Scott Rasmussen's Number of the Day for January 22, 2018
The Number of the Day columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
January 22, 2018: Last week, Democrat Patty Schachtner pulled off a stunning upset in Wisconsin State Senate District 10. Republican Sheila Harsdorf had held this particular Senate seat for 17 years. In 2016, she won by a solid 63% to 37% margin. Governor Scott Walker called the result a “wake up call for Republicans.”[1]
However, voter turnout in the race was down 73 percent from recent years. From 2008 to 2016, elections in District 10 averaged 85,090 votes. Last Tuesday, only 22,273 votes were cast. The extremely low turnout makes it difficult to extrapolate larger trends from this election.
The turnout decline is notable given that the special election garnered national attention. Outside groups provided contributions and resources to both the Democratic and Republican candidates.
The special election was called because Harsdorf was appointed to a state cabinet position.
Each weekday, Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day explores interesting and newsworthy topics at the intersection of culture, politics, and technology.
- January 19, 2018 – 13 percent of Americans give media top marks for reporting both sides of political issues
- January 18, 2018 – 10 percent of U.S. House races may be competitive
- January 17, 2018 – 48 Democratic primaries to watch
- January 16, 2018 – 62 Republican primaries to watch
- January 15, 2018 – 1,651 words in Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech
- To see other recent numbers, check out the archive.
Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day is published by Ballotpedia weekdays at 8:00 a.m. Eastern. Click here to check out the latest update.
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Columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
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See also
- Scott Rasmussen's Number of the Day
- Wisconsin state legislative special elections, 2018
- Wisconsin State Senate District 10
- Patty Schachtner
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