2012 Presidential Campaign Blog

Obama Weaker Than 2008 But Still Solid In Wisconsin

Obama Weaker Than 2008 But Still Solid In Wisconsin

Wisconsin is one state where Barack Obama definitely seems to be weaker than he was in 2008, but he would still win it comfortably if he had to stand for election today if not quite by the lofty margin he did last time around.

Obama's approval rating in the state is 49% with 45% of voters disapproving of him. The Democratic base stands pretty universally behind him at 89% approval and independents break slightly in favor of him by a 49/43 spread. Holding him below 50% is that he has virtually no support from Republicans, only 10% of whom approve of his job performance.

Obama's approval spread may only be +4 but his leads over all of his prospective Republican opponents exceed that. He's up 7 points on Mike Huckabee at 48-41, 9 points on Paul Ryan at 49-40, 10 on Mitt Romney at 48-38, 12 on Newt Gingrich at 51-39, and 19 on Sarah Palin at 54-35.

Ryan's performance is noteworthy. It might seem unsurprising for a native son candidate to do better than most of the rest of the Republican field in his home state, but for the most part we've found second tier candidate possibilities doing worse than Romney and Huckabee on their home fronts. So by that measure Ryan's performance is decent.

Ryan is the only one of the Republicans we tested who has a positive favorability number, at 36% rating him positively and 35% with a negative opinion. Beyond him only Huckabee even comes close to breaking even at a 34/37 spread. Romney comes in at 30/41, Gingrich at 26/49, and Palin at 32/60. This makes Wisconsin yet another on the list of swing states where voters dislike all of the potential GOP Presidential candidates.

Obama took Wisconsin by 14 points in 2008, so his margins over Huckabee, Ryan, Romney, and Gingrich all represent a tightening from his victory over John McCain. Still he appears to be on much more solid ground in the state than Democrats were in 2000 or 2004. As for Palin Wisconsin makes for another of her 'Goldwater' states- her 19 point deficit would be the biggest loss for a Republican in the state since the party lost by 24 points in 1964.

Tim Pawlenty Statement In Support Of Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker

Tim Pawlenty Statement in Support of Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker

"Governor Scott Walker is making tough choices needed to avoid financial ruin. The nation's governors don't need a lecture from a President who has never balanced a budget. All levels of government need to bring public employee compensation in line with the private sector.  The gig is up for public employee groups who demand better benefits than the taxpayers who are paying the bill.  I'm confident Governor Walker's reforms will succeed in Wisconsin. Stand strong, Scott -- average taxpayers everywhere are rooting for you."

President Obama To Travel To Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin Monday

President Obama To Travel To Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin Monday

WASHINGTON- On Monday, August 16, President Obama will travel to Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, where he will tour ZBB Energy Corporation and deliver remarks to workers.

While in the state, the President will also visit Milwaukee, where he will headline events for Mayor Tom Barrett and the Wisconsin Democratic Party.

Vice President Biden, Secretary Geithner To Hold Middle Class Task Force Meeting In Milwaukee

Vice President Biden, Secretary Geithner to Hold Middle Class Task Force Meeting on Financial Reform in Milwaukee

Washington, DC –  On Tuesday, April 27th, Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of the Treasury Tim Geithner will travel to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. At 11:30 AM CDT, the Vice President will chair a Middle Class Task Force meeting hosted by the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee’s Sheldon B. Lubar School of Business. The Vice President and Secretary Geithner will discuss the need for Wall Street reform and the importance of reform for America’s middle class families.

Wisconsin Policy Research Institute Announces Launch Of "Tweet Wisconsin"

Wisconsin Policy Research Institute Announces Launch Of "Tweet Wisconsin"

New website collects what elected officials, candidates, and groups are talking about all in one place

A new website launched by the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute today provides onestop shopping for followers of politics in Wisconsin. “Tweet Wisconsin” (http://www.tweetwisconsin.org) collects the Twitter feeds of Wisconsin’s elected officials, candidates, and interested political groups in one place, where fans of politics can see what they’re saying and interact with their politicians.

“A lot of what’s going on in politics is happening on Twitter,” said Christian Schneider, (@cmschneid19) senior fellow at WPRI. “Often times, politicians are talking to themselves, and updating the public in real time as to what’s happening. Now the public has easy access to all that up-to-the-minute info in one place,” said Schneider.

With Twitter, political observers can post observations of up to 140 characters. With increasing regularity, politicians have been using the service to forgo the filter of the media to communicate directly with their fans. Many times, they use the service merely to call attention to articles, pictures, or videos they find interesting. “I was skeptical of Twitter to begin with,” said Schneider, “but I quickly realized that this is where politics happens these days – and it really helps to see what politicians are really thinking.”

The list of twitter feeds currently featured on the site include as many candidates, elected officials, and groups as could be identified. If you are a candidate or group and want to be included in the Tweet Wisconsin feed, feel free to e-mail your username to [email protected].

To view the site, one doesn’t have to be a member of Twitter or any other social networking service. The Wisconsin Policy Research Institute can be found on Twitter at @wpri.

Republican Party Of Wisconsin Announces Tim Pawlenty And Paul Ryan As 2010 Convention Kickoff Speakers

RPW Announces Convention Kickoff Speakers

MADISON - Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, who has been called “the next generation of leadership in the Republican Party and in America” and Wisconsin’s own Congressman Paul Ryan, ranking member of the House Budget Committee and an emerging leader on fiscal reform, will headline a Chairman’s Reception at the Republican Party of Wisconsin State Convention on Friday, May 21, 2010.

“The Republican Party of Wisconsin State Convention is going to be an opportunity for conservatives to come together and kick off an outstanding campaign season,” said Reince Priebus, Chairman of the Republican Party of Wisconsin. “I can’t think of two better Republicans than Governor Pawlenty and Congressman Ryan to get participants motivated to actively spread our message of common-sense conservative solutions and fiscal restraint.”

As Governor, Pawlenty resolved Minnesota's historic $4.5 billion budget deficit without raising taxes. During his two terms, Governor Pawlenty has dramatically slowed the growth of state government spending. He also reduced overall spending for the first time in the state’s 150-year history.

Serving as Ranking Member of the House Budget Committee, Congressman Paul Ryan is a leading voice for fiscal discipline and accountability in the federal government. He recently introduced “A Roadmap for America’s Future,” a comprehensive reform proposal that tackles the interrelated crises in health care, Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, our job-killing and cumbersome tax code, and our exploding debt. 

The Chairman’s Reception will take place from 6 pm – 8 pm at the Harley Davidson Museum in Milwaukee on Friday, May 21, 2010. Shuttles from the RPW Convention host hotel, the Hyatt Regency, will be available for convention attendees. Admission to the Chairman’s Reception will be free of charge for paid convention attendees and will cost $20 per person for the general public.

Speaker announcements for a banquet honoring County Chairmen on Saturday, May 22, 2010 will follow in the coming weeks.

President Obama to Travel to Madison, Wisconsin Wednesday, November 4, 2009

President Obama to Travel to Madison, Wisconsin Wednesday

WASHINGTON - On Wednesday, November 4, 2009, President Barack Obama will travel to Madison, Wisconsin.  He will meet with students, teachers and school officials and deliver remarks on strengthening America’s education system at Wright Middle School.  Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will travel with President Obama.

The speech will be closed to the public and by invite only; the audience will be comprised primarily of students, teachers, parents and local officials.