Uh Oh: Tommy Thompson Loses Wisconsin Republican Straw Poll

Just a few years ago, Tommy Thompson was a well-regarded former governor of Wisconsin. Now it looks like recent attacks on Thompson for his alleged support of Obamacare, by the Club for Growth and others, are starting to take a toll.

Thompson, who's contemplating running for Senate in Wisconsin to replace the retiring Herb Kohl, only got 20 percent of the vote and lost the straw poll for Senate nominees at the state's annual GOP convention today. Here are the totals:

- Glenn Grothman, Dan Vrakas, Bob Lorge, John Schiess, Nancy Milholland - 1 each

By contrast, when Scott Walker was contemplating running for governor in 2009 he won 93.4 percent of the vote in the straw poll at the state convention.

It depends in part on who the opposition nominates. Right now, the ‘Rat field is very unformed. Russ Feingold, Tammy Baldwin, and Ron Kind are looking at running.

There are some state Senate recalls going on. Those races will give us a better idea of where this is going.

For the record from:

http://www.wigderson.com/index.php/2011/05/23/grasping-at-straws/

“While straw polls are not scientific polls of Republican Primary voters, the attendees at the Republican convention are the ones that know these particular candidates the best. They are also people who will raise the money for candidates and provide volunteers.

Kanavas’ showing demonstrates he has solid support within the party. It would be interesting to see what was the geographic breakdown of the vote and how much work Kanavas will have to do in the rest of the state to win the nomination. However, as Kanavas is also likely to be perceived as the most conservative candidate in the race, he could also be the candidate that attracts the most Tea Party support.

Thompson’s disappointing second place is even more significant given his prior dominance of the state party. The vast majority of delegates are ready to move on without Thompson. Thompson will not be able to reach out to the Tea Party movement either given his support for bigger spending. Thompson is now a candidate without a base of support. Who would have thought that just a few years ago?”

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