Across Wisconsin on Tuesday, voters narrowed the Wisconsin Supreme Court field (Justice Patience Roggensack, Prof. Ed Fallone, and Atty. Vince Megna) from three candidates down to two. April will see a contest between Roggensack and Fallone.
Look at these results, and one sees something about the political future of the city.
Justice Roggensack did well, and received about 64% of the vote statewide, to about 36% for her two challengers (one moderate-liberal, the other liberal).
That statewide total for Roggensack is the mark by which the candidates’ showings locally should be measured: across all the state, she received more than 6 in 10 votes from a light turnout.
Roggensack also received a majority from among yesterday’s City of Whitewater voters.
Yet, for it all, the City of Whitewater’s results show that citywide, the conservative, incumbent justice underperformed her statewide total
Within Whitewater, considering results from Walworth and Jefferson counties, Roggensack received (unofficially) 292 votes to 242 for Fallone (W 187, J 14) and Megna (W 40,J 1) combined.
In the City of Whitewater, the margin betwen left and right (and that’s what it truly is, left v. right) was 54.7% as against 45.3%.
That’s more than a 9-point swing each for left and right, or over 18 points closer in Whitewater than in all Wisconsin.
It was a good day for the right statewide, but not as good in Whitewater, even with a low-interest, low-turnout primary that might have favored a conservative candidate. In other parts of the state, conservatives were able to do far better, and outperform even Roggensack’s solid statewide average.
Conservatives do well in Wisconsin (often an understatement), but conservatives within the city don’t perform at those same high levels.
It’s a college town, surely, but reduced margins – over time – take a toll.
Tomorrow: Looking at the last few general elections in Whitewater, and what both right and left could do to boost their prospects here.