Last week, Democrat Patty Schachtner pulled off a stunning upset in Wisconsin State Senate District 10. Republican Sheila Harsdorf had held this particular Senate seat for 17 years. In 2016, she won by a solid 63 percent to 37 percent margin. Governor Scott Walker called the result a "wake up call for Republicans." [1]
However, voter turnout in the race was down 73 percent from recent years. From 2008 to 2016, elections in District 10 averaged 85,090 votes. Last Tuesday, only 22,273 votes were cast. The extremely low turnout makes it difficult to extrapolate larger trends from this election.
The turnout decline is notable given that the special election garnered national attention. Outside groups provided contributions and resources to both the Democratic and Republican candidates.
The special election was called because Harsdorf was appointed to a state cabinet position.
Footnotes:
- Pew Research Center, "Publics Globally Want Unbiased News Coverage, but Are Divided on Whether Their News Media Deliver," January 11, 2018
Each weekday, Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day explores interesting and newsworthy topics at the intersection of culture, politics, and technology. Columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
Scott Rasmussen is founder and president of the Rasmussen Media Group. He is the author of "Mad as Hell: How the Tea Party Movement Is Fundamentally Remaking Our Two-Party System," "In Search of Self-Governance," and "The People’s Money: How Voters Will Balance the Budget and Eliminate the Federal Debt." Read more reports from Scott Rasmussen — Click Here Now.
© 2021 Newsmax. All rights reserved.