Professor: ‘Angry Electorate’ Not Seen In Primary Elections After Talk Of Ousting Establishment

Despite reports of a push back against the political establishment, Wisconsin voters proved loyal in Tuesday’s primary elections to two congressmen with more than 30 years of combined experience in Washington, D.C.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Ron Kind beat out a so-called “Berniecrat,” Myron Buchholz, in Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District race.

Republican U.S. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan beat out a Donald Trump supporter and Delavan businessman, Paul Nehlen, in Wisconsin’s 1st Congressional District race.

Kind and Ryan both won with more than 80 percent of the votes in their individual races.

University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Political Science Professor Joe Heim said he expected the entrenched incumbents to win, but the margins surprised him.

“I was looking for an indication of an angry electorate out there yesterday, and it would have shown up in a number of ways,” Heim said. “And it just didn’t seem to be there.”

Heim said it was all about turnout. Party outsiders just didn’t hit the polls as hard as party regulars, who tend to support longtime incumbents.

“Those people who are the dissidents, the outsiders just did not turn out,” Heim said. “What turns out in a party primary are people who are civic duty people. They always vote regularly, they also pay a fair amount of attention to politics and party regulars.”

Ryan now faces Democrat Ryan Solen in the November general election. Kind has no Republican opponent.