Barrett Wins 48% of Vote in Whitefish Bay

Milwaukee Mayor and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tom Barrett received more votes than Gov. Scott Walker in the local Whitefish Bay results from Tuesday's recall primary election.

Of the 46 percent of registered Whitefish Bay voters that hit the polls Tuesday, Barrett received 44.8 percent of the vote, while Walker received 42.1 percent of the vote. Democrat Kathleen Falk received 10.5 percent of the overall Whitefish Bay vote.

Barrett won the statewide Democratic primary election Tuesday night, and he also won the support of Democrats in Whitefish Bay. He won 78.4 percent of his party's vote in Whitefish Bay, while Falk received 18.3 percent of the Democratic vote.

Democratic Secretary of State Doug LaFollette received 22 votes, and Democratic State Sen. Kathleen Vinehout received 39 votes. Gladys Huber, the fake Democrat in the race, received 11 votes.

In the Democratic primary election to run against Republican Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, Mahlon Mitchell, President of the Professional Fire Fighters of Wisconsin, emerged as the top vote-getter in Whitefish Bay with 46.8 of the vote. Fake Democratic candidate Isaac Wiex received 28.2 percent of the vote, and Milwaukee private investigator Ira Robbins received 22.6 percent of the vote.

At the polls Tuesday, local resident Brian Quirk said he supported the recall effort and Barrett. While some have framed the recall election as a fight over collective bargaining, Quirk said Walker has led Wisconsin down the wrong path in many ways, including derailing the regional high-speed rail project and politicizing the state's Department of Natural Resources and Health and Human Services departments.

"It's not over just one issue. It's the whole arrogance of how he governs," Quirk said. "He has a sort of 'My way or the highway' attitude."

Quirk said he chose Barrett over Falk, because Falk seems too strident in her support for unions. He said Barrett was a little too soft in the 2010 gubernatorial election, and he hoped the Milwaukee mayor has more fire in his belly this time around.

"It's gonna be a squeaker," he predicted.

On the other side of the political fence, Rich Harland said he stands with the governor and he believes the recall is unnecessary.

"I think it's a total waste of taxpayer money," he said. "I don't think there's any reason to recall Scott Walker. He didn't do anything wrong."

Another voter, who identified herself only as Mary, agreed.

"I lived through Governor Doyle, and I didn't approve of what he did," she said.