12
November
2006
November
2006
Demographic Changes Benefit Democrats
Usually when you think about political groups getting a benefit from a change in demographics, it's Republicans raking in the benefits from urban sprawl.
But there are changes happening in Wauwatosa and Mequon that are benefiting Democrats.
The eastern half of Wauwatosa is turning blue and Mequon is trending blue.
Mequon has added big numbers to the Jewish population which tends to vote democratic. Wauwatosa has also changed with a few eastern wards going to John Kerry in 2004 and Feingold with winning Wauwatosa handily. But the newest change? Jim Sullivan won Wauwatosa. That's right — a state senate candidate won with strong numbers in Wauwatosa with an especially impressive showing in the eastern half.
Jim McGuigan
Jim McGuigan
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The ‘Tosa change seems to have started in 1999, with many young families buying homes in the older, eastern part of ‘Tosa. The price was right and the schools are the best in the county ‘burbs next to Shorewood, Whitefish Bay and the Nicolet Union District on the north shore. Scott Walker, who lives on the eastern part of the city, is now surrounded by Dems!
Demographics are key to the changing politics of many parts of the state. For example, no municipality has changed as much as Pleasant Prairie in the southeasternmost part of the state, right along the Illinois border and the lake. As subdivision after subdivision cropped up, Republicans began to think that the state Senator from the area, Bob Wirch, was vulnerable and they set out to take his seat in 2004. A big miscalculation, as the north Chicago demographic buying into those subdivisions proved to have a lot more in common with Clinton Democrats than with the Republican Party of Wisconsin. After being labelled by GOPs the most vulnerable Democrat in the state in 2004, Wirch won reelection easily.
Concealed carry would be law in Wisconsin were it not for the assemblyman from Pleasant Prairie, John Steinbrink, a grain farmer who in many ways represents the old, rural village that used to be. Steinbrink is considered a gun guy and voted “aye” on concealed carry when the Assembly passed it on to Gov. Doyle, who then vetoed it. When the time came to override Doyle’s veto, Steinbrink changed his vote, and cast the deciding vote to uphold Doyle’s veto.
Steinbrink’s district has changed a lot since he was first elected in 1996. The new residents of his district like the Sierra Club a lot more than they like the National Rifle Association. The values of this state are becoming less and less in line with the right wing conservatives running the Republican Party of Wisconsin. It now becomes a matter of the Democratic Party getting some work done, and making sure the people are paying attention.