operations, protect the welfare of workers and farmers, check the excesses of multi-national corporations and the military, and focus on the civil rights issues of the “Rainbow Coalition” of feminists, the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transsexual lobby, African-Americans, Latinos, and Asian-Americans.
The Labor and Farm Party during the 1984 election fielded Kathryn Christensen against Cliff Russell (Republican - R) and Fred Risser (Democrat - D) for State Senator of the 26th District. During the 1986 election they fielded: Kathryn Christensen against Anthony S. Earl (D) and Tommy Thompson (R) for governor; William Kerley against Jerome Lacke (R) and Greg Nielsen (D) for Dane County Sheriff; John Graf against Les Aspin (D) for the 1st Congressional District Representative seat; Mary Kay Baum for the Madison School Board; Rosa Escamilla for alderperson of the Madison City Council; Sarah O'Brien for judge of the Dane County Circuit Court; and Daniel Grossberg for Register of Deeds.
An attempt to field William Hart, one of the party's founders, as a presidential candidate in 1984 failed and resulted in his resignation from the party. The context and aftermath of this event are well documented in this collection. In 1986 the party concentrated a great part of its effort in an attempt to defeat Les Aspin, then a Representative from Wisconsin's 1st Congressional District, for his approval of the controversial MX missile. With the exception of its nonpartisan races, the Labor and Farm Party did not meet with much success, which led to its dissolution in 1987. However, many party members did go on to help form the new Progressive Party as well as the Green Party in Wisconsin in the early 1990s.
At the party's founding convention, Chairperson William Osborne Hart appointed Michael Sack as Treasurer; Dennis Boyer as Executive Secretary; Jean Darling as Co-Vice Chair for Membership Services; Owen Coyle as Co-Vice Chair for Communications; and Conrad Amenhauser as Co-Vice Chair for the Issues Task Force. The party's administration was largely informal. While some material exists documenting the party's major conventions in 1983, 1984, and 1987, there is no centralized “minute-book,” and its record-keeping practices were idiosyncratic and fragmented (in fact, a note found during the course of processing called for the hiring of a volunteer to help organize the party's records). The party was led by William Hart for its first two years, and after his resignation from the party in 1984, Kathryn Christensen became its de-facto head. Mary K. Baum herself was a major figure in the party, running for minor offices in 1986 on its ticket and as an independent in 1988 for the governor's election. The collection consists largely of Baum's records; she may have been the unofficial historian for the party.
Scope and Content Note
The records of the Labor and Farm Party consist of files pertaining to the founding of the party, its steering committees, its 1984 and 1986 campaigns, and community activities and outreach. Campaign issues during the election years of 1984 and 1986 are particularly well documented. The lack of a centralized book of minutes makes decoding the party's day-to-day operations difficult, but an abundance of clippings interfiled with virtually every series serves to highlight the major events in the party's history.
The records are divided into five series: ADMINISTRATIVE FILES, CONFERENCES AND ACTIVITIES, INTERNAL PUBLICATIONS, SUBJECT AND CAMPAIGN FILES, and VISUAL MATERIALS.
The ADMINISTRATIVE FILES contain party correspondence, information on allied parties, financial records and publicity materials.
CONFERENCES AND ACTIVITIES assembles the closest analog to a series of minutes the collection has. The Founding File records the proceedings of the party's official founding conference, to its last major convention in 1987. This series covers the party's major meetings; both its internal meetings as well as conferences in which the party participated. Of particular note is the 1984 Labor and Farm Party convention, which records the lead-up to and the break with the Labor and Farm Party's founder, William Osborne Hart.
INTERNAL PUBLICATIONS consists of material written and published by the party itself. The largest part of this series is the Commonwealth drafts, which contains a complete run of the draft copies of the party's print publication, the Wisconsin Commonwealth, from 1983 to 1985. The Essays file documents the party's intellectual leanings and stance on many issues. The Revised Strategy and Structure Proposal, from late in 1987, may offer evidence about the causes of the party's decline.
SUBJECT AND CAMPAIGN FILES contains the bulk of the records produced during the party's various spirited campaigns. Its strongest coverage is of Christensen's race against Russell and Risser in 1984, and of its effort to unseat Les Aspin in 1986. The subject files contain many issues briefings the party accumulated during the races, which were likely material reviewed by the candidates in preparation for debates, speeches, and press conferences. Of note are the Iran/Contra files, which contain Mary K. Baum's personal recollections of Nicaragua and the Contras following an investigatory visit there, and a “stump” file of material gathered in preparation for the 1988 election, but never used.
The VISUAL MATERIALS series contains various editorial cartoons collected by the Labor and Farm Party, in addition to facsimiles of artwork they commissioned from editorial cartoonist Brooke Konopacki for their campaigns, and some maps used by the Labor and Farm Party, including an internally published book of ward maps used in the 1984 election.
Administrative/Restriction Information
Presented by Mary K. Baum, Dodgeville, Wisconsin, July 2007. Accession Number: M2009-002
Processed by Duane Rodel (Practicum student), May 2009.
Contents List
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Mss 1048
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Series: Administrative File
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Allied and Satellite Political Parties
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Box
1
Folder
1
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La Crosse Labor and Farm Party, 1983-1984
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Box
1
Folder
2
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Lake Superior Green Party, 1986
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Box
1
Folder
3
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Milwaukee Labor and Farm Party files, 1983-1986
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Box
1
Folder
4
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Nearby state, 1985
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Box
1
Folder
5
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New Democratic Party, Canada, 1985
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Box
1
Folder
6
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Waukesha Labor and Farm Party, 1983, 1985
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Box
1
Folder
7
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Constitution and bylaws, 1986
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Correspondence
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Box
1
Folder
8
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Commonwealth correspondence, 1985
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Correspondence
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Box
1
Folder
9-10
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1982-1984
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Box
1
Folder
11
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1983-1984
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Box
1
Folder
12
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1986
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Box
1
Folder
13
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Economic development, 1984
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Box
1
Folder
14
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Farm issues, circa 1983
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Box
1
Folder
15
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“Interesting” article, 1986 October
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Box
1
Folder
16-18
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Letters, communications, statements, 1986
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Box
2
Folder
1
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Letters, Dennis Boyer correspondence, 1986-1987
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Box
2
Folder
2
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Unorganized papers, circa 1983
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Political Organizations
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Box
2
Folder
3
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Allied organizations publications, circa 1981
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Box
2
Folder
4
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National Committee for Independent Political Action, 1985-1987
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Box
2
Folder
5
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Rainbow Coalition, 1986
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Publicity
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Box
2
Folder
6
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Articles, endorsements [of Labor and Farm Party members], 1984
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Box
2
Folder
7-8
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Labor and Farm Party releases, 1985 (1984-1986)
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Box
2
Folder
9
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News releases, 1984
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Box
2
Folder
10
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References to the Labor and Farm Party in national literature, 1986
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State Interactions
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Labor and Farm Party legislation
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Box
3
Folder
1-2
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, 1983-1984 Session
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Box
3
Folder
3
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, 1985-1986 Session
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Box
3
Folder
4
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Treasurer reports (especially Christensen's , 1984 campaign)
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Series: Conferences and Activities
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Activists Conferences
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Box
3
Folder
5-6
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Convention and Activists conference, 1983
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Box
3
Folder
7
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Wisconsin Activists conference, 1985
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Conventions
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Box
3
Folder
8
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Labor and Farm Party convention, 1984
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Box
3
Folder
9
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Labor and Farm Party presidential ballot results, 1984
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Box
3
Folder
10-11
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Labor and Farm Party 1987 convention
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Box
3
Folder
12
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Minutes, 1983
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Box
4
Folder
1
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Events, 1984
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Box
4
Folder
2
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Founding File, 1983
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Box
4
Folder
3-4
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Issues Task Force, 1984 June-July
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Jobs with Peace
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Box
4
Folder
5
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Jobs with Peace, 1986
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Box
4
Folder
6
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Jobs with Peace press kit, 1986-1987
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Box
4
Folder
7
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Jobs with Peace campaign organizing kit, 1986
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Box
4
Folder
8
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Jobs with Peace campaign budget, 1986
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Steering Committee Meetings
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Labor and Farm Party steering committee
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Box
4
Folder
9-10
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1983-1984
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Box
4
Folder
11
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1985-1986
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Series: Internal Publications
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Wisconsin Commonwealth drafts
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Box
5
Folder
1
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Volume 1, 1983
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Box
5
Folder
2
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1984 January
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Box
5
Folder
3
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1984 February
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Box
5
Folder
4
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1984 March/April
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Box
5
Folder
5
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1984 May
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Box
5
Folder
6
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1984 June/July
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Box
5
Folder
7
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1984 August
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Box
5
Folder
8
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1984 October
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Box
5
Folder
9
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1984 November/December
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Box
5
Folder
10
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1985 January/February
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Box
5
Folder
11
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1985 March/April
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Box
5
Folder
12
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1985 May
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Box
5
Folder
13
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1985 June/July
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Box
5
Folder
14
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1985 September
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Box
5
Folder
15
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1985 October/November
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Box
6
Folder
1
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Essays, 1983-1986
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Box
6
Folder
2
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Program for Building the Wisconsin Commonwealth, undated
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Box
6
Folder
3
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Recruitment pamphlet, undated
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Box
6
Folder
4
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Relationship with Other Political Forces, undated
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Box
6
Folder
5
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Revised Strategy and Structure Proposal, 1987 August
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Series: Subject and Campaign Files
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General Files
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Box
6
Folder
6
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Alternative Families, 1983-1985
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Box
6
Folder
7
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Anti-nuclear, 1987
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Box
6
Folder
8
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Campaign resources on issues, 1986
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Box
6
Folder
9
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Coal mining vs. the environment, circa 1982
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Box
6
Folder
10
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Ellen Nesbit, undated
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Box
6
Folder
11-12
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Low level radioactive waste repository public hearings, 1987
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Box
6
Folder
13
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Iran/Contra scandal: Baum's testimony regarding Contras, 1987
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Box
6
Folder
14-15
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Iran/Contra scandal, 1987
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Box
6
Folder
16
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Minimum price bill, 1983
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Box
6
Folder
17
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Technology and the Labor and Farm Party program, 1983
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Box
7
Folder
1
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Union and tax issues, 1987
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Box
7
Folder
2
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War resisters, undated
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Issues of the Campaign, 1986
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Box
7
Folder
3
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Acid rain
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Box
7
Folder
4
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Economic impact of military spending
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Box
7
Folder
5
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Economic/worker democracy
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Box
7
Folder
6
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El Salvador/Guatemala
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Box
7
Folder
7
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Farm bill
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Box
7
Folder
8
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Medical/education
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Box
7
Folder
9
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Mid-East
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Box
7
Folder
10
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Migrant health
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Box
7
Folder
11
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Nicaragua/Honduras
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Box
7
Folder
12
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Nuclear arms race
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Box
7
Folder
13
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Nuclear waste
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Box
7
Folder
14
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Political Action Committee money
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Box
7
Folder
15
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Project Elf
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Kathryn Christensen
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Box
7
Folder
16
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Biographical material, circa 1984
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Box
7
Folder
17
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Court case regarding denial of campaign funds in , 1984
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Box
7
Folder
18
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Issue papers, 1984
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Box
7
Folder
19
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Pickets, 1984
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Box
7
Folder
20
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Questionnaires, 1984
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, 1984 Election
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Box
7
Folder
21-22
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Christensen campaign in , 1984
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Box
8
Folder
1
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Democrats
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Box
8
Folder
2
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Filing requirements
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Box
8
Folder
3
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Presidential vote statistics, 1980
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Box
8
Folder
4
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Platform
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Box
8
Folder
5
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Research committee
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Box
8
Folder
6
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Results
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Box
8
Folder
7
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Risser
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Box
8
Folder
8
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Russell
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1986 Election
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Box
8
Folder
9
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Articles, post-election retrospectives
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Box
8
Folder
10
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Aspin campaign
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Box
8
Folder
11
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Aspin clippings
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Box
8
Folder
12
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Campaign background
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Box
8
Folder
13
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Campaign clippings
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Box
8
Folder
14
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Candidate search
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Box
8
Folder
15
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Christensen 1986 governor campaign
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Box
8
Folder
16-17
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County elections information, Kerley for sheriff
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Box
8
Folder
18
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Daniel Grossberg for register of deeds
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Box
9
Folder
1-2
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“Dennis” registrations for candidates / board petition material
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Box
9
Folder
3
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“Dennis Boyer” Bronson La Follette scandal
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Box
9
Folder
4
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First district organizing (related to Aspin campaign)
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Box
9
Folder
5
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First congressional district
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Box
9
Folder
6
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Graf Campaign
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Box
9
Folder
7
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Issue material
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Box
9
Folder
8
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Journey for Freedom Labor and Farm Party campaign
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Box
9
Folder
9
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Kerley for Sheriff
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Box
9
Folder
10-12
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Labor and Farm Party campaigns, 1986
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Box
9
Folder
13
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Labor and Farm Party literature in Spanish
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Box
10
Folder
1-2
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Miscellaneous press releases
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Box
10
Folder
3-4
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Miscellaneous (1986 election)
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Box
10
Folder
5
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New Platform material
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Box
10
Folder
6
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News clippings
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Box
10
Folder
7-8
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Second congressional district
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Box
10
Folder
9
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Soldiers and war
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Box
10
Folder
10
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State campaign issues
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Box
10
Folder
11
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1988 Election news clippings
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Series: Visual Materials
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Box
11
Folder
1
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Cartoons, undated
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Box
11
Folder
2
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Konopacki Art for 1986 Campaign
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Box
11
Folder
3
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Maps, undated
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Box
11
Folder
3
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Madison, Wisconsin Political District / Ward 1984 (Maps), undated
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Box
11
Folder
4
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Posters
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