It was a significant night in the Wisconsin Republican primaries, particularly regarding the bills I lobbied for this year, either through the 501(c)(3) I lead or Take Back Our Republic Action.
As detailed in a previous post for the 501c3 organization, candidates supporting AB975, backed by the 501(c)(3), won 15 out of 16 races on Tuesday night. This was despite facing opposition from other pro-life groups who opposed AB975 due to their stance against making exceptions for abortion. Remarkably, as of 11 p.m., AB975 supporters were leading overall by nearly 2-to-1, with a margin of 79,395 to 40,017 to go 15-1 for the night.
It was also a notable night in the debate over Final 5 legislation. Contrary to predictions that supporting Final 5 would result in primary losses, every GOP sponsor of Final 5 won their races on Tuesday. Those who were challenged in their primaries won by an average margin of 79% to 21%.
In contrast, three of the four GOP incumbents who lost on Tuesday were sponsors of a blanket ban on Final 5 and other forms of ranked-choice voting (RCV). Notably, Janel Brandtjen, who received only 35% of the Republican primary vote despite strong endorsement from President Trump, and Donna Rozar, who garnered just 32%, both faced significant defeats. This was particularly striking given that Final 5 sponsors averaged 79% of the vote.
The other incumbents who lost were Michael Schraa, who was defeated by another incumbent also supporting the RCV ban, and Peter Schmidt, who was neutral on the issue and did not sponsor either the ban or Final 5 legislation.
While Take Back Our Republic Action and the 501(c)(3) I run have different missions, there is a common thread in the candidates' performances. Those who took a hardline stance against AB975 and ANY RCV fared poorly. Specifically, candidates who opposed allowing abortion after 14 weeks, compared to the current 22-week law, and incumbents who demanded a total ban on RCV, struggled significantly.
We see this difference between the reaction of voters at the 10s of thousands of homes we canvass in door-to-door efforts vs. those who come to smaller conservative meetings in counties at which I speak. At the doors pro-life voters are very happy to hear of the proposed move to lower the abortion law from 22 weeks (more liberal than 45 of 47 European Countries) just like so many immediately grasp the difference between supporting Final 5 to prevent spoiler candidates even if they oppose other forms of Ranked Choice Voting that would require ranking more than five candidates.
The defeat of candidates with absolutist positions in a battleground state like Wisconsin suggests that a rigid stance may not be the key to success in GOP primaries.
Kommentare