Walker, Barrett start campaigning in earnest for Nov.

Talk about it

Tuesday’s primary results for governor show that Republican Scott Walker has some work to do outside the place where he’s best known.

The Milwaukee County Executive whipped his G-O-P challenger Mark Neumann by about 120-thousand votes in five Milwaukee area counties. But Neumann beat Walker in at least 42-of-the-72 counties statewide – and they were basically tied outside Metro Milwaukee, as Walker also got heavy support in northwest Wisconsin.

Analysts say the primary did not indicate how Walker might do against Democrat Tom Barrett in November. The Milwaukee mayor had only token opposition on Tuesday, and his campaign calls the race with Walker a statistical dead heat. U-W Madison professor Charles Franklin says Walker might have the edge, because of the national political climate at the moment, and voters’ concerns about taxes and government control.

Marquette professor John McAdams says neither Walker nor Barrett enjoys a clear advantage outside Milwaukee or Madison. He says folks elsewhere in Wisconsin can expect a deluge of T-V ads about both candidates in the next seven weeks. Both wasted no time seeking outlying support yesterday. Walker joined two dozen supporters in making phone calls, while Barrett visited the T-V markets of Green Bay, Wausau, Eau Claire, and La Crosse.

Tags: news, wisconsin, politics