A few remarks on last night’s results; those results are, of course, as yet unofficial.
1. Governor’s Race. In the city, Burke received 462, to Walker’s 288. Neither candidate had meaningful opposition (Brett Hulsey was inconsequential, really). Summer, no real opposition, campus mostly empty, but Burke takes over 61% of the top-candidate vote.
It’s a bluer city with each election. The GOP’s let the town slip away these last ten years.
The AP did not provide a statewide count for how Walker did across Wisconsin (they don’t tally uncontested races, and the GAB doesn’t have its own election-night totals), but Burke received just over 259,000 votes.
Seeing how well Burke polled in rural areas will tell a lot about November. There’ll be more than a few poring over those numbers today.
2. The 15th Senate District Primary. Janis Ringhand won, with about 40% (6,157) of the vote, but with Austin Scieszinski close behind with 38% (5,883). Fellow Democrats didn’t think much of Mike Sheridan, with only about one-in-five voting for him.
Scieszinski has future opportunities – he outpolled Ringhand in Rock County (5,422 to 4,857).
Sheridan needn’t have bothered.
3. Blackhawk Technical College Referendum. The referendum failed by a wide margin. In Rock County, it was down 58.38% to 41.62% (11,367 to 8,104). In much smaller Green County, it also failed, but by less, 50.55% to 49.45% (1789 to 1750).
In Rock County, this referendum didn’t fail because Republicans opposed it – it failed because Democrats and small-goverment conservatives saw through an attempt by a few to get a public subsidy for their businesses’ training needs (instead of paying themselves).
Results like this will happen in more and more places: voters will no longer be persuaded by unsubstantiated claims of ‘economic development’ benefits.
4. Democrats’ AG Race. Jon Richards was favored last night (he had most big names among WisDems behind him); Susan Happ won big, anyway.
WISGOP candidate Brad Schimel will still be a favorite in November, perhaps, but not by much. Last night, Democrats rejected their party leaders’ advice, and picked a candidate who seems to have connected very well with primary voters, is fundamentally moderate, and will be assertive in campaigning.
Schimel would certainly have preferred Milwaukee-area Richards. He’s got rural Jefferson County Happ instead.
She’ll make this a competitive race.