While Gov. Scott Walker’s continued electoral dominance in just about every major population center in the state not named Madison or Milwaukee made him very tough to beat on Tuesday, we took a closer look at Milwaukee County’s results to see just how divided even this solidly pro-Burke county proved in her match-up with the rising conservative star. Outstate, Walker effectively pushed Burke back to the state’s small college towns – Eau Claire, Stevens Point and La Crosse – as she maintained a shaky grip on Madison, Milwaukee and immediate surroundings. Milwaukee County actually ranked fourth among those that went for Burke, behind Dane, Ashland and Menominee counties.
This map shows where the fault lines broke down, allowing Walker to pick up some 132,500 votes and chip away at Burke’s urban advantage. That’s more than the population of Green Bay and roughly the amount of votes that Walker won by (137,500). The redder the municipality, the heavier it swung for Walker, and vice versa. See the full data below.
| Top Municipalities for Walker | |
| Franklin | 65.57 % |
| Hales Corners | 63.58 % |
| Greendale | 61.29 % |
| Oak Creek | 60.95 % |
| River Hills | 60.34 % |
| Greenfield | 57.59 % |
| West Allis | 54.71 % |
| South Milwaukee | 52.96 % |
| Wauwatosa | 52.55 % |
| Top Municipalities for Burke | |
| Milwaukee | 77.02 % |
| Shorewood | 72.32 % |
| Brown Deer | 59.72 % |
| Glendale | 59.20 % |
| West Milwaukee | 58.51 % |
| Bayside | 53.85 % |
| St. Francis | 50.83 % |
| Fox Point | 50.61 % |
| Whitefish Bay | 50.42 % |
| Cudahy | 50.35 % |
In the end, 62.9 percent of voters in the county went for Burke. Walker held onto 36 percent – about the same split as 2012’s recall results.
We found a similar red swell in this spring’s voting patterns, when the southern suburbs drove up conservative Sheriff David Clarke’s totals.
