Wisconsin Faces a Political Crossroads Tuesday. Which Way Will It Go?
Wisconsin has been in the throes of a political identity crisis for years, one exacerbated by Donald J. Trump’s surprise win in the state in 2016. From cities to rural areas like Reedsburg, the state faces a defining moment in the 2018 midterm elections, starting with a major primary Tuesday.
MAZOMANIE, Wis. — The most memorable part of Scott Walker’s run for president in 2016 was how he ended it: By dissing Donald J. Trump, his chief rival in a crowded race.
Mr. Walker, Wisconsin’s two-term governor, said he was bowing out to help “clear the field” so a “positive, conservative alternative” could emerge to Mr. Trump. The remark was self-serving — the Walker campaign was broke — but he had a point: Republicans never coalesced around an opponent to Mr. Trump, who went on to become the first Republican presidential nominee to carry Wisconsin since 1984.
Mr. Walker is still Wisconsin’s governor, still harboring national ambitions, and Wisconsin Democrats and Republicans have only grown more divided over Mr. Trump and the state’s place in national politics. Those dynamics are now on display as Wisconsin prepares for a major primary election on Tuesday: Mr. Walker’s bid for a third term is at stake; Wisconsin Democrats’ desire to deal blows to Trump Republicanism is intense; Republicans are deeply concerned about their future hold on state government; and the very identity of the state, which swings between progressivism and conservatism, feels up for grabs.
“This just wasn’t what Wisconsin was, not what it used to be,” said Sally Mather, 69, a retired social worker, who sat in the back room of a cafe in Mazomanie, a village of 1,700, last week.
Ms. Mather is part of the “Monday Morning Muddlers,” an informal group of women who became engaged with politics after Mr. Trump’s inauguration and now write postcards — 40 a week — to Wisconsin politicians about issues like keeping Great Lakes water clean and the risks of building a massive campus by Foxconn, the Taiwanese electronics company with which state and local officials have agreed to a total of more than $4 billion in tax credits and other inducements.
“We keep ourselves sane with this,” Ms. Mather said of all the postcards. “But if Wisconsin is going to go back to the way it used to be, it’s going to be up to the grass-roots. We’ve got to get back to being decent.”'>>>
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/12/us/politics/wisconsin-scott-walker-election.html?
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