Capitol Notes: Primary Election Update-- August 14, 2012

Capitol Notes

Wisconsin Political and Legislative Update

TO: Clients/Friends of Capitol Consultants, Inc./Wimmer & Company, S.C.

FROM: Tony Langenohl
              Capitol Consultants, Inc.
              & Wimmer Company, S.C.

DATE: August 14, 2012

SUBJECT:   Wisconsin Partisan Primary Election Results

In This Issue

US Senate Race Results

Congressional Race Results

Legislative Race Results

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U.S. Senate Race Update
Thompson Wins Close Race

The biggest race of the night in Wisconsin was the Republican primary to replace retiring, four-term U.S. Senator Herb Kohl (D-Milwaukee) who has held the seat since 1988 and Democrats have held since 1957.

Four Republicans - former Governor Tommy Thompson of Madison, hedge fund manager Eric Hovde of Madison, former Congressman Mark Neumann of Nashotah, and Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald of Horicon - are facing each other to challenge seven-term, U.S. Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D-Madison), who is running unopposed for the Democratic nomination for the seat, in November's general election.

The GOP race was highly spirited with especially three of the candidates - Thompson, Neumann and Hovde - and outside groups engaged in a somewhat negative television campaign against each other. The race also faced an abbreviated time frame due to two significant events at the bookends of the summer campaign such as the recall election of Governor Walker in June and the announcement of U.S. Representative Paul Ryan (R-Janesville) as presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney's running mate the Saturday before election day.

Former Governor Thompson won the race with a close but impressive fashion by garnering 34 percent of the vote in the four way field.

To view county by county totals for the race, click here.

Final results for the race are:

Thompson 34 percent

Hovde 31 percent

Neumann 23 percent

Fitzgerald 12 percent

The primary election was held in mid August as the result of legislation passed last session by the GOP-led legislature and signed by Governor Walker that moved the partisan primary up to August 14 instead of the usual date of the middle of September. This earlier date shortened the time frame of the election by a full month.

Polling Wrap Up

In case you wanted to review all the polling that was done for the race, please view the slide presentation below.

US Senate GOP Primary Polling Wrap

Congressional Race Results

Pocan Wins by Impressive Margin

The Second Congressional District in south central Wisconsin (with Madison as its central city) was the only real contested contested congressional primary in today's election. The heavily Democratic seat that includes Dane, Sauk, Columbia and parts of Rock County is open due to the current incumbent U.S. Representative Tammy Baldwin (D-Madison) vacating the seat to run for the open U.S. Senate seat.

The race featured four Democrats - state Representative Mark Pocan of Madison, state Representative Kelda Helen Roys of Madison, financial consultant Dennis Hall of Cambridge and attorney and Iraq War veteran Matt Silverman of Madison. Pocan and Roys are the two major contenders for the seat.

State Representative Pocan won the race with a whopping 72 percent of the vote and is win almost ensures that he will easily win the Democratic seat in November. Pocan will face perennial GOP candidate, business owner Chad Lee of Mt. Horeb.

Final results are as follow:

Pocan 72 percent

Roys 22 percent

Silverman 4 percent

Hall 4 percent

In the Sixth Congressional District (Fond du Lac, Oshkosh and Manitowoc) 15 term Congressman Tom Petri (R-Fond du Lac) easily cruised to re-election over here.

Legislative Race Results

There are several state legislative primary races on both sides of the aisle that Capitol observers are closely following, including several of the races in the City of Milwaukee. Also, there are several incumbents on both sides of the aisle who are facing primaries sinces this is the first election since the drawing of the new legislative maps.

Currently, Republicans control the state Assembly by a solid margin and the state Senate is controlled by Democrats by a slim 17 to 15 margin heading into the November elections.

Below are results from several of the key primary races that are being closely followed by Capitol insiders.

GOP Primaries

Assembly

3rd Assembly District (Calumet County) held by long-term GOP state Representative Al Ott of Forest Junction who is being challenged by Brandi Lefeber of Stockbridge.

Ott - 74 percent

Lefeber - 26 percent

13th Assembly District (Wauwatosa and West Allis) is a newly-created legislative seat that is heavily Repbublican that features Rob Hutton of Brookfield, Thomas Schellinger of Brookfield and Nate Ristow of Wauwatosa

Hutton - 58 percent

Schellinger - 32 percent

Ristow - 10 percent

22nd Assembly District (Menononee Falls) features incumbent state Representative Don Pridemore of Hartford and Nick Oliver of Colgate.

Pridemore - 83 percent

Oliver - 17 percent

26th Assembly District (southern part of City of Sheboygan and southern Sheboygan County) features incumbent state Representative Michael Endsley of Sheboygan and Devin LeMahieu of Oostburg who is the son of state Representative Dan LaMahieu.

Endsley - 60 percent

LaMahiueu - 40 percent

34th Assembly District (Rhinelander, Mincoqua, Eagle River) is an open Republican seat that features Rob Swearingen of Rhinelander and Alex Young of Rhinelander.

Swearingen - 74 percent

Young - 26 percent

37th Assembly District (Watertown area) is an open Republican seat featuring John Jagler of Watertown, Steve Kauffeld of Watertown, Chris Ruetten of Watertown, James B. Braughler of Watertown, James W. Romlein Sr. of Watertown.

Jagler - 52 percent

Kauffeld - 19 percent

Braughler - 12 percent

Romlein Sr. - 10 percent

Ruetten - 7 percent

39th Assembly District (Beaver Dam and Dodge County) is an open Republican seat hat

features Don Lechner of Mayville, Mark L. Born of Beaver Dam and Tracy A. Heron of Mayville.

Born - 51 percent

Lechner - 30 percent

Heron - 19 percent

49th Assembly District (Grant County) features incumbent state Representative Travis Tranel of Cuba City against Dave Kuhle of Hazel Green. This is the third time that these individuals have run against each other.

Tranel - 64 percent

Kuhle - 36 percent

53rd Assembly District (parts of City of Oshkosh and rural Winnebago County) is an open GOP seat that features Michael Schraa of Oshkosh, state Treasurer Kurt Schuller of Eden, and Frank Frasetto of Oshkosh.

Schraa - 59 percent

Schuller - 8 percent

Frasetto - 33 percent

55th Assembly District (Menasha, Neenah) is a seat where incumbent state Representative Dean Kaufert of Neenah faces Jay Schroeder of Neenah.

Kaufert - 65 percent

Schroeder - 35 percent

70th Assembly District (Sparta, Tomah and rural Wood County) is a seat held by Democratic state Representative Amy Sue Vruwink of Milladore but many observers are watching this race closely due to the almost completely new make up of the district. The Republican primary features Nancy L. Vandermeer of Tomah and Dan Wald of Pittsville.

Vandermeer - 59 percent

Wald - 41 percent

Senate

14th Senate District (Ripon, Waupaca) is the Senate seat held by long-time state Senator Luther Olsen of Ripon who is being challenged by David Eiler of Berlin

Olsen - 77 percent

Eiler - 23 percent

30th Senate District (Green Bay, Oconto, Marinette) is held by Democratic state Senator Dave Hansen of Green Bay. Republicans are closely watching this race and who comes out of their primary, which features John Macco of De Pere against Ray Suennen of Green Bay.

Macco - 67 percent

Suennen - 33 percent

Democratic Primaries

Assembly

7th Assembly District (southwest side of City of Milwaukee) is the district long held by state Representative Peggy Krusick of Milwaukee who is facing Dan Reimer of Milwaukee.

Reimer - 68 percent

Krusick - 32 percent

8th Assembly District (southeast side of City of Milwaukee) features incumbent state Representative JoCasta Zamarripa of Milwaukee against Laura Manriquez of Milwaukee.

Zamarripa - 68 percent

Manriquez - 32 percent

9th Assembly District (south side of City of Milwaukee) features incumbent state Represenatiive Josh Zepnick of Milwaukee against Jose Guzman of Milwaukee.

Zepnick - 63 percent

Guzman - 37 percent

10th Assembly District (north side of City of Milwaukee and Shorewood) is a newly-drawn Democratic seat that features state Rep. Sandy Pasch of Whitefish Bay, Millie Coby of Shorewood and Ieshuh Griffin of Milwaukee.

Pasch - 63 percent

Coby - 31 percent

Griffin - 3 percent

11th Assembly District (north side City of Milwaukee) is a seat that is held by state Representative Jason Fields of Milwaukee who is facing Mandela Barnes of Milwaukee.

Barnes - 69 percent

Fields - 31 percent

12th Assembly District (northwest side of City of Milwaukee) features long-term state Representative Fred Kessler of Milwaukee and Mario Hall of Milwaukee.

Kessler - 71 percent

Hall - 29 percent

17th Assembly District (near west side of City of Milwaukee and parts of Wauwatosa) is an open Democratic seat that features Sam Coleman of Wauwatosa, Fred Royal of Milwaukee, La Tonya Johnson of Milwaukee and Tracey Dent of Milwaukee.

Coleman - 23 percent

Johnson - 43 percent

Dent - 11 percent

18th Assembly District (near north side of Milwaukee) is an open seat with a wide open primary that features LaShawndra Vernon of Milwaukee, Evan Goyke of Milwaukee, Jarett Fields of Milwaukee, Michael L. Glabere of Milwaukee, Lisa Erin Brown of Milwaukee, Ty Jackson of Milwaukee, Andrew Parker of Milwaukee and James Dieter of Milwaukee.

Vernon - 14 percent

Goyke - 37 percent

Fields -19 perccent

Glabere - 4 percent

Brown - 3 percent

Jackson - 7 perccent

Parker - 8 percent

Dieter - 8 percent

44th Assembly District (City of Janesville) features Kevin M. Murray of Janesville, Debra Kolste of Janesville, Yuri Rashkin of Janesville and Sam Liebert of Janesville.

Kolste - 42 percent

Murray - 35 percent

Rashkin - 15 percent

Liebert - 7 percent

The winner of the Democratic leaning seat will face incument Republican state Representative Joe Knilans of Janesville.

45th Assembly District (Evansville and City of Beloit) features incumbent state Representative Janis Ringhand of Evansville and Sheila L. De Forest of Beloit.

Ringhand - 56 percent

De Forest - 44 percent

47th Assembly District (Fitchburg, Monona and McFarland) is a newly drawn, heavily Dane County Democratic seat that features former Robb Kahl of Monona and Amanda Hall of Madison.

Kahl - 68 percent

Hall - 32 percent

51st Assembly District (Dodgeville and Monroe) features Pat Bomhack of Dodgeville and Maureen May-Grimm of Mineral Point.

The winner will face freshman GOP state Representative Howard Marklein of Spring Green.

May-Grimm - 61 percent

Bomhack - 39 percent

65th Assembly District (City of Kenosha) is a newly drawn Democratic seat that features Albert Namath of Kenosha, Dayvin M. A. Hallmon of Kenosha and Tod Ohnstad of Kenosha.

Namath - 6 percent

Hallmon - 19 percent

Ohnstad - 75 percent

71st Assembly District (Stevens Point area) is a Democratic open seat that features Corey Ladick of Stevens Point, Hans Schmid of Stevens Point, Katrina Shankland of Stevens Point, Andrew Bevridge of Stevens Point, Jeri Mc Ginley of Stevens Point, David Verhage of Stevens Point, Laura Hauser-Menting of Stevens Point and Robert Steinke of Plover.

Ladick - 28 percent

Schmid - 2 percent

Shankland - 27 percent

Bevridge - 13 percent

Mc Ginley - 16 percent

Verhage - 7 percent

Hauser-Menting - 2 percent

Steinke - 2 percent

Note this race was too close to call at this time.

79th Assembly District (Waunakee and Middleton) is a newly drawn Democratic seat that features Ellen Lindgren of Middleton and Dianne Hesselbein of Middleton.

Hesselbein - 66 percent

Lindgren - 34 percent

80th Assembly District (Verona, Oregon, parts of Fitchburg) is a newly drawn seat in southwest Dane County that features former state Representative Sondy Pope-Roberts of Cross Plains, Joe Wineke of Verona, Charles Uphoff of Fitchburg.

Pope-Roberts - 49 percent

Wineke - 43 percent

Uphoff - 8 percent

85th Assembly District (City of Wausau) is a Democratic open seat featuring Jeff Johnson of Wausau and Mandy Wright of Wausau.

Johnson - 39 percent

Wright - 61 percent

Senate

6th Senate District (near west and north side of Milwaukee) is a Democratic open seat featuring Nikiya Harris of Milwaukee, Michael Mayo of Milwaukee, Allyn Monroe Swan of Milwaukee, Elizabeth Coggs of Milwaukee and Delta Tripplet of Milwaukee.

Harris - 48 percent

Mayo - 10 percent

Swan - 6 percent

Coggs -33 percent

Tripplet - 3 percent

12th Senate District (Rhinelandeherer, Merrill, Antigo, Eagle River) is a Democratic open seat that features Lisa Theo of Tomahawk and Susan Sommer of Phelps.

The winner faces GOP state Representative Tom Tiffany of Tomahawk in the general election.

Theo - 37 percent

Sommer - 63 percent

To view results from all state-wide legislative primaries, click

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