Walker likely to win re-election in November

The stage is now set for the Wisconsin Governor’s race. Scott Walker cruised to victory in Tuesday’s primary. For the democrats, Tony Evers emerged from a crowded field, capturing more than twice as many votes as his nearest competitor. So Walker and Evers will meet in the November general election. Can Evers prevent Walker from earning a third term? In short, probably not. Walker has survived three elections, including the 2012 recall. He is good at campaigning. In fact, he hasn’t lost a campaign in Wisconsin since he was first elected to the state Assembly in 1993. Walker has already been running ads, and unveiled his latest campaign ad yesterday, just hours after the polls closed to determine his opponent. He has deep pockets, with almost $5 million available in his campaign war chest. That is 31 times as much money as Evers has available. These figures could change, and outside money could be a factor, but it is a safe bet that Walker will have much more money available to spend. Evers is broke after the primary. But it is about more than money. The most recent polling showed Evers with 31% of democratic support heading into the primary, but undecided scored higher as an answer to who voters think should be the next Governor. Evers will push for rolling back the state’s historic deal with Foxconn, but it is not clear if that is even possible. Walker can run on the state’s solid economy, even if it is not because of his doing, and generally people are happy with how Wisconsin’s economy is doing. It seems if the election between Walker and Evers were tomorrow, Walker would win. And that is likely to also be the case in November.