The Year in Wisconsin Politics 2012

From Scott Walker emerging as the only governor to survive a recall and Paul Ryan being selected as Mitt Romney's running mate, a national spotlight shined on Wisconsin this year – and sometime Wauwatosa was in the center of it.

Divisive – from recalls to recounts, it became a buzzword for Wisconsin politics in 2012. A national spotlight shined hard on Wisconsin this year, as it was a historic one for politics.  Scott Walker became the first governor in U.S. history to survive a recall. U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan of Janesville became a national household name after being selected as Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's running mate and state voters elected Tammy Baldwin to fill Herb Kohl's seat, making in her the first openly gay woman in the U.S. Senate. On the heels of a slew of recall elections and large-scale protests on the steps of the state Capitol building, the year kicked off with more recall attempts, including one aimed at Gov. Scott Walker. Largely…

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Tammy vs. Tommy: A Spending Tsunami

New reports put total spending in the congressional race past $78 million, shattering state records.

Candidates and interest groups poured more than $78 million into Wisconsin’s recent U.S. Senate race that led to Democrat Rep. Tammy Baldwin’s Nov. 6 win over former Republican Gov. Tommy Thompson, making it the most expensive Senate election in state history. New financial disclosure reports filed with the Federal Election Commission show that the candidates, including those who lost to Thompson in the Aug. 14 Republican primary, spent just over $34 million during the current two-year election cycle through Nov. 26, the reporting cutoff. Baldwin led the candidate spending at $14.7 million. Thompson doled out $9.2 million, including $800,000 of his own money, the FEC filings show. Eric Hovde, who came in second to Thompson in the primary, …

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FreeThought Troy

9:18 am on Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Yes - Keith. Because Tommy ran a grassroots campaign with no outside spending? I don't think the stats will back that up in the least. Tammy will do a great job. Liberal doesn't equal bad or evil. Our country is moving more to the left anyway. I think it's time Conservatives acknowledge that.   more ›

Obama Again Carries Wauwatosa, But More Narrowly

Results for Tosa's vote, in which the city once more tilted Democratic for the presidency but supported Tommy Thompson over Tammy Baldwin by a small margin.

What Time Will 2012 Election Results Be Announced in Wisconsin?

Poll here close at 8 p.m., but swing states end voting as early as 6 p.m. local time.

Wisconsin voters have until 8 p.m. to cast their Election 2012 ballots, but voting in other key swing states ends as much as three hours before then, and exit polling could provide an early indication of whether President Obama or Mitt Romney wins the White House. The earliest key state to watch for is Virginia, where polls close at 6 p.m. Wisconsin time.  Voting ends 30 minutes later in swing states Ohio and North Carolina. At 7 p.m. swing states Florida, Pennslvania and New Hampshire close their polls. The final two swing states, Nevada and Iowa, close at 9 p.m. CST.

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Tammy vs. Tommy: Costly Senate Race Comes Down to the Wire

Though their names are separated by just a vowel, Republican Tommy Thompson and Democrat Tammy Baldwin have vastly different visions for the future. It's resulted in one of the most bitter and tightly contested races for a Wisconsin U.S. Senate seat.

Editor's Note: This article was updated at 4:50 p.m. Monday to include comments from Tommy Thompson after they were received. The most expensive U.S. Senate campaign in Wisconsin history, and one of the most watched in the nation, is down to its last day — and by most accounting is down to the wire, with no significant advantage to either candidate. Polls on the race between Gov. Tommy Thompson and U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin swung wildly since Thompson emerged as victor in the Republican primary. Thompson initially built a double-digit lead, only to see that reversed in Baldwin's favor. But within the past month of the campaign, those numbers have drawn back to a near dead heat, with perhaps a slight edge toward Baldwin but falling within the…

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reading suzy

9:53 pm on Tuesday, November 6, 2012

I think what Nuitari is doing is letting his ignorant racism show. Who exactly are the people that are being "bussed in" and being given cigaettes and cellphones? All you are is a racist poor loser!   more ›

Obama Leads Romney by 8 Points in New Marquette Poll

Marquette University released the last poll results before the Nov. 6 election on Wednesday.

The race between President Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney appears to be shifting once again, according to a new Marquette University poll. Obama leads Romney by eight points in the latest poll results, 51 percent to 43 percent in the state. Two weeks ago, the race was declared a dead heat with Obama garnering 49 percent of respondents' votes to Romney's 48 percent. This poll was conducted after all presidential debates were held, and Professor Charles Franklin, director of the polling project, said the polls reflect how well voters feel their candidate performed. Among most interested likely voters, Obama still retains the lead, albeit a much smaller one with 48 points to Romney's 46 percent. When it comes to the US Senate …

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Bob McBride

9:18 am on Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Hey, the election is over. Can all you spamming idiots, regardless of which side of the fence you're on, please just crawl back under the rocks from whence you came?   more ›

Hurricane Sandy Dominates Thompson, Walker Stop in Waukesha

Gov. Scott Walker says that Mitt Romney did the right thing by canceling Wisconsin visit in light of East Coast storm.

With Hurricane Sandy hitting the East Coast Monday, former Republican Gov. Tommy Thompson and Gov. Scott Walker momentarily cast aside politics to share their concerns about those in the path of the storm. The two appeared at the Republican Party of Waukesha County’s headquarters the same day that GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney canceled an evening campaign rally in West Allis because of the hurricane. “Both of us are sad tonight that Gov. Romney could not make it," Thompson said. "He made it his mission that because of the storm, that it would not be right for government to be involved in a rally, but we thought that it would be good just to come together as individuals here.” President Barack Obama also canceled his Wisconsin …

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