Wisconsin’s next governor will be from Milwaukee

Tuesday’s primary races set the stage for a sprint to the Nov. 2 general election finish line for two residents of Milwaukee County vying to be the next governor of Wisconsin.
Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker won the Republican primary and will be joined by Lt. Gov. candidate Rebecca Kleefisch atop the GOP ticket in November.
They will be challenged by Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, who easily won the Democratic gubernatorial primary Tuesday and will be joined by Lt. Gov. candidate Tom Nelson.
Walker easily defeated former Congressman Mark Neumann in the contested GOP primary.
"Because of this campaign, we are now tested and ready to take on the liberals in Madison," Walker said.
"I would much rather have been in the arena and have fought the battle and lost than never to have entered the arena in the first place," said Neumann, who put $4 million of his own money into his campaign. Neumann said he is endorsing Walker in the general election. "My parents taught me that fighting hard to win is important, but more important is giving it your all, giving it your best and knowing that honesty and integrity was there every step of the way."
Barrett said the primary race demonstrated how far the Republican candidates had swung to the right.
"If people are looking for the ideologue in this race, it’s not me. I’m a pragmatist," Barrett told WisPolitics.com. “The choice before voters this November is crystal clear. I am running for Wisconsin governor to fight for jobs, put state government on a diet, and bring adult leadership to the capitol focused on getting things done. Scott Walker has never showed any interest in growing our economy. And time and time again, Walker has shown he will say or do anything to try to get elected. Wisconsin families need a governor they can trust to create jobs and get Madison’s fiscal house in order. They can’t trust a record of massive borrowing and chronic flip-flops for political gain.”
Wisconsin Republican Party chairman Reince Priebus made a bold prediction Tuesday night: "This will be the biggest Republican year in the history of the state of Wisconsin.”
Oshkosh business man Ron Johnson, who is pouring millions of dollars of his own wealth into the race, easily won the Republican nomination Tuesday to challenge Democratic U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold in November. Johnson and Feingold will hold the first of a series of debates on Sunday in Eau Claire.
In a key local race on Tuesday, State Sen. Jeff Plale (D-South Milwaukee) was defeated in the Democratic primary by Milwaukee County Supervisor Chris Larson.
– BizTimes Milwaukee