Cast members from The West Wing and Veep came together to livestream a fundraiser for the Wisconsin Democratic Party. The targeted audience was grassroots voters, small donors. I wrote about it when it was originally announced. Wisconsin Democrats hope to win some important races next month in the midterm elections, including a Senate seat and the gubernatorial race.

The announcement of a “grassroots” fundraiser and invitation to join in came via Tweet to reach the masses. Those $5 donations aren’t going to materialize by themselves without some witty banter between two stars of past political television shows, right?

DEADLINE but also AWESOME LIVE EVENT: RT this invite to our West Wing + Veep once-in-a-lifetime grassroots fundraiser & help Dems win Wisconsin! Chip in any amount to RSVP—help us hit 1000 new RSVPs by end-of-quarter midnight 9/30! https://t.co/cSvjOrlB5Gpic.twitter.com/anWD6CmAH3

— Ben Wikler (@benwikler) September 30, 2022

Democracy is on the line, you know. Without abortions, there is no democracy, or something.

“I’m doing this because I am a concerned citizen. I am a patriot. And I believe that democracy is, without hyperbole, is on the line right now, and I know that Wisconsin is a pivotal state, and so much hangs in the balance,” said Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who played vice president then president Selina Meyer on Veep.

“There is an anxiety, a great fear in the country, from coast to coast, in all levels of our society about what we are faced with and how much responsibility each one of us is meant to carry,” said Martin Sheen, who played President Jed Barlett on The West Wing. “Unfortunately, this lie that has permeated all levels of our society, and it has caused a great many of the, I should say, public servants in the Republican party, to hide any sense of their humanity or sense of purpose or even real patriotism. They seem to have [been] frozen in spineless fear about the consequences of speaking the truth, of exposing the lie.”

Also participating were West Wing cast members Bradley Whitford, who served as co-host along with Louis-Dreyfus; Melissa Fitzgerald, Mary McCormack and Richard Schiff. Also appearing from Veep were Sam Richardson, Reid Scott, Timothy Simons and Matt Walsh.

Wisconsin Democrats popularized this method of fundraising during the pandemic. During the 2020 presidential election, for example, they did reunions as fundraisers with the casts of Happy Days, Parks and Recreation, and The Princess Bride.

The two-hour event raised about $686,000. The actors re-enacted abortion-themed scenes from each of their shows during the event. Nothing says good entertainment like an abortion scene. Unreal. They also played a quiz game that mocked statements from Senator Ron Johnson, the current incumbent and a Republican. He is on his way to re-election. I don’t think that in an election year where crime and spikes in violence in communities are everywhere, voters will prefer a defund the police and turn out criminals without bail candidate like Mandela Barnes. He can talk about abortion all he wants. Democrats are watching their hopes for a Senate pick-up in Wisconsin fade away.

Ben Wikler, the chairman of the Wisconsin Democratic Party, called the state the “most closely divided” in the country, and noted polls showing a neck-and-neck governors race between incumbent Democrat Tony Evers and Republican Tim Michels, while there also is a tight race between Johnson and Barnes. Wikler also made the case that, because the swing state could determine the winner of the 2024 presidential race, the midterms were hugely consequential. Michels was endorsed by Trump and could sign into law additional voting restrictions, triggered by unfounded claims that there was massive fraud in the last presidential election.

If Wikler is admitting that the gubernatorial race is “neck and neck” then we can assume that the Republican will win, even though Evers is the incumbent. That’s good news.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Martin Sheen shared personal stories about their encounters with politicians and Supreme Court justices.

Early on in the run of Veep, Louis-Dreyfus remembered getting a call from Joe Biden, when he was vice president and before the cast knew that he was aware of the show. “He called to congratulate me that I had made it onto the cover of Amtrak magazine,” she said. Biden later appeared in a Veep-themed Correspondents’ Dinner video and “he was unbelievably gracious and wonderful,” albeit they had to go through a lot of hoops to get access.

Sheen recalled that in 1965, he and his wife Janet were in the same Lamaze class as Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her husband Martin. “She reminded me of that many years later when we met casually. She said, ‘Please say hello to Janet.’ I said, ‘Janet, you mean my wife?’ She said, ‘Oh yes, please. I remember her and cherish the time we spent together.’ I said, ‘She didn’t go to law school. How do you know her?’ She said, ‘Martin, don’t you remember? We were in Mrs. Bings’ natural childbirth studying Lamaze method.’ I said, ‘Oh my God. You were that lady that we all thought the baby was bigger than you.”

Sheen added, “I adored her. She loved the show, and she loved the energy. And she particularly loved the episode we did called The Supremes, where we established the first Hispanic on the Supreme Court.”

We’ll see if “democracy runs through” Wisconsin, as Bradley Whitford says of his home state. I guess that will be determined if his candidates win or not.