Governorships
Jim Doyle Approval Rating Continues to Tumble
A majority of Wisconsin residents (52 percent) now disapprove of Democratic Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle’s job performance, according to a new poll released this week by SurveyUSA. For only the second time in 26 consecutive monthly polls of 600…
Read MorePawlenty Wins Minor Battle in Fight Against Illegal Immigration
The DFL dropped provisions from a higher education bill—passed by the House and Senate—that would have allowed children of illegal immigrants in Minnesota to qualify for in-state tuition. The inclusion of the so-called “DREAM Act” would assuredly have been…
Read MoreGubernatorial Incumbents Sail
Last November, Democrats picked up 6 governorships, held all 13 seats with Democratic incumbents, and retained their one (and only) open seat. But the lesson from Election 2006 is not so much a story of democratic dominance in the fight…
Read MoreIncumbency Advantage in Gubernatorial Elections
It was not much of a surprise when all three incumbent governors from the Upper Midwest (Tim Pawlenty, Mike Rounds, and Jim Doyle) won their respective re-election bids last November (at least not to Smart Politics, who projected as such)….
Read MoreAddresses by Upper Midwest Governors Remarkably Similar
Three gubernatorial addresses conducted this month across the Upper Midwest have been remarkably similar with regards to the main issues raised in the speeches. Republican Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty’s State of the State address delivered last week focused on four…
Read MoreA Tale of (Two?) States: Demographic Support for Republican Gubernatorial Candidates in MN and WI Strikingly Similar
The 2006 gubernatorial races in Minnesota and Wisconsin had key similarities: 1-term incumbents defending their seats with job approval rankings hovering around 50%. Pundits viewed seats in both states to be very vulnerable. Despite these similarities, the candidacies of Republican…
Read MoreGubernatorial Approval Ratings Rise Noticeably After Elections
Approval ratings for all four Upper Midwest governors rose noticeably in polls conducted by SurveyUSA directly after Election Day (November 8-11). All three incumbent governors on the ballot in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and South Dakota were victorious, and the Democrats retained…
Read MoreSD Governor: History Is On Rounds’ Side…Unless…
South Dakota boasts a fascinating political history, peppered at the edges with contradictions in partisan preferences among its electorate. On the one hand, democrats have more than held their own in federal congressional statewide elections, winning 9 of the…
Read MoreJim Doyle’s Biggest Threat: The Greens or Mark Green?
Despite voting democratic in the past five presidential elections and 13 of the past 15 U.S. Senate elections, Wisconsin is far from a safe ‘blue’ state for democratic candidates for governor—especially incumbent Jim Doyle. Democrats have not fared well…
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