Mary Burke Wins Democratic Primary For Governor

As Expected By Most, Former Trek Executive Will Challenge Walker In November

Mary Burke during an appearance on Wisconsin Public Television's “Here and Now.” Photo: WPT.

Democrat gubernatorial candidate Mary Burke won a lopsided primary race Tuesday night against state Rep. Brett Hulsey, D-Madison, clearing the way for her general election contest with Republican Gov. Scott Walker.

With most precincts reporting, Burke had won about 83 percent of the vote to Hulsey’s 17 percent. She said Tuesday night that her job going forward would be to introduce herself to voters.

The result was largely an expected one. In a previous Marquette University polls, likely voters overwhelmingly supported Burke, a former Trek Bicycle executive and ex-state commerce secretary, for the Democratic nod.

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“There’s still a lot of people around this state who haven’t gotten to know me and the type of leader I would be and my plans for how I’m going to lead Wisconsin forward,” she said. “And I’m just going to work really hard over the next 84 days to make sure people know that.”

Burke was scheduled to campaign Minocqua later on Wednesday.

Hulsey’s loss marks the end of a campaign that was anything but conventional, a sharp contrast to Burke’s ongoing, by-the-books run for the governor.

Stay tuned to WPR and WPR.org for continuing coverage.