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Wisconsin Progress is a state-based organization that recruits, trains, and develops candidates at the local and state level. Wisconsin Progress is committed to making Wisconsin a better place to live, work, and raise a family.

Nov. 4's results were obviously not everything that progressives were hoping for. However, many strong progressive champions were elected to the state Legislature across Wisconsin. This includes two new state senators: Janis Ringhand in Janesville and Janet Bewley in Ashland. Last Tuesday also saw the election of four new progressive state Assembly members under the age of 35, which means we now have 10 Democrats under 35 serving in the Legislature. The youth movement among progressives is alive and well.

Progressives have important work to do to rebuild our infrastructure. This will not happen overnight. If we want to be successful, we must first focus on recruiting and electing champions to local office. Mayors, county board supervisors, town board chairs, and school board members all serve as an important check on conservative overreach coming from the state Capitol. They are the officials who have to endure the consequences of the policies created by the Republican majority. In the years to come, we must rely on these local elected officials to provide a voice for progressives and to make it clear that decisions made in Madison affect Wisconsinites every day.

Our local elected officials are also the bench of future candidates who will run for higher office. We must focus our efforts on electing smart, energetic progressives to local offices in rural and suburban communities across the state, as well as in our cities. We must prepare them once they are elected to be effective and forward thinking. And we must continue to help them develop so that they can successfully make the jump from local office to legislative office in Madison. It is a blueprint that Republicans nationally have been following for decades, and we have only just begun to implement in the Badger State.

Since our founding five years ago, Wisconsin Progress has recruited, trained and helped elect hundreds of progressive leaders to local political offices around the state, and we are committed to redoubling that effort moving forward. This April alone, we will be working in critical local elections around the state to elect progressives to 29 city council chambers, 17 village/town boards, 30 school boards, three county executive offices and 10 mayoral offices. With less than a month until the official start of the 2015 spring election season, Wisconsin Progress knows that the important work of rebuilding starts now.

We all have the opportunity to make Wisconsin a better place to live, work and raise a family. We ask that you take a step forward run for local office, and become a voice for our progressive values. And if you need a hand, Wisconsin Progress is here to help.

Scott Spector is executive director of Wisconsin Progress.

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Scott Spector: To rebuild, progressives must step forward and run for local office