Good morning.
Friday in Whitewater will see a mixture of clouds and sun with a high of 81. Sunrise is 6:00 and sunset is 7:58 for 13 hours 58 minutes of daylight. The moon is a waxing crescent with 4.4 percent of its visible disk illuminated.
On this day in 1941, Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill sign the Atlantic Charter enumerating their nations’ postwar aims.
With the Wisconsin August primary now over, a few points on local results and statewide polling come to mind.
Local results. Voters in the City of Whitewater, in combined unofficial votes from Walworth and Jefferson counties, cast the following votes among the Democratic gubernatorial candidates remaining in the race by Election Day:
| Hong | Crowley | Roys | Brennan |
| 510 | 351 | 106 | 39 |
_____
Voters in the City of Whitewater, in combined unofficial votes from Walworth and Jefferson counties, cast the following votes among the two Republican gubernatorial candidates:
| Tiffany | Manske |
| 338 | 17 |
These unofficial results include city voters’ absentee ballots. Wisconsin law does not prioritize ballots by location counted or method of voting; an accurate reporting to the community of votes cast should necessarily include totals for in-person and absentee ballots cast (either when reporting or with a timely update). A solid community foundation requires publishing both types of ballots cast.
State timelines. In the same way, if residents in this city receive posts about the state of the gubernatorial race, those reports should be timely and accurate. Here’s an accurate timeline:
Rep. Francesca Hong conceded the gubernatorial primary race shortly after 2 AM on August 12. Her concession removed the possibility of a recount. The Associated Press then called the race for Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley on August 12 at 2:34 AM. One of the reasons the AP called the race was precisely because Hong had conceded, thereby removing the possibility of a recount. Leading Wisconsin Democrats later held a unity breakfast at Madison’s Prairie Cafe (attending, among others: Crowley, Hong, Lt. Gov. nominee Sarah Godlewski, Sen. Tammy Baldwin, Rep. Mark Pocan, Atty. Gen. Josh Kaul, and Wisconsin Sen. Diane Hesselbein).
A local posting describing Crowley as the ‘apparent’ winner was erroneous. (By the early morning of August 12, Crowley was the winner of the race). A local posting describing a possible recount was misguided. (By the early morning of August 12, Hong had conceded and pledged her support to the Democratic nominee. Rep. Hong made clear at that time that she was not going to seek a recount.)
A solid community foundation requires publishing accurate information about election developments.
Polling. This libertarian blogger is not, obviously, a pollster. Instead, like many others, I rely on solid data and analyses from reliable professional pollsters. Pollster G. Elliot Morris’s Strength in Numbers newsletter is one of my favorite references. (I’m a subscriber. No, that’s not enough: I’m a satisfied, better-informed subscriber because of Morris’s work.)
In a post from August 13, Morris analyzes that raw data from another pollster (State Navigate), which, like many others, missed the mark in predicting Wisconsin’s outcome. Morris finds three errors in that polling:
- The actual primary electorate was older and more moderate than pollsters assumed…
- There was a lot of late movement toward Crowley…
- There is mixed evidence of higher survey non-response among more moderate Democrats.
See G. Elliot Morris, I re-analyzed the raw data from Wisconsin’s primary polls. Here’s what actually went wrong, Strength in Numbers, August 13, 2026.
Highly recommended and worth reading in full.
Forthcoming topics (in no decided order): A New Ethics Ordinance, a Whitewater Comparative Analysis, and Polling Places in the City.
Tarantula Nebula shines in new Chandra, Hubble, and Webb views: