Thursday, December 27, 2012
From Scott Walker emerging as the only governor to survive a recall and Paul Ryan being selected as Mitt Romney's running mate for president, a national spotlight shined bright on Wisconsin this year.
Divisive — from recalls to recounts, it became a buzzword for Wisconsin politics in 2012. A national spotlight shined bright on Wisconsin this year, as it was a historic one for politics. Scott Walker became the first governor in U.S. history to survive a recall. U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan of Janesville became a national household name after being selected as Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's running mate and state voters elected Tammy Baldwin to fill Herb Kohl's seat, making in her the first openly gay woman in the U.S. Senate. On the heels of a slew of recall elections and large-scale protests on the steps of the state Capitol building, the year kicked off with more recall attempts, including one aimed at Gov. Scott Walker. …
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Rep. Robin Vos, R-Rochester, was named Speaker of the Assembly Tuesday.
State Assembly Republicans unanimously voted Tuesday to name Rep. Robin Vos Speaker of the Assembly. Vos is the Republican representative for the 63rd Assembly District, which includes most of Mount Pleasant, all of Sturtevant and even little pieces of Caledonia and the City of Racine. He won re-election on Nov. 6 after facing Democratic challenger Kelley Albrecht from Burlington. State Republicans regained the majority in the Senate and retained their majority in the Assembly after the November elections. Sen. John Lehman's win in the recall against former Sen. Van Wanggaard tipped the scales in the Democrats' favor for just about three months, but it mostly symbolic since the Legislature wasn't in session. According to a press release …
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Crime scored big this week - what else is new, right? - but so did politics, a benefit dinner and a story about fire protection.
Well, it's been one heckuva week, hasn't it? We had an election with sky-high turnout (way to go, fellow Americans!), got some bad news about a grocery store closing, and learned that a good friend needs some help with medical bills. Oh, and of course, we wrote about plenty of crime, too. Here's your list of the most read stories from Nov. 4 - Nov. 10, 2012: Sentry Closing in January What Time Will 2012 Election Results Be Announced in Wisconsin? Sexting Not Sexy for Suspected Burglar Man Accused of Exposing Himself Faces Felony Charges Wells Bros. Serves Up Benefit Dinner for Long Time Employee Can't Touch This. In Fact, Won't Touch This Parked SUV Struck in Bar Parking Lot, Driver Arrested Thousands of Village Residents Outside 4-Minute …
Friday, November 9, 2012
Rep. Robin Vos, R-Rochester, says he will continue to stand up for taxpayers and reforming government.
I would like to express my gratitude to the citizens of the 63rd Assembly District for re-electing me to the Wisconsin State Assembly. I am honored and humbled that you put your trust in me to serve as your representative for two more years. I will deliver on my promise to stand up for taxpayers and continue to reform state government. I will work hard to eliminate burdensome regulations that stand in the way of small business growth. I will work to bring more private sector jobs to Racine County. Also, I will look for ways to continue to reform our schools to ensure every child gets a quality education. I am also here to help you and your family if you have any questions or concerns with a state issue. Please give my office a call …
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Voters in several Patch communities chose both Republican and Democratic candidates, perhaps showing Congress that if residents can reach across party lines and focus on the issues, maybe our representatives should follow our example.
The last two years have been rough for Wisconsin voters. First we were caught up in recalls and then it was time for local school board and municipal elections. Eventually, we turned our attention to the upcoming state legislative and national races. Along the way, we were hammered with ad after ad of the candidates bashing each other and even here on Patch, readers were clearly divided and not shy about expressing their opinions. But come Election Day 2012, something kind of amazing happened in a handful of Patch communities: voters cast their ballots for candidates across party lines. In Fox Point, on Milwaukee's north side, voters went for President Barack Obama and US Rep. Tammy Baldwin, but sided with Republicans Dan Sebring and Jim …
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
While voters in the villages were split over their choice for president, they lined up similarly for other races, but the real news is how many voters actually turned out to cast ballots.
Voter turnout in both Sturtevant and Mount Pleasant was expected to be high, and voters did not disappoint. In Sturtevant, there were 2,927 ballots cast compared with 3,264 registered voters. Over in Mount Pleasant, 16,123 ballots were cast out of 18,131 registered voters. Turnout for each village was 89 percent, an increase of 15 percent in Sturtevant and over 10 percent in Mount Pleasant from what was considered almost record turnout for the June recall election. "I ordered enough ballots for 110 percent turnout," said Sturtevant Village Clerk/Interim Administrator Mary Cole. "That's my biggest fear, running out of ballots. I always think I might be going overboard, but turns out for these big elections, I need all those ballots." Both …
Voters split their support for Democratic and Republican candidates.
Results rolled in late Tuesday night from Mount Pleasant, but in the end, voters here could best be described as purple. Republican Mitt Romney triumphed over President Barack Obama, but residents also chose to send Democrat Tammy Baldwin to the US Senate over former Gov. Tommy Thompson. At the same time, US Rep. Paul Ryan kept his seat in the 1st Congressional District. Mount Pleasant has a total of 18,131 voters. With 16,123 ballots cast, the village saw a record turnout of 89 percent. Obama-Biden
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
He's not going to be vice president, but the congressman from Janesville came out the clear winner in his re-election bid for U.S. House.
Despite a solid effort and backing from local Democratic parties, challenger Rob Zerban fell short Tuesday in his effort to unseat U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan in the race for the 1st Congressional District. It was pretty crowded at the UAW hall in Kenosha by 9 p.m., where local Democrats, including Zerban and 22nd Distric State Senator Bob Wirch, were awaiting results. The crowd cheered every time another Democrat was shown as a projected winner on the screens tuned to political coverage, but when it came down to it, the Ryan campaign machine proved too much. According to our media partners at Fox 6 News, at 9:46 p.m. Ryan was up by a nearly 2-to-1 margin; 62 to 36 percent, with 20 percent of precincts reporting. At about 10 p.m., the Associated …
Residents turned out in record numbers in Sturtevant. In the end, voters chose President Barack Obama.
Sturtevant voters certainly like their drama. They turned out in record numbers, and in the end, residents decided they like President Barack Obama over Republican Mitt Romney ... by one vote. The village has about 3,300 registered voters, and 2,927 ballots cast, which brings Sturtevant to about an 89 percent turnout. Obama-Biden
Monday, November 5, 2012
Don't wait up Tuesday night for the national returns for the presidential election. Look instead to how we vote right here in Racine County because for the last four elections, as our county goes, so goes the country.
Racine County voters, turns out, have their finger on the pulse of the entire country. For the last four elections—1996 through 2008—we've voted for the eventual President of the United States. While the state has gone consistently Democratic since 1984, we're a little more flexible here. "We seem to definitely sway more purple than anything else," said Bill Folk, chair of the Republican Party of Racine County. "For example, the same 60 percent that voted for Russ Feingold in 2006 also voted for Paul Ryan." Jane Witt, chair of the county Democratic Party, though, thinks this year might be the break in the pattern. "I won't be surprised if President Obama doesn't carry Racine County, but I still think he'll win," she said. "This year could …
Ed Willing
1:09 pm on Wednesday, November 14, 2012
I was honestly shocked at how badly put-together Albrecht's campaign was. I attended the Patch debate and she was so bad, everyone started playing with their smart phones when she was talking. It was hard to follow a coherent point. And every time, she would start accusing him of outlandish things that aren't even possible while swaying her head back and forth. It was SO WEIRD. The Dems have no … more ›