MILWAUKEE - The battle for November is on, and one of the biggest races in Wisconsin is the one for governor.
It will be incumbent Democrat Tony Evers facing Republican nominee Tim Michels and independednt Joan Ellis Beglinger
We look at how "The Trump Effect" helped Michels at the polls, and what the next phase of this race could bring.
An Emerson College Poll just released last weekend showed 39 percent of Republican voters in Wisconsin polled were more likely to vote for a candidate endorsed by former President Donald Trump.
Political science professors we spoke to the day after the primary elections want to know how Michels will pivot to attract all voters 90 days from now.
UW-Madison Political Science Professor David Canon says the grip Donald Trump has on the Republican Party is remarkable, and we saw it last night. But he says there is a catch.
"You can't win a general election in Wisconsin only appealing to Trump voters, and I think try to put a little distance between himself and Donald Trump," Canon said.
You did not hear that from Michels Tuesday night as he thanked the former president in his victory speech. Michels said, "He wanted to drain the swamp - we found out it's a really big swamp, and I know that Madison needs firm executive leadership and that's what I'm going to do as governor."
Professor Charles Franklin who heads the Marquette University Law School Poll believes the biggest example was Trump-backed candidate Adam Steen who challenged Assembly Speaker Robin Vos.
"What Democrats could never accomplish in a general election, defeating Robin Vos was almost handed to him by Republicans who were championing Donald Trump's candidate," Franklin said.
Vos narrowly kept his seat as the longest assembly speaker in our state's history by 260 votes.
"It's shocking," said Professor Canon, adding, "It's unbelievable that Trump's endorsement would lead a challenger to come that close to beating a sitting speaker."
Vos said during his victory speech Tuesday night, "We always knew the race was going to be very close especially when President Trump came in picked a side for somebody who literally just parachuted into the district and made it really close."
With "The Trump Effect" alive and well, there is still a lot of time between now and Nov. 8, to find out what Wisconsin voters will decide in the gubernatorial race.
Click here to see full election results from Tuesday.
