Turnout in Wisconsin’s primary election on Tuesday could show which way voters in the swing state intend to swing in November.
Republican state lawmakers are hoping to energize their base with a pair of constitutional amendments on the ballot that will reign in Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ power to spend federal money.
Meanwhile, in the Senate Republican primary, Eric Hovde, a business developer, is expected to easily win the primary and go on to challenge Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin in November.
There are also two major House primaries — a hard-fought contest to select the Democratic challenger for the Third Congressional District, which Dems are hoping to pick up in November, and a Republican race in the Eighth Congressional District
Voters already went to the polls in April to vote on presidential primary candidates — so only the the most plugged-in Wisconsin voters are likely to head to the polls.
That means turnout Tuesday will indicate which party is on their game ahead of the November vote in a state where four of the last six presidential elections were decided by just 20,000 votes.
Last week, a poll by the local Marquette Law School showed Trump and Harris in a dead heat, with Trump up by only 1% among registered voters in Wisconsin.
The most consequential item on the ballot for the primary is a pair of constitutional amendments that seek to require legislative approval of the allocation of federal money such as the COVID relief funds, underlining the tension of a divided government in the traditionally purple state.
“As inconvenient as it may be for Tony Evers and his out-of-state donors, Wisconsinites have a right to transparency and accountability with how the government spends their hard-earned money,” WisGOP spokesperson Matt Fisher told The Post.
Evers, a Harris and Walz ally, was accused of using his unilateral spending authority over the $5 billion in federal pandemic money for pork barrel handouts to prop up his reelection bid in 2022, handing out payments to liberal allies using “verbal conversations” rather than written documentation, a nonpartisan audit found.
Outside spending on the amendments heavily favors the “Vote No,” position, with opponents of the amendments claiming they amount to an undemocratic power grab.
“Gov. Evers spent $9.3 million of COVID money to build a soccer stadium in downtown Milwaukee,” Kyle Koenen, policy director at the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty (WILL), told The Post.
WILL is one of two conservative groups supporting the amendments with six-figure campaigns.
“It’s ironic when I see the governor’s spokesperson saying this is going to ruin checks and balances,” Koenen said. “The amendments are pro-democracy propositions of checks and balances.”
In the Senate Republican primary, Eric Hovde, a business developer, is expected to easily win the primary and go on to challenge Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin in November.
In the Third Congressional District, three Democrats are fighting for the chance to face Trump-endorsed Republican Rep. Derrick Van Orden in November. Van Orden’s race was the closest of the 2022 midterms, and Democrats are hoping they can flip it.
Rebecca Cooke, a former political fundraiser and strategist, is by far the leader in fundraiser and is seen as the stronger challenger, but many state Democratic leaders have backed state Rep. Katrina Shankland. Also in the race is Eric Wilson, who has worked in real estate and health care.
In the Eighth Congressional District, Trump-endorsed Tony Wied is running against anti-abortion rights state Sen. Andrew Jacque and former state Sen. Roger Roth, who identifies as a “Trump Conservative,” although he has been disavowed by Trump.
The outcome of the primary — which seeks to fill the seat vacated earlier this year by Mike Gallagher — will serve as a bellwether for Trump’s influence in northern Wisconsin.
