A couple of observations on the Wisconsin results

[Scuba]

Bernie Sanders got 36,183 more votes than Republican primary winner Ted Cruz (565,951 to 529,768).

Hillary Clinton got 47,885 more votes than Republican runner-up Donald Trump (432,688 to 384,803), but fewer than Cruz.

John Kasich got 154,468 votes while a whopping 28,345 Republicans voted for "other."

That pushed the totals to 1,097,384 for the Republicans against 1,001,925 for Democrats.

Source


For comparison, in 2008, 1,113,285 voted for Democrats in the Wisconsin primary.

In 2008, only 402,699 voted for Republicans in the Wisconsin primary.

In 2010 - an "off year" - the Republicans bumped their numbers up significantly. In the Republican gubernatorial primary 614,611 voted. In the Republican primary for US Senate from Wisconsin 591,239 voted. At the same time, the Democratic primary voting numbers plummeted. Only 233,240 voted for a gubernatorial candidate (Russ Feingold ran unopposed as the Democratic US Senate candidate).

The resulting enthusiasm gap propelled Scott Walker and Ron Johnson to victory in November, 2010.

Worth noting here that Wisconsin has open primaries.


Some conclusions ...

Republicans in Wisconsin have been very successful in motivating more of their base to the polls. The Tea Party astroturfing was slathered onto our state and politically energized a lot of folks who were otherwise being ignored. Many remain involved.

Democrats have not enjoyed that same success. (I personally blame a lot of this on the Democratic Party of Wisconsin abandoning the 30,000 recall Walker volunteer circulators - and others - immediately after Walker won his recall challenge.)

Lots of Republicans are unhappy with their candidates - 28,345 voted for "other" while only 3,294 Democrats did the same).

Democrats in Wisconsin will have to pull together to carry our state in November.

Democrats in Wisconsin need to wake up and recognize that off-year elections are very, very important.

[Octafish]

1. WIDEMs need NFL marketing know-how.

The League now markets year-round, 24/7: Building up the Shield.

The Brand is front and center in the minds of sports fans who may like other sports more. It doesn't matter. NFL will spend uh invest whatever it takes to get the name there because the fans will spend money on tickets, jerseys, etc when the time comes.

Most people think of marketing as a luxury -- that their brand is so good, people will want to buy when the time comes (the show opens). They are sore surprised to find that it doesn't work that way. People don't go when they don't know.

[Myrina]

2. I think the disparity between party vote totals

... has more to do with Walker's voter suppression tactics than with Dems not showing up.

[Wellstone ruled]

3. Thanks for the breakdown of the numbers.

If you find out a rough number on the crossovers,that would really been interesting. Noticed the increase in the aggregate Rethug numbers and is the 200k crossovers. Gross voter turnout looks very interesting,is your State starting to see the light or has the Koch Brothers totally captured to populace with their John Birch Message much like the Thirties.

[Scuba]

4. My state remains bitterly divided. Hate radio rules the airwaves.

[Wellstone ruled]

5. You and I come from the same neck of the woods.

Startling to see how things have changed in the last twenty years. Never thought we would see the day when Bronson LaFolliat's Progressive ideas would be so trashed. Do remember the Birchers from Ripon spewing their hatred during the Forties with all their Commie Crap,and today they run the show. One thing about Wiscony is,the Local Community Tribal concept still rules the day.