Yesterday, states around the nation (including Wisconsin, Minnesota, Vermont, Arizona, Rhode Island, Maryland, Delaware, New Hampshire, and New York as well as the District of Columbia) held primaries to select candidates from both parties up and down the ticket for the 2006 midterm elections.
Having trouble making sense of the clutter of election returns? Here is a rundown of the results from the hottest races from around the state.
Via WKOW TV:
· With 97% of precincts reporting, Senator Herb Kohl beat back a challenge from anti-war activist Ben Masel, crushing him 86%-14%.
· Similarly, with 89% of precincts reporting, Representative Ron Kind in the 3rd Congressional District easily beat Chip De Nure, winning 83% of the vote.
· With 97% of precincts reporting, incumbent Secretary of State Doug La Follette overwhelmingly beat political consultant Scot Ross with 71% of the vote. Scot ran a solid, energetic, grassroots campaign, but it proved no match for the Madison political establishment which endorsed La Follette (and, of course, his famous name).
· One of the more competitive House districts in the country, Wisconsin's 8th Congressional, became an open seat after Mark Green vacated it to run for governor against Jim Doyle. State Assembly Speaker John Gard was overwhelmingly backed (even earning fundraisers with the President and Vice-President) for the Republican nomination against opponent Representative Terri McCormick and beat her by more than a two-to-one margin. However, an interesting three-way race developed between Physician Steve Kagan, Businessman Jamie Wall, and former Brown County Executive Nancy Nusbaum. Respectively, the candidates earned 48%, 29%, and 24% of the vote with 96% of precincts reporting. Kagan is independently very wealthy and self-funded most of his campaign. This well help prevent Gard from overwhelming him financially in the general election. Finally, a recent internal poll for Kagan found him very competitive with Gard (beating him by 10 percentage points among likely voters).
· The closest race in the primary, however, was that for Wisconsin Attorney General. Incumbent Democrat Peg Lautenschlager was narrowly defeated by fellow Democrat Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk 53%-47% with 97% of precincts reporting. She threw her hat into the ring after Lautenschlager's drunk driving episode in a state vehicle, arguing it would be a liability for the Democrats fighting to retain the seat. She will face off with Republican J.B. Van Hollen who beat Waukesha County District Attorney Paul Bucher. Van Hollen is the more socially conservative candidate, having earned the endorsements of the National Rifle Association and Wisconsin Right to Life.
·Governor Jim Doyle and Representative Mark Green were not opposed for their parties' nominations for Wisconsin Governor.
Full Primary Election Results
The bottom line: whatever divisions and disagreements we had in the primaries, Democrats need to unite in support of the choices of the Democratic primary voters. We all need to work hard from now until election day. There are a lot of important races on the ballot this November, and we all need to find one we're passionate about and do our part to keep Wisconsin a blue state.
Don't forget to come to the College Democrats' kickoff meeting tonight,
Wednesday, September 13 at 6:00 pm in 3650 Humanities. Lt. Governor Lawton will be speaking, as well as Representative Mark Pocan. Free pizza will be served!
Having trouble making sense of the clutter of election returns? Here is a rundown of the results from the hottest races from around the state.
Via WKOW TV:
· With 97% of precincts reporting, Senator Herb Kohl beat back a challenge from anti-war activist Ben Masel, crushing him 86%-14%.
· Similarly, with 89% of precincts reporting, Representative Ron Kind in the 3rd Congressional District easily beat Chip De Nure, winning 83% of the vote.
· With 97% of precincts reporting, incumbent Secretary of State Doug La Follette overwhelmingly beat political consultant Scot Ross with 71% of the vote. Scot ran a solid, energetic, grassroots campaign, but it proved no match for the Madison political establishment which endorsed La Follette (and, of course, his famous name).
· One of the more competitive House districts in the country, Wisconsin's 8th Congressional, became an open seat after Mark Green vacated it to run for governor against Jim Doyle. State Assembly Speaker John Gard was overwhelmingly backed (even earning fundraisers with the President and Vice-President) for the Republican nomination against opponent Representative Terri McCormick and beat her by more than a two-to-one margin. However, an interesting three-way race developed between Physician Steve Kagan, Businessman Jamie Wall, and former Brown County Executive Nancy Nusbaum. Respectively, the candidates earned 48%, 29%, and 24% of the vote with 96% of precincts reporting. Kagan is independently very wealthy and self-funded most of his campaign. This well help prevent Gard from overwhelming him financially in the general election. Finally, a recent internal poll for Kagan found him very competitive with Gard (beating him by 10 percentage points among likely voters).
· The closest race in the primary, however, was that for Wisconsin Attorney General. Incumbent Democrat Peg Lautenschlager was narrowly defeated by fellow Democrat Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk 53%-47% with 97% of precincts reporting. She threw her hat into the ring after Lautenschlager's drunk driving episode in a state vehicle, arguing it would be a liability for the Democrats fighting to retain the seat. She will face off with Republican J.B. Van Hollen who beat Waukesha County District Attorney Paul Bucher. Van Hollen is the more socially conservative candidate, having earned the endorsements of the National Rifle Association and Wisconsin Right to Life.
·Governor Jim Doyle and Representative Mark Green were not opposed for their parties' nominations for Wisconsin Governor.
Full Primary Election Results
The bottom line: whatever divisions and disagreements we had in the primaries, Democrats need to unite in support of the choices of the Democratic primary voters. We all need to work hard from now until election day. There are a lot of important races on the ballot this November, and we all need to find one we're passionate about and do our part to keep Wisconsin a blue state.
Don't forget to come to the College Democrats' kickoff meeting tonight,
Wednesday, September 13 at 6:00 pm in 3650 Humanities. Lt. Governor Lawton will be speaking, as well as Representative Mark Pocan. Free pizza will be served!
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