The Capitol Report, produced by WisPolitics.com — a nonpartisan, Madison-based news service that specializes in coverage of government and politics — provides a weekly analysis of issues being debated in Wisconsin state government. It is underwritten by the WNA and produced exclusively for its members. WisPolitics.com President Jeff Mayers is a former editor and reporter for the Associated Press and a former political writer for the Wisconsin State Journal.
These days major statewide elections in Wisconsin can be decided by just thousands of votes.
There are the occasional blowouts — Janet Protasiewicz’s victory in the spring 2023 Supreme Court race and Tammy Baldwin in the 2018 U.S. Senate race come to mind — but a partisan-ized electorate is usually sharply divided when it comes to gubernatorial, U.S. Senate and presidential elections.
All the more remarkable that Democrat Herb Kohl in his final U.S. Senate race in 2006 won with 67.3 percent of the vote vs. little known Republican Robert Lorge. The four-term senator, who died late last month at the age of 88, lived up to his “nobody’s senator but yours” moniker.
During that era Republican Gov. Tommy Thompson also enjoyed some easy wins on his way to becoming the state’s longest-serving governor.
But the bipartisan success of those pols came before Scott Walker’s signature anti-union Act 10, Democrats’ failed recall attempt against the Republican governor, and the bitter debates over Donald Trump, culture wars and redistricting.
The modest multi-millionaire who saved the NBA franchise for Milwaukee and donated millions to education and other causes had a rare and broad bipartisan appeal that may never be seen again in Wisconsin.
The Milwaukee native was very rich because of a family grocery business that he helped grow and later sold, but he didn’t act wealthy. Since his death, stories abound about how he connected with
regular employees, constituents, and sports fans. He could often be found in the lobby of the Pfister Hotel, wearing a worn sport coat and reading a newspaper.
“Throughout his life, Herb Kohl always put people first–from his employees and their families to his customers and countless charitable organizations and efforts,” said former aide Joanne Anton, director of Giving for Herb Kohl Philanthropies. “Herb Kohl Way isn’t just the name of a street in front of the Fiserv Forum. The Herb Kohl Way perfectly sums up a legacy of humility, commitment, compromise, and kindness to countless people he worked with, served and helped along the way. Those values will live on through his Foundation.”
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