Wisconsin Democrats Ann Groves Lloyd and Caleb Frostman

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is scared as hell. Walker started getting a little antsy back at the end of December about the obvious trend of Democratic success in special elections when he quietly came up with a super-genius idea: He simply wasn’t going to hold them anymore.

You read that right. Rather than risk losing special elections for two legislative seats—which became vacant because he appointed their representatives to cushy jobs—he’d instead let them remain empty and leave their residents without representation in the state capitol for nearly a year

It’s no excuse for giving democracy the middle finger, but Walker wasn’t wrong to be worried. In January, Democrats flipped a historically and solidly Republican state Senate seat in a special election, leading Walker to freak out more than a little bit—publicly, too. Of course, that loss ensured he’d only stick even more firmly to his whole “no more specials” plan.

But Democrats, being the only remaining political party in America that still believes in the rule of law, were not having any of that. They sued to force Walker to follow state law and call the special elections to fill the legislative seats he wanted to leave vacant. The governor’s nakedly anti-democratic ploy was thoroughly smacked down by a state court judge—a Walker appointee, no less.

You’d think that might have settled the matter, but not so much. Walker’s cronies in the legislature sprung into action with plans to push through emergency legislation that would LITERALLY OUTLAW special elections.

You read that right again. Don’t want to lose special elections? Just cancel ‘em. For good.

Satisfyingly, this Putin-esque effort also got smacked down by the courts, not once, but twice. A humiliated Walker had no choice but to finally call the special elections to fill the vacant seats in Assembly District 42 and Senate District 1, and they’re being held on June 12. But with his paranoiac attacks on democracy, Walker’s now only made it even more likely that Republicans will lose.

And that’s why Daily Kos is pleased to endorse Ann Groves Lloyd and Caleb Frostman, two Democrats running in the elections that so terrify Walker. Can you send them $3?