With the dust barely settled after the recent Primary Election Day and concerned citizens are still talking about the results it seems to be a good time to continue sharing thoughts about endorsements and primaries. Of course, our discussion will be impacted by Tuesday’s results making it all the more timely to air these observations and considerations.

This past May at the Republican Party of Wisconsin’s (RPW) State Convention there were endorsements in the pending five state-wide election contests: Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, State Treasurer, and Secretary of State. There is no election for U.S. Senate as Senator Johnson next faces re-election in 2028 and Senator Baldwin next faces re-election in 2030. To be considered for endorsement the candidates must have met viability standards which included such considerations as (campaign) money in the bank, number of individual donors, geographic dispersion of individual donors, and campaign strategy going forward.

There were two known candidates for Governor, but only Congressman Tom Tiffany met the viability standards, and he was endorsed by voice vote. The other candidate ran a “no budget” campaign! In the Primary Tiffany won with some 95% of the votes cast.

There were two viable candidates for Lt. Governor. The convention endorsed Will Martin over David Varnam by a very significant margin. In the Primary David Varnam upset the endorsed candidate by a 55% - 45% margin (actually almost an 11% difference). One map showing county results (based on results at 1:29 am the next morning) showed Martin with just four counties while Varnam won the other 68!

There were four candidates for Secretary of State but only one met the viability standards. The RPW Convention endorsed Nathan Pollnow but he lost the primary to Jay Schroeder, 47% - 25%, with the other two splitting the remaining 27%. Pollnow also had the endorsement of several state legislators which some but not all considered a negative factor.

The Republican candidates for Attorney General, Eric Toney, and State Treasurer, John Leiber, were both unopposed and were endorsed unanimously by voice vote at the RPW Convention.
In conclusion, there were five endorsements at the 2026 RPW Convention. The three candidates without a significant opponent (or any opponent) were all victorious on Primary Day. The endorsed candidate for Lt. Governor – where we actually had to vote on the endorsement—lost. The only viable candidate for Secretary of State was endorsed but had three opponents on Election Day and he also lost. It might be time for a partisan discussion!

Concerning Election Days and the results, Republicans, and all Wisconsin citizens for that matter, may want to start a discussion on the words “majority” and “plurality”. In plain English, “majority” is one more than 50% while “plurality” is simply the most votes cast. There is a difference. In the Coulee Region WXOW (TV-19) appeared to report on the many state, regional, and local races where there was a contest and the winner wasn’t known before Election Day due to the lack of opposition. Interestingly enough, there were five contests where the winner gained a plurality but not a majority meaning there were three or more candidates.

In the Democrat Primary for Governor Crowley beat Hong, 40% to 39%. In the Democrat Primary for Representative from the 7th Congressional District, Clark beat Murray, 38% to 32%. In the Republican Primary for Secretary of State Schroeder beat Pollnow 47% to 25%. In the Republican Primary for Representative from the 7th District Alfonso beat Hemerning 49% to 27%. And in the Republican Primary for Trempealeau County Sheriff, the incumbent Koxlien beat Dahl 46% to 34%.

What is the solution if we want a winner with a majority and not just a plurality? Nine states (AL, AR, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, OK, SC, & TX) have a State Primary Runoff where the general rule is the top two finishers in the original Primary Election face off in a two-way race. The winner here should have more than 50% which means they win with a majority, not a plurality!

A discussion on “majority” versus “plurality” might get lively especially if focused on the five “case studies” above. But, that is a discussion that should be had, especially since the margin between Hong and Crowley was less than 0.50%!

Get informed, get involved, and make an impact! Endorsements may be a partisan issue but questions about “majority” versus “plurality” are a bipartisan issue and must be asked! A good place to start is with your candidates for State Assembly, or even for Governor, Lt. Governor, or Secretary of State. Share your thoughts on “majority” versus “plurality”!