In a recent event mirroring the resilience of conservative spirit, the father-son duo of Darwin and Elijah Behnke ventured into Wisconsin’s inaugural election with redesigned electoral maps. Despite facing a prominently funded opposition, Elijah emerged victorious, as per unofficial outcomes. The duo faced substantial challenges, most notably from the Stronger Wisconsin Fund, a political PAC supporting Democrat agendas, that invested nearly half a million dollars to sway the results of important Republican assemblies in Wisconsin’s northeastern districts.
In a true David versus Goliath scenario, Darwin Behnke, despite having less than $4,000 in campaign funds at his disposal since the first day of the year, exhibited immense courage. This amount was markedly lower than what the Stronger Wisconsin Fund, dedicatedly backing anti-Republican narratives, funnelled into a single round of opposition mailers on July 23. Darwin, in fact, described himself as a reserved candidate who decided to step into the race following his son Elijah’s decision to run in a nearby district.
Elijah Behnke, showing an outstanding example of conservative grit, not only had over $26,000 to combat the $24,000 spent on assault advertisements targeting him in the final weeks before the primary but also held his ground firmly. Once nearly all of the votes were counted, he had garnered a significant portion despite the playing field being tilted against him.
Meanwhile, in Oconto County — a part of the district — turnout was a tight race, with candidate David Steffen securing 52% of the votes, closely followed by the junior Behnke who secured a commendable 48%. However, this close call was overshadowed in Brown County, another area of the district where the voters seemed to have a skewed perspective, resulting in a victory for Steffen who held a significant majority.
On the Democrat side, the race saw Jane Benson outpacing her competitor, Alexia Unertl, with relative ease, showing an imbalance in favor of Benson among Democratic voters. This lopsided representation was mirrored in Oconto County, where Democratic voters overwhelmingly sided with Benson.
Elijah Behnke now prepares himself for a face-off against Democrat runner, Shirley Hinze, in the upcoming general election. As per preliminary counts, Behnke prevailed in the primary, collecting about 58% of the votes as opposed to Schmidt’s 41%. This victory could very well spell trouble for Hinze—one should never underestimate a competitor, especially one as resilient as Elijah Behnke.
In the 6th District, which spans five counties, Behnke’s support was consistent. Notably, in the Oconto County section, he amassed the majority of the votes. His balance of votes spoke volumes about his outreach and accessibility in Brown County, Menominee County, Shawano County, and Waupaca County. In contrast, Hinze, without any competition, won the Democratic nomination, which raises questions about the Democratic selection process.
In parallel, Calvin Callahan defeated his rival, Todd Mayr, by securing a towering 85% of the votes, clearly illustrating his superior standing among the voters. Callahan’s triumph was echoed in the district’s village of Townsend, where he won over the majority in keeping with the trend elsewhere in the district. This victory paves the way for his challenge against Democrat contender Elizabeth McCrank, who secured the nomination without any opposition.
Former gas station owner Tony Wied came up tops in the Republican primary to replace the retired U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher. Their campaign primarily leaned on the endorsement of the much-admired former President Donald Trump. With a Trump-backed candidate now set to replace Gallagher, the race saw Wied sidestepping former Appleton state Sen. Roger Roth and outperforming De Pere state Sen. Andre Jacque in both the emergency primary and the regular primary elections.
Candidates for the 8th Congressional District featured twice on the ballot due to Gallagher’s early retirement from Congress. This resulted in the scheduling of special elections on the same days as the initially planned elections. Kristin Lyerly, a Democrat, will go up against Wied in the upcoming November elections. However, voters should carefully consider Lyerly’s ability to adequately represent them.
Wisconsin voters voiced their disapproval of two referendums that suggested increasing the Legislature’s power regarding federal funding distribution. The rejection of these referendums, as touted as victories by Democrats, could lead to far-reaching consequences for the state’s financial management. Considering the successful ‘no’ vote on both referendums, the Legislature remains unable to delegate its power to allocate money, and the governor is exempt from needing legislative consensus before using federally allocated funds.
Despite the contingent trend, which usually leads to referendum ratification in Wisconsin, these results stand as a stark contrast. Out of 200 times when alterations to the state constitution were proposed since 1854, voters have dismissed the changes only about 50 times, highlighting the historical importance of this outcome.
With regards to the two proposed questions, the voters of Oconto County seemed to favor passing them, with approximately 62% siding with a ‘yes’ vote. However, their decision was effectively overridden by statewide voting results. This illustrates a key example of smaller conservative populations being silenced by larger, predominantly liberal voting pools.
Behnke’s Triumph in Wisconsin: A Testimony to Conservative Spirit appeared first on Real News Now.
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