OUTCOME 2012
The Lucky Seven States
Who wins this November will hinge on electoral outcomes in just seven swing states: Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida, Wisconsin, Colorado, North Carolina, and Virginia. As go those seven, experts say, so goes the nation. Each issue, Newsmax magazine will put one of the lucky seven under a political microscope. This month the focus is on Wisconsin. Voters there strongly favored President Obama in 2008, yet rebuked recall eff orts against GOP Gov. Scott Walker. If Team Romney can nudge Wisconsin into the red column, it could put the kibosh on Obama’s chances for re-election.
Campaign ’12
Wisconsin Seeing Red
Buoyed by Gov. Scott Walker’s recall win and galvanized by national discontent with Obama’s policies, the Badger State could well land in GOP hands in November.
W State Assembly: Republicans Democrats Independent
59 39 1
34 NEWSMAX | AUGUST 2012 OBAMA MCCAIN
POLITICAL PROFILE State Senate:
Republicans: Democrats:
16 17
2008 Presidential Election Results:
56% 42% BY JOHN MERCURIO
isconsin gov. scott Walker’s solid win in the June recall election dealt a blow to orga-
nized labor, demoralized Democrats, and raised Mitt Romney’s hopes of carrying this traditionally blue state in November. But experts question whether it will be enough to help Rom- ney grab the Badger State’s 10 elec- toral delegates. “The connection between the
recall election and the November gen- eral election is tenuous,” said Barry
Burden, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “The presidential race is about a diff er- ent pair of candidates and a larger set of issues, so the relationship between the two is not especially strong.” Pundits note that several unique crosscurrents helped Walker become the fi rst U.S. governor to survive a recall attempt. These factors include skepticism
over the recall process itself and vot- ers’ concerns about higher public- employee benefi ts at a time of eco- nomic turmoil.
The Breakdown Wisconsin is a quadrennial tease for the GOP: The Democrats’ nominee always seems to win here in the end. In 2008, the McCain- Palin ticket was saddled with Bush fatigue and a slumping economy. But this cycle, even the Obama campaign says Wisconsin is up for grabs. Whether that’s true or just a smokescreen is what the Romney campaign must decide.
Eau Claire Green Bay
Madison
Milwaukee
Virginia
North Carolina
Colorado
Florida
Wisconsin
Pennsylvania
Ohio
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