When it comes to social issues, Wisconsin is a middle-of-the-road state. While the Republican Party here confidently supports the national platform on issues such as abortion, sex education and gay rights, the religious right is not front-and-center of politics here the way it is in the South.
Perhaps the best indicator of a population's stance on social issues is church attendance, and according to a 2009 Gallup poll, about 40 percent of Wisconsinites go to church weekly or biweekly, a rate slightly lower than the national average of 41.6 percent.
While Wisconsin voters comfortably approved a ban on gay marriage in 2006, recent polls indicate that, if given the opportunity again, Wisconsinites would vote differently. As for abortion, Wisconsinites, like many Americans, are ambivalent, but polls show the vast majority are opposed to a "personhood amendment" that would define life as starting at fertilization, thus banning all abortions and emergency contraception.
So why is Rick Santorum -- the man who alleged "Satan" was "attacking the U.S." in 2008 -- poised to squash Mitt Romney in the state GOP primary in April? According to a Marquette University Law School poll released today, Santorum has the support of 34 percent of likely GOP primary voters, followed by Romney at 18 percent, Ron Paul at 17 percent and Newt Gingrich at 12 percent. Seventeen percent remain undecided.
In 2008, of the three candidates left, McCain took 55%, Huckabee 37%, and Paul 6%.
Wisconsin Family Council put out
a voters guide. It's pretty good, but interesting they did not publish if the candidate supported taxpayer funded contraception which is a bigger deal to both sides than say: "Using a prospective federal judge's ability to empathize with particular societal groups as a criterion for their nomination." Wouldn't it be nice if the Catholic dioceses put something out like this? Or distributed the WFC guide?
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