Nov. 8, 2020 noon
(WGTD)---There's no data to show whether Kenosha's civil unrest in the wake of the Jacob Blake shooting had an impact on Kenosha County's presidential vote totals last week, but opinions on the topic were shared during last Saturday's Community Matters program on WGTD.
State Senator Bob Wirch, a Kenosha Democrat, believes the violence and property damage boosted turnout in Donald Trump's favor.
Four years ago, Trump took Kenosha County by just 238 votes. This year, Trump's margin in Kenosha County totaled around 2,300. Trump's winning percentage also went up in the adjacent counties of Walworth and Racine. Statewide, however, Trump lost by about 20,000 votes after having won by about the same margin in 2016.
UW-Parkside political science professor Peggy James views the fear factor in a broader context. "I think the urban-rural divide has been there for a long time. What this simply did was exacerbate that division," she said.
In national exit polls, however, law and order took a back seat in importance to the economy, the pandemic and social justice issues, according to James.
On the issue of polling accuracy, Wirch says he's ready to throw in the towel. "I think Democrats would be better off instead of polling to use that money on campaigns," he said. "I think it's a waste of money."
The Marquette University poll taken right before the election had Biden up over Trump by about five percentage points, a similar leading margin that it gave Hillary Clinton four years ago.
Poll director Charles Franklin said last week that he thinks the problem is that a significant number of people who supported Trump declined to participate in polling.
Other guests on last Saturday's program were UW-P political science and law professor Ross Astoria and Barry Jagoda, TV/media advisor to President Jimmy Carter's campaign and a Carter White House special assistant.
-0-