Aug 29 2007
Busting the “Scott Walker is Unbeatable” Myth
If there’s one thing Scott Walker and his campaign staff have been good at over the years, it’s been to advance the perception that he’s some sort of unbeatable juggernaut when it comes to Milwaukee County politics.
While he does enjoy solid support in the Western suburbs, it’s not anywhere near the kind of overwhelming or unbeatable numbers that many people would have you believe. In fact, in the 2004 election, between 30-40% of people voted against him in Milwaukee suburbs. Strong numbers? Yes. Unbeatable? Hardly.
So it’s no surprise to see the folks over at Progressive Majority release the findings of a poll that show just how much Milwaukee County residents have soured to Walker over the last four years.
After years of service cuts, continuing scandals, and passing the buck, the honeymoon appears to be over. Some interesting findings from the poll:
Just 43% of county residents said they were likely to vote for Walker in next springs election. That’s down from 64% in January 2004 and well under the “magic 50%” mark an incumbent should be at before a re-election campaign.
Only 23% said they believe Milwaukee County is headed in the right direction, compared with 58% who said they think it is on the wrong track. That reflects poorly both on Scott Walker and other elected leaders of the County as well.
Hopefully this kind of information will give prospective candidates the kick in the pants they need to consider giving Scott Walker a run for his money in next springs election.
