Despite his campaign’s cautious optimism that he’d win the Lt. Governor straw poll conducted by WisPolitics.com at the Democratic Party of Wisconsin’s 2010 Convention, Democratic Lt. Governor candidate Henry Sanders Jr. won the straw poll by nearly a 2 to 1 margin. State Assembly Majority Leader Tom Nelson finished a very distant second in the straw poll, with only 167 votes, while State Sen. Spencer Coggs finished third in the voting with 43 votes.
Here’s the full results of the straw poll:
| WisPolitics.com straw poll results | |
|---|---|
| Candidate | Number of Votes |
| Henry Sanders, Jr. | 326 |
| Tom Nelson | 167 |
| Spencer Coggs | 43 |
| James Schneider | 11 |
| No Vote | 9 |
| Write In | 8 |
While Sanders’ campaign didn’t want to seem overly confident about the results of the straw poll before the votes were actually counted, it was plainly obvious to most in attendance at the DPW Convention that there was a buzz surrounding Sanders. His hospitality suite was rocking most of Friday night, and many delegates I talked to expressed excitement about his candidacy. There seemed to be little enthusiasm for the campaigns of Tom Nelson and Spencer Coggs, and given the results of the straw poll, I wouldn’t be surprised to see one of the two leave the race in the very near future.
It was obvious from the crowd response on the convention floor when Mr. Sanders spoke that he has connected with the crowd!
Yeah, there was definitely a lot of energy in that convention hall.
Yeah, based on what I saw at Nelson’s suite Friday the momentum just wasn’t there. On the other side, Sanders suite was one of the more popular ones that night – with music going til no one was in the room.
Just remember that the wispolitics straw poll hold little value. If they did Tom Barrett would be Governor.
Sure, it’s not the end all, be all when it comes to the election, but I’m betting that we’ll end up with a Barrett/Sanders ticket when all is said and done.
Agree that straw polls mean little in the big picture, but Sanders is the best candidate of the group, both in the competence/ ideas group, and in assisting Barett’s chances of winning the election in November. Why Coggs is wasting time running for this office (or in staying in the Senate for that matter) is beyond me.
I agree with your assessment of Sanders as a candidate, especially in comparison to the rest of the Lt. Governor field. Tom Nelson is unimpressive, and I still don’t get what Spencer Coggs brings to the table.
Anybody want to bet on Sanders to beat Nelson in the primary?
Sure.
I am with Xoff. Anyone want to bet?
The big question is Sanders going to even hit 10% in the primary? This is essentially a two person race between Nelson and Coggs.
“The big question is Sanders going to even hit 10% in the primary? This is essentially a two person race between Nelson and Coggs.”
With a huge State Assembly Dem primary on the west side of Madison, and a large Senate Dem race on the east and south sides of Milwaukee between Plale and Larson? I’ll gladly take THAT bet, and would be stunned if Sanders was under 30% for the state. Unles you’re making blanket assertions about the Milwaukee vote (and the code words that go with it) will go to Coggs, and I think you are sadly mistaken on that one.
In addition to being the best candidate (in my opinion) Sanders is known by plenty of the right people- the ones that care enough to vote this September.
nice post-convention press hit by the Sanders camp! a couple mentions on various blogs…
Yep!
Some of Nelson post convention press hits:
http://www.wjfw.com/stories.html?sku=20100614162514
http://www.wausaudailyherald.com/article/20100614/WDH0101/6140398/Steelworkers-to-endorse-lieutenant-governor
Two links about the same endorsement?
That’s some serious press for Nelson.
Note that the Nelson supporters didn’t bother to include links to the print articles about Nelson’s endorsement – both of which devoted half the column space to the beating he took in the straw poll:
http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20100615/GPG0101/6150542/Steelworkers-union-backs-Nelson-for-governor
-and-
http://www.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2010100614142
“At the state Democratic Party convention in Middleton last weekend, the nonpartisan political news Web site WisPolitics .com polled activists and registered guests on who they would back in the Democratic primary if it were held today. Of the 564 people who cast ballots, 326 preferred Waunakee businessman Henry Sanders with 167 backing Nelson. Milwaukee state Sen. Spencer Coggs received 43 votes and former Lodi alderman James Schneider received 11.”
Sounds like the press is paying a bit more attention to the straw poll loss than Nelson backers would like the world to believe.
Boy the Sanders people are just delusional.
And while we’re at it, how about another story from Nelson’s own back yard:
Nelson finishes 2nd in straw poll for Lt Gov
http://www.whby.com/news/whby/news/1bdcb9ae9d6b/
A Kaukauna lawmaker isn’t the front-runner in the democratic race for lieutenant governor, at least according to a weekend straw poll at the state democratic party convention.
Assembly Majority Leader Tom Nelson received 30 percent support, which put him in second, behind Madison Democrat Henry Sanders. Sanders picked up 58 percent of the vote.
John – what’s delusional is the Nelson camp’s belief that an incumbent socially awkward climber is going to be palatable in year when voters want everything but that.
Most of the people I find supporting Nelson are political operatives or are connect to insider politics. Sanders shows that he has been activating the Democratic base and creating real energy on the ticket. If the straw poll wasn’t a big deal why were Nelson and friends calling convention delegates asking them to vote in the straw poll?
I get why the Nelson team is confused because they had been claiming Nelson was the “chosen one”, but the base decided that the insiders had it wrong again. That is how the party process works, its what helps us put the strongest candidate on the ticket. In September, I think that Sanders will win a majority of Democratic votes and the message sent at the convention will be voiced again.
There are no question Sanders is more charismatic, has more ideas, has more professional experience, has more energy around his campaign. No doubt Nelson being Majority leader he will have a majority of the legislature endorsing him soon? Which is the better message for Democrats to send in November? Sanders is a something new that gives us hope for the future, Nelson is more of the same put up by party insiders.
I’d like to hear someone explain why exactly Tom Nelson and Spencer Coggs are more credible candidates than Henry Sanders, or why exactly Sanders will be lucky to crack 10%.
The only two “explanations” I’ve heard for Nelson are:
A) He’s the majority leader.
B) He’s from NE Wisconsin.
Tom Barrett has been taking on the tough fights, even when it isn’t politically popular. That’s great in a year like this…especially when voters are so tired of political BS. Why would he want to tie himself to all the baggage, missed opportunities, and partisan nonsense of the legislative leadership? Seems counter-intuitive to me. And when you’re struggling to put food on the table, you don’t give a crap about where your Lieutenant Governor (of all people) comes from. You just want to know what he/she can do to help you find a job.
Coggs is the name we can all trust, according to him…and he’s right. He’s been in office for 30 years, and we know where he stands on just about everything. Playing up incumbency doesn’t seem like a smart idea in this environment,though. He’s also told people that Barrett can’t win Milwaukee without him…which I don’t understand, given Barrett hasn’t ever really lost a race in Milwaukee.
Cue Sad Trombone.
Heh…..Sanders definitely blew it.
BA DUM CHA!
That pun was great.
Zach you and I have some differences… but that was a heckuva pun.
Thanks.
I really couldn’t have been more wrong about the outcome of the Lt. Governor race…
To be fair Zach,
their message was very effective to the people they talked to. The problem is, they talked to the same people over and over and over. That universe wasn’t large enough. Social Media, and email blasting the democratic party email list does not win statewide elections. There are more democrats out there then belong to the party, a lot more.
It was a strategy to talk to activists and political insiders (I would argue that he played the inside game the entire time, while running as an outsider. I find the whole thing laughable personally). In the end, he truly wasn’t viable without support of labor or spending money in an effective manner.
Mind you, Sanders campaign spent somewhere near 100,000. You can’t tell me he spent that as effectively as he could have. Especially with Coggs spending almost the same amount.
I could go over a litany of reasons that campaign failed, but ineffective use of money, and ridiculously small universes equal a potential electoral disaster.
Excellent points.
Though I supported Sanders, it became pretty clear to me he was also being outworked by Tom Nelson, who just isn’t going to be outworked by anyone when it comes to elections.
Well since this topic has been revisited, should be pointed out:
Tom Nelson_________107,029____52%
Spencer Coggs_______43,585____21%
James Schneider_____37,249____18%
Henry Sanders_______19,297_____9%
Which leads me to ask…Hey John, who’s going to win the Superbowl? Winning lottery numbers?
Good call – a lot of people thought you were nuts, but you nailed it.