Anyone from Janesville?

[myrna minx]

I grew up in Janesville and I went to high school with Paul Ryan (boy did we run with different crowds.) I went to check out the stats for district 1 to see what the margin of victory P.D. Ryan had and I was stunned! I don't recall Janesville being such a republican stronghold. These numbers shocked me. I always thought Janesville was a union town, considering the GM plant. I occasionally go back to visit my mom and see some friends and while there are some uber-patriotic flag-o-waving cars, I didn't get the 'feel' that it was such a republican city. What gives?



DISTRICT 1
District 1 Wisconsin
Current Representative
Paul Ryan
Republican Results of last election
Democrat 31%
Republican 67%
Other 2%

[mark414]

1. not too far

grew up in burlington (southwestern racine county), live in milwaukee now.

ryan was my rep in burlington. the area he represents includes not only janesville, but much of racine county and lots of small rural towns. most of if not all of racine county is a GOP stronghold.

[myrna minx]

2. I didn't realize district 1 was so large.

Thanks for the info. :hi: I think *he* thinks that he is the repub. JFK Jr. :eyes:

[mark414]

3. ha

he's such a weinie

his campaign RV used to come through burlington all the time during the summer before elections, i used to throw all kinds of questions at him or his staff and they'd always get all flustered and send me away, telling me that i'd understand when i was older blah blah blah (i'm 19, so i was still in high school when this went on)

edit: what was he like in high school?

[myrna minx]

4. His 10 year class reunion was scheduled in 1998

for him to be able to "glad hand" the attendees. The reunion was pushed back to the fall...just in time for the election. :eyes:

In high school, he was *nice* per say, but his friends we not. While he, himself, didn't harass and beat up the punk rockers (I was in that group) he had albsolutly no problem standing by watching his friends harass and strike us. It takes a "big" man to allow violence to happen.

[LiberalFighter]

6. Factors

Wisconsin lost a district it was redistricted meaning different area covered.

If the vote on the City Manager/Mayor issue is any indication then I would say Janesville is definitely conservative... probably more conservative since the 70's.

[Lefty48197]

5. I was born there

but we left during the Kennedy administration.

[Guy Fawkes]

7. I've got some bad news for you...

Janesville may not seem republican, or even conservative, to most people. But if you pick up the Gazette every once in a while, you start to get a feel for the city.

The Janesville Gazette runs articles by Ann Coulter, Kathleen Parker, Bill O'Riely, etc. And whenever they run a Molly Ivins article, they get angry letters.

Janesville is a conservative, homophobic town. Even though there aren't huge KKK rallies anymore (Rivera!) the mentality never left.