A Democratic sweep? Evers optimistic as both parties campaign in Ryan's district
BURLINGTON - Republican Gov. Scott Walker didn't sugarcoat polls that show him down while his rival, Tony Evers, talked about the possibility of a Democratic sweep in the Nov. 6 election.
The two men made their pronouncements Sunday while trying to fire up their respective party activists in the heart of the 1st Congressional District in separate events sandwiched around a televised Green Bay Packers game.
In Burlington, Walker didn't shy away from a recent Marquette University Law School Poll that showed him trailing Democrat Evers by 5 points.
Walker said he didn't believe Marquette's poll was wrong at a similar stage of the 2016 campaign when it showed Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson trailing Democrat Russ Feingold, and it's not wrong now. Johnson went on to win in 2016 and Walker said Republicans can win this year.
"What changed was not that the poll was wrong; what changed is that we did something about it," Walker said.
"We need to remember what we did two years ago and work harder."
At a rally in a campaign office in downtown Racine, Evers told supporters, "We have an opportunity for a clean sweep this November."
But Evers said plenty of hard work lies ahead and said: "We talk about polls. I can tell you that polls today show us way up and show us way down. Bottom line is if we're going to have this campaign about values we need your help."
Up and down the ballot, the stakes are great in a district that in 2016 went to retiring House Speaker Paul Ryan by 35 points and President Donald Trump by 10.
This is a district where Republicans enjoy a sizable advantage in the partisan makeup of its voters but not an overwhelming advantage.
Bryan Steil is trying to hold the House seat for Republicans while Randy Bryce is seeking to flip the seat for Democrats.
A GOP rally in the morning drew around three dozen activists and featured Walker, Attorney General Brad Schimel, U.S. Senate candidate Leah Vukmir, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, Steil and candidates Travis Hartwig for treasurer and Jay Schroeder for secretary of state.
In the afternoon, dozens of Democrats filled a campaign office to listen to Evers, lieutenant governor candidate Mandela Barnes, U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, attorney general candidate Josh Kaul, Bryce and Sarah Godlewski, who is running for treasurer.
RELATED:Marquette poll: Tony Evers leads Scott Walker 49 percent to 44 percent in governor's race
RELATED:Marquette poll: Tammy Baldwin opens wide margin over Leah Vukmir in U.S. Senate race
"We know this is one of the most important places in the state to turn out the vote," Vos told Republicans.
Vukmir, a state senator from Brookfield, said the party has been "galvanized by everything we have gone through the last eight years."
"We know how to do elections," she said.
She sought to portray Baldwin as an insider, even joking that the first-term senator was probably wearing a Washington Redskins jersey.
"Tammy Baldwin doesn't stand for Wisconsin values, American values," Vukmir said, adding that Baldwin backs the "Medicare-for-all" proposal of independent U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.
In Racine, Baldwin wore a green-and-gold Packers fleece and told reporters: "Health care and people's access to insurance and medications they can afford is on the ballot."
Asked why Democrats' prospects in the state appear on the upswing, Baldwin pointed to the fight last year when Democrats beat back an attempt by Republicans to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.
She said Wisconsinites "saw Republicans go after their health care protections. They became involved. I never saw the activism and organizing like I did last year around something that is deeply personal, health care."
She said people are now "pivoting from working on the issues to supporting candidates who are their champions and opposing candidates who have been their obstacles or are proposing harmful things."
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter Craig Gilbert contributed to this article.