I have voted Democratic since they allowed us 18 year olds to vote in 1972. Even when primaries and such were mostly meaningless, I always felt is just wasn't right to vote for any Republican.
This year, in WI-6, where Dave Obey is retiring, I broke my rule and voted for the weaker Republican candidate - and it worked!
With the retirement of Obey, who served as a tireless fighter for this district since 1969, this seat was kinda up for grabs. The district covers much of northern Wisconsin, from Wisconsin Rapids and Stevens Point all the way to Superior and the Minnesota border. They may be as many deer as people in the district, so guns and God matter here.
Now don't get the idea that this is Alabama. Wisconsin remains a progressive state, with two Jewish senators, a Dem governor (though that will probably change this cycle). The most Republican areas are Milwaukee suburbs, which have given us Sensenbrenner and Ryan.
The organization Republican is Sean Duffy, an amiable nobody best known for being on a reality TV show and competing in lumberjack contests. He'll chop down the Washington establishment (by putting Boehner in charge).
The Dem is Julie Lassa, daughter of a dairy farmer and my current state senator.
The crazy guy is Dan Mielke. Yep, he's just as crazy as the rest of them. Government is a parasite. Insurance companies should not be allowed to give group rates (that interferes with the free market). Against H.R. 2749 Food Safety Enhancement Act. Not too crazy, he is for wind and solar, against Wall Street and such. He would not put Boehner in charge of catching dogs.
He stood no chance of beating Duffy, who had the machine and the money behind him. Lassa was basically unopposed. So I voted for Farmer Dan, hoping to enbiggen him. Mission accomplished!
Duffy beat Mielke about 2-1 (40,000 to 20,000). Mielke said he accepted the loss and was initially quiet. But the Repubs made a mistake - they left him in debt and didn't help him pay off his campaign expenses. Then Mielke asked for Duffy to sign on to six items that would prove he was a real conservative. Of course, Duffy blew him off. Duffy's campaign wants nothing to do with actual issues. Their campaign is limited to pro-life, they're coming to take your guns and a smile. So this week, Mielke announced he is running as a write-in, both to help get additional funding and to give conservatives a real choice to vote for.
This is good news, since this is going to be a tight race and the most motivated group is the pro-Mielke tea partiers. He is unlikely to get anywhere near 20,000 votes, but anything that takes votes from Duffy is good news for Lassa. The more Mielke makes it clear that there isn't a difference between Lassa and Duffy, the better for Lassa. Still lots of work to do here, but for Lassa, WI-6 and Wisconsin, this is good news.