Data Proves Progressive Could Win Plale's Seat

When I posted that State Sen. Jeff Plale would face a progressive primary opponent, I also made a case that a progressive could win that district. If you’ll recall, I made the following comment:

South Milwaukee and Cudahy are very blue collar working class suburbs. If
a progressive candidate can tap into those blue collar issues more effectively,
a win seems possible. Also some of the southeastern suburbs are becoming more
ethnically diverse than they once were. Targeting these communities could
also help tip the balance in the 7th Senate District.

At the time I made that comment based on my own personal knowledge of the district. Since then, I happened to obtain some data from the November 2004 elections. Russ Feingold was running against Tim Michels in that cycle. The distinctions between the two were unmistakable. Yet these supposedly conservative voters of South Milwaukee and Cudahy voted for the clear progressive. Not only did they vote for him, but they did so in convincing numbers. Russ Feingold won in South Milwaukee 6,830 to 4,932. In Cudahy Russ won 5,807 to 3,917.

A progressive CAN win in the 7th Senate District, whether they will is a different story. My advice? You might want to study Russ Feingold.