Wisconsin’s Recall Primary Results And What It Means To Me

The full results of the May 8 Recall Primary

Governor – Dem Special Primary

Barrett, Tom – 390,109, 58%

Falk, Kathleen – 228,940, 34%

Vinehout, Kathleen – 26,926, 4%

La Follette, Doug – 19,461, 3%

Huber, Gladys – 4,842, 1%

Governor – GOP Special Primary

Walker, Scott – 626,538, 97% (incumbent)

Kohl-Riggs, Arthur – 19,920, 3%

Lieutenant Governor – Dem Special Primary

Mitchell, Mahlon – 395,944, 52%

Weix, Isaac -197,052, 26% Robins,

Ira – 165,074, 22%

State Senate District 13 (Appleton) Dem Special Primary

Incumbent: Wisconsin Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R) Compas, Lori – 21,246, 72%

Ellerman, Gary – 8,212, 28%

State Senate District 21 (Racine) Dem Special Primary

Incumbent: Sen. Van Wanggaard (R) Lehman, John – 20,273, 68%

Varebrook, Tamra – 9,507, 32% (“fake” Democrat)

State Senate District 23 (Eau Claire) Dem Special Primary

Incumbent: Sen. Terry Moulton (R) Dexter, Kristen – 17,638, 64% Engel, James – 9,725, 36%  (“fake” Democrat)

State Senate District 29 (Wausau) Dem Special Primary

Incumbent: Sen. Pam Galloway resigned, replaced by Rep. Jerry Petrowski (R) Seidel, Donna – 17,920, 64%

Buckley, Jim – 9,992, 36%  (“fake” Democrat)

What I took away from the voter results

First off, it is my opinion that Kathleen Falk’s trouncing was due to the heavy backing she received from Wisconsin’s major labor unions. The Wisconsin Education Council and the AFSCME endorsed Falk and spent $5 million to help her win the nomination. Falk had agreed early on that she would veto any state budget that didn’t repeal Walker’s collective bargaining law. This deep association with the unions gave the impression that Kathleen Falk was “bought and paid for” and had forever donned the “union label.” Tom Barrett, Milwaukee’s current Mayor defeated Falk by 24 percentage points, even though he entered the race late and was outspent by Falk 5-1. Barrett even beat Falk by 30 percentage points in Dane County, her own backyard.

These particular results call into question the union’s influence over their members and the general public. When a union-backed candidate loses by 24 percentage points, it should send a clear message to the unions, that their influence is indeed waning. I am certain that the WEAC and the AFSCME had a very bad week and are scrambling to assemble whatever clout they have left.

I was very surprised to see the weak Democratic turnout given that almost 901,000 recall Walker signatures were certified by the Government Accountability Board. It was also interesting that the total voter turnout of 1.32 million was well over the amount who showed up for the Presidential Primary in April.

According to the polls, Walker and Barrett are closely tied for the election in June. There are also statistics that show that most voters have already decided which candidate they would choose. So the battle for both Walker and Barrett is in swaying these residents to get out and vote. For the upcoming month, I suggest poising yourself for the onslaught of negative advertisements from both sides.

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