This past week, the Democratic National Convention coverage ended with a straw poll conducted by WisPolitics to determine who is the front runner for the Wisconsin Democratic Gubernatorial Primary.
The Democratic State Convention took place at the Terrace Community and Convention in Madison. Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodriguez left with the best standing. According to a straw poll by WisPolitics, Ridriguez won 164, or 27.5% of the total votes. Following closely was the Socialist candidate and State Rep. Francesca Hong. Hong garnered 138 votes, or 23.1 percent, rounding out the candidates above the 20% line. (RELATED:WISN To Host Debate For Crowded 2026 Democratic Governor’s Race)
State Senator Kelda Roys came in 3rd place, taking about 19%, or 114 votes. Another notable finish is former Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes, who finished sixth in the seven candidate field, only recording 41 votes. Roys, who won the straw poll in 2018, ended up losing the nomination to Tony Evers who finished third.
The convention also took a poll on support for the 2028 Presidential election, and candidates opinion on a wide spectrum of policy issues. For the 2028 election, WisPolitics reported only 102 candidates voting in the straw poll. Those 102 gave former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg the majority of votes at 17.7%. Following was the U.S. Representative Alexandaria Ocasio-Cortez who got 17.5%, and current Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, garnered 81 votes. No other candidate topped the 50 vote mark.
The Democrats are faced with an issue of picking a candidate that’s appealing to the average Wisconsin voter, or a candidate who’s going to appeal to the party base. Some convention attendees were concerned on who’s the best, vs who’s electable. U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany won the GOP nomination in sweeping fashion, and has the appeal to a large portion of rural voters. (RELATED:Wisconsin Democrats to Debate ICE Abolition at Madison Convention)
Lisa Simonds, a delegate from Baraboo and second vice chair of Sauk County Democrats, said her vote will likely go to Joel Brennan, who served as the Secretary for the Department of Administration in the Evers administration from 2019-2021. Simonds cites Brennan’s experience from the Evers administration and his effort to campaign in rural areas. Stating that other candidates ignore rural areas to campaign in the big cities.
