Alberta Darling Gets More Votes Than Mitt Romney in Falls

To no one’s great surprise, Republicans swept offices in Menomonee Falls during last week’s election. But who was most and least popular candidate with Falls’ voters?

The answer: State Sen. Alberta Darling was the most popular GOP candidate, while U.S. Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner was the least, although he had a stronger Democratic challenger.

State Reps. Don Pridemore and Dan Knodl earned fewer votes than Sensenbrenner, but their tallies don't really count because those districts didn’t include all Falls’ wards.

In fact, Darling received almost 2,000 votes more than GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney in the village.

In the unopposed countywide races, more Falls’ voters supported Treasurer Pamela Reeves than District Attorney Brad Schimel and Register of Deeds James R. Behrend.

The most popular Democratic candidates?

More people in the Falls preferred President Barack Obama than Senate candidate Tammy Baldwin, and more people voted for Baldwin than Sensenbrenner’s Democratic opponent Dave Heaster. However, the Democratic candidate for county clerk, Jessie Read, received more votes than Heaster did.

Oddly, Sensenbrenner was the least popular Republican, and Heaster the least popular Democrat, not counting a registered write-in, indicating that a number of people who voted in other races sat this one out.

When it comes to third-party candidates, they gained almost no traction in the Falls, but of them, the Libertarians do a little better than the others, and the socialists do the worst.

Just six people cast ballots Nov. 6 for socialist candidates.

Ward 22 had the highest voter turnout in the Falls, recording 97.9 percent turnout, meaning that only 16 of the 763 registered voters in that ward did not vote (overall turnout in Menomonee Falls was 93.6 percent).

Mitt Romney was a little more popular than Senate candidate Tommy Thompson in the Falls in terms of votes cast. However, Obama earned more votes than Baldwin

Republicans – total votes earned in the Falls

• State Sen. Alberta Darling, 16,400
• County Treasurer Pamela Reeves, 15,757
• County Register of deeds, James Behrend, 15,325
• County District Attorney Brad Schimel, 14,615
• Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney, 14,431.
• U.S. Senate Candidate Tommy Thompson, 14,170.
• County Clerk Kathleen Novack, 13,894
• Congressman F. James Sensenbrenner, 13,576.

Don Pridemore had 11,701 votes (district doesn’t count all Falls’ wards).

Democrats – total votes earned in the falls

• President Barack Obama, 7,855
• U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, 7,570
• County Clerk candidate Jessie Read, 6,189
• Congressional candidate Dave Heaster, 5,517
• State Senate candidate Beth Lueck (registered write-in), 0

Third party

• Joseph Kexel (Libertarian, Senate), 392
• Gary Johnson (Libertarian, president), 113
• Nimrod Y.U. Allen III (Independent, Senate), 83
• Virgil Goode (Constitution, president), 35
• Jill Stein (Independent, Green, president), 31.
• Gloria La Riva (Party for Socialism and Liberation, president) 5
• Jerry White (Socialist Equality Party, president) 1
• Riley J. Hood (registered write-in, Constitution, Senate), 0
• Diane E. Lorbiecki (registered write-in, Independent, Senate), 0