Walker’s supporters at the victory party were elated but not surprised. They argued his win was in the cards from jump street, that Democratic nominee Mary Burke’s dependence on out-of-state support backfired, and that Walker’s superhuman ability to stay on message made re-election way easier than it looked to many (including me!). The governor had a straightforward strategy, and he stuck to it.
Burke bet on this being an anti-incumbent election. Walker bet on its being anti-Washington. He bet right.
Wisconsin Republicans expect the final voting data to confirm that Walker won in large part because he took Fox Valley in northeast Wisconsin. That region, which includes Green Bay, is the state’s second largest media market (after Milwaukee and before Madison). Walker visited the area about a dozen times in the past two weeks of the campaign, according to Wisconsin GOP First Vice Chairman Brian Schimming, and he had a robust field operation there.
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