Wisconsin is lagging behind the nation’s recovery, supports a higher minimum wage and expanded BadgerCare enrollment, and is sick of political division.
So the state’s voters’ defied logic and handed Gov. Scott Walker another victory, even though he seems to be what they don’t want.
OK. Makes no sense. That’s the point.
Voting is utterly emotional. You can debate facts until the end of the day but politics is just one of those things in which emotions trump facts, where image is all.
So what does Walker represent? A state that prefers simplicity over complexity. A state that’s white and Christian, that's got "some college" as they say but has managed to succeed anyway. A state in which you only talk to and care about folks who are just like you. A state that is in a state of denial about the realities of the 21st century. (Here’s the AP’s exit polling, which pretty much says the same thing. Kind of.)
So four more years of that.
Although the GOP is celebrating hard today, I wonder how much of that is purely joyful. I’ve heard that his supporters—ahem—are worried about his already massive ego getting completely out of control. A Scott Walker with an even bigger Republican majority in the Legislature, with an eye on the presidency, is going to be difficult to deal with. Not just for progressives, but for Republicans too. Walker’s whole agenda, the entire state apparatus, is going to be aligned with his presidential ambitions. Think forced ultrasounds are bad? Didn’t like the way he dropped the bomb on us? Think of what an emboldened Walker will put forth as he keeps his names in the headlines and hits up billionaires for even more money. He’s going to have to continually up the ante on right-wing proposals to stay relevant. He was the right wing media’s darling in 2011. He’s going to have to top that in 2015.
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You’ve been warned.
Here’s how the voting broke down in our area’s races, courtesy of the AP’s unofficial results. I’ve omitted the third party candidates in some races; check the AP for full results.
Governor
Scott Walker, R: 52%
Mary Burke, D: 47%
Attorney General
Brad Schimel, R: 52%
Susan Happ, D: 45%
Secretary of State
Doug La Follette, D: 50%
Julian Bradley, R: 46%
State Treasurer
Matt Adamczyk, R: 49%
David Sartori, D: 45%
Transportation Referendum
Yes: 80%
Not: 20%
Congress District 1
Paul Ryan, R: 63%
Rob Zerban, D: 37%
Congress District 4
Gwen Moore, D: 70%
Dan Sebring, R: 27%
Congress District 5
Jim Sensenbrenner, R: 70%
Chris Rockwood, D: 30%
Congress District 6
Glenn Grothman, R: 57%
Mark Harris, D: 41%
State Senate District 7
Chris Larson, D: 60%
Red Arnold, R: 40%
Assembly District 7
Dan Riemer, D: 56%
Scott Espeseth, R: 44%
Assembly District 8
JoCasta Zamarripa, D: 80%
Vincent Synowicz, R: 20%
Assembly District 15
Joe Sanfelippo, R: 63%
John Wieshan, D: 37%
Assembly District 17
La Tonya Johnson, D: 88%
Eugenie Stackowiz, I: 12%
Assembly District 19
Jonathan Brostoff, D: 82%
Joseph Klein, I: 18%
Assembly District 20
Christine Sinicki, D: 56%
Molly McGartland, R: 44%
Milwaukee County Sheriff
David Clarke, D: 79%
Angela Walker, I: 21%
Milwaukee County Supervisor District 5
Martin Weddle: 74%
Charlie Fox: 26%
Milwaukee County Referendum: affirm constitutional rights for humans, not corporations
Yes: 70%
No: 30%
Milwaukee County Referendum: accepting expanded BadgerCare funding
Yes: 76% statewide
No: 24% statewide
Milwaukee County Referendum: raising the minimum wage to $10.10
Yes: 67%
No: 33%
Milwaukee County Referendum: support a county administrator, not county executive
No: 56%
Yes: 44%
